CARLETON READS & COUNTS (TUTOR SESSION) April 30, 2013 Diane Torbenson RtI Greenvale Park Elementary School

 RtI stands for RESPONSE to INTERVENTION  RtI is a process for helping students become successful. The process focuses on how a specific student responds to the specific intervention.  RtI includes these steps:  Identify a struggling student  Implement an intervention to solve the problem  Check to see if it worked (by monitoring data)  I basically am a coach for the teachers.

THANK YOU College tutors are a vital part of our schools. This opportunity is important work. We love having college volunteers/tutors come into the schools to work with children. We depend upon you! YOU MAKE A DIFFFERENCE!

BASIC INFORMATION:  Sign in at front desk. (have your student id with you)  Be professional. (clothing, punctuality, conversations, cell phone use)  Exchange contact information with classroom teacher. ( or phone)  Communicate with teacher. (absences, student issues)  Ask questions. (Be sure you are clear on your tasks.)  Maintain Confidentiality. (Do not discuss students with others outside of the school.)  Follow teacher’s directions. (If you have a problem with something you see, speak with the teacher privately or talk to Julie Bubser.)  Avoid bringing food or treats for the students unless you check with the teacher first. (Children may have allergies.)  School Rules: WORK---RESPECT---BELONG (Help us reinforce these!)

GENERAL MANAGEMENT DURING TUTOR SESSION

1. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS:  Get to know the child.  Introduce yourself.  Ask the child their name and possibly their interests, yet don’t probe for personal information.  Listen and let the child know you care about them.  Be friendly – yet firm  You have a task to do in a certain amount of time.  Be sure to use this time wisely and keep the child on task.  It is ok to say NO and set boundaries for behavior.  Encourage the child to WORK HARD, SHOW RESPECT, and help others to BELONG.

2. BE POSITIVE AND GIVE SPECIFIC PRAISE:  Praise goes a long way in helping a child succeed.  When a child makes a mistake, try avoiding telling them they are wrong.  Instead, try asking them to look again and see if there is another solution. You could also say, “Let’s try this again.” or “Can I help you?”  Effective praise is specific, not general.  It is better to say, “Good work, you answered 4 out of 5 questions correctly today.” Instead of just saying “Good Job.”  Another example is to say, “Do you know what really smart thing you did today?” Then tell the child what you noticed them doing well.  One more example is to find “½ rights”. In a math problem this could be they started the problem correctly or they did all of their subtraction right. This makes the child less defensive if you redirect them.

3. SHOW INTEREST:  Show interest in the child.  Look directly at the child when speaking to them.  Keep the child focused and on task.  Sit next to the child.  Explain plan for the session.  Be clear when giving directions.

4. BE PATIENT:  Show empathy.  The child may need directions repeated or paraphrased.  They often need multiple opportunities before understanding the skill.  Allow the child time to think and speak.  It is ok to make mistakes.  Tutors often work with children who are below grade level or behind on their work. Expect slow progress!

5. ESTABLISH ROUTINE:  Tell the child the plan for the session and follow this plan.  Ex. First we will read this story, and then you will retell it to me in order. I will help you determine the main idea and 3 details.  If you do more than one task with children during each session, it is best to have a set order. (Keep order each session.)  Children like consistency and routine.  If you have a set time for the session, it may be wise to show a timer. Children may be ok with working on a challenging task for 10 minutes. They often like knowing how much time is left.  I am told this is good for ADHD students.  I use a Sand Timer app on my ipad. (Teachers may let you borrow their ipad.)

6. AVOID BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS:  Use terms “Work, Respect and Belong” with children.  Ex. You are doing careful work on your cursive.  Ex. Please be respectful in the library.  Use terms “Expected and Unexpected” to explain behaviors.  Ex. It is expected that you would work on this story.  Ex. It is unexpected that you talk back to me.  DO NOT ALLOW inappropriate or disrespectful behavior.  If you allow it one time, children learn that they can do this every time you come.  Be clear about what you expect. If a child behaves inappropriately, say in a kind way, “No, you cannot do this here. It doesn’t help you learn.”  Tell the teacher about behavior problems.  If behavior is disrespectful during the session, end session early and return the child to the room.  Ask teacher for suggestions.  Avoid getting into a power struggle with the child about his/her behavior.  If you feel that the behavior is not ok, you are probably right. Stopping this behavior early is best.

7. KEEP CHILD MOTIVATED:  Make learning fun and interesting.  For young children, if works to act like this task is a game.  Keep child busy during session.  Could offer a fun activity at end of session (as reward).  Show genuine interest in this task or skill.  Give reasons why this task is important to learn.  Stay positive.  Break down the task enough so child is successful.  Minnesota Reading Corps Trainers tell me that if a child is successful at something, they will want to do this more often.  Success is more of a motivator than interest.  If something appears too hard, people often want to quit.

8. HAVE FUN:  Students LOVE when college students come to their rooms, and they usually enjoy this extra time and attention.  Enjoy this time with the child.  Often college students tell us their time with the students is a highlight of their week.  KNOW THAT YOU ARE IMPORTANT to the child and the school!  We are so fortunate to have 2 amazing colleges in Northfield where we can tap into the college tutors.