Tipsheet on tutoring

Drawing on years of language-training experience, Frontier College president Jack Pierpoint and education consultant Marsha Forest provide an array of pointers for prospective tutors and parents who want to staff their children on the right road to reading.

Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I may remember! But involve me and I'll understand . . . People who cannot read and write come in all shapes, sizes, colors, religions and ages. They fit. no neat orderly pattern, and therefore require creative flexible approaches.

People who want to help other people to read and write also come in all shapes, sizes, colors, religions and ages. They too fit no neat orderly pattern.

Our experience at Frontier College has proven to us that all people are capable of learning and that trained tutors can unlock doors into new futures and new hopes for students.

The key to our approach is that it is designed to serve the needs of the students. "What do you want to learn and how can I help you?" is the major question we train our tutors to ask. This is based on the belief that people know what they want but are often not encouraged to ask.

Research shows the best programs have simple philosophies. Our's can be summed up very simply: "We believe in our students." We look for tutors who see the glass as `'half-full" not "half-empty." We want people who see other people as full of potential and ability— not empty jars to be filled or fixed with prescriptions.

Most of our tutors work one-to-one at the beginning, but peer tutoring and group work can accomplish equal results. The key is the people. So, in screening potential tutors, we look for the following qualities:

1. People who believe that everyone can change, grow and develop all through their lives.
2. People who have many interests and networks.
3. People who like to read and write.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD TUTOR?

Let's look at a few tutors and see if a pattern emerges.

Richard: Age 35, spent 15 years in prison, high school education, a skilled woodworker, three children.

Mandy: Age 47, PhD in English literature, single, teaches at university.

Shafik: Age 25, some university, loves to read, wants to travel, was in a car accident and uses a wheelchair.

Devinder: Age 57, elementary teacher, speaks French, writes children's stories, has seven children.

Linda: Age 39, lived in an institution half her life, was labelled mentally handicapped, learned to read and write through Frontier program, now married and working.

What do all these people have in common?

• They all volunteered to tutor.
• They are all willing to attend training sessions and make at least a six-month commitment to a person.
• They are all people who see possibility and capacity.
• They all can live with a system that uses no tests, no labels, and no set recipes for learning.
• They are all flexible, open and friendly. They all like to read and write.

In almost every other way they are different, and that is necessary and desirable.

BEGINNING TACTICS FOR TUTORING

Relax. Have a coffee together. Talk. Exchange stories. Then . . . Find out everything you can about the student. How? By asking. Slowly. Don't push. Create an autobiography. Their lives, wishes, dreams, fears, hopes. Not just age, weight, height—but how they feel, what their passions are. Also share who you are. Never ask what you yourself are unprepared to answer.

Be a good observer. Use your eyes and ears to see and hear what the student is telling you.