New
Beginnings
Creating
and Establishing an Adult Literacy Program
TUTOR
TRAINING
Robert
Pinhero
This component is
designed to assist new and emerging adult literacy organizations in
establishing, implementing, and maintaining a quality tutor-training
program. Tutor training equips volunteers with the skills to provide
direct instructional services and plays a role in the recruitment and
retention of volunteer tutors and learners. A quality training program
also serves to enhance the literacy organization's reputation among
learners, funders, and entities that may offer opportunities for collaboration
or resources.
Programs should avoid
copying training schedules used by other literacy groups directly.
Demographics and needs vary from one community to another. Use some
of the suggestions included in this component to help you tailor your
training to your community needs. Before developing your training schedule,
prepare an implementation plan and training calendar. Be sure to consider
tutor orientation programs and workshop publicity when you write your
plan. Also consider the logistics of your training environment, i.e.
physical space, equipment, and location.
The first section
of this component will provide suggestions for planning a quality tutor
training program. The second section will help you implement the training.
The last section will provide suggestions for the program's maintenance
and continuous improvement.
Planning
a Tutor Training Program
1. Assess
the literacy environment nationally and locally. Literacy
statistics vary by location and it is important to understand the
data for your area. The National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) is
conducted after each census and provides a breakdown of literacy
levels nationally and locally. Local workforce development boards,
as well as national and regional literacy groups, may provide you
with this information.
2. Identify
the populations to be served. Frequently an organization's
mission statement will define the population to be served. Many new
organizations attempt to serve everyone who comes through their doors.
This approach can result in diluting the programs effectiveness and
spreading resources too thinly. Training inherently has time and
resource constraints. A clear focus on who your program will be serving
is necessary in order to design an effective training.
3. Develop
a community profile. Know your community! Gather information
about public, private, and faith-based organizations that may be
able to assist with your training. These organizations may have available
equipment, materials, volunteer trainers, space and a means to publicity.
For example, a local business or service organization might be willing
to sponsor a training by purchasing the materials or providing meals
and refreshments. They could be recognized at the training workshop
and credited in the written materials.
4. Compile
a resource inventory. Make a list of your program's training
resources and begin to develop a list of what is needed. You may
want to prioritize the list and distinguish between essential items
and "nice to have" resources.
5. Develop
a tutor operational plan. In addition to skills training,
orient the tutors to the program's assessment procedures and reporting
requirements. Tutors play a critical role in program accountability
in terms of documenting learner progress and goal achievement. Prepare
a list of suggested community locations where tutoring may occur
(e.g., libraries, community rooms in other agencies, etc.). Tutors
may be able to use facilities at their place of employment. Brainstorm
possible locations with the new tutors; they may have ideas for other
tutoring locations.
6. Recruit
and retain trainers.Provide trainers with positive feedback
and adequate resources to carry out the training goals and objectives.
Involve tutor trainers in planning sessions and offer opportunities
for cross training to maintain "freshness" and inject new perspectives.
Many of the concepts addressed in the volunteer recruitment and retention
portion of this manual will apply to trainers as well since they
too are often volunteers.
7. Develop
a training team. Many new programs rely on their founders
as trainers. It is important to begin developing a training team
as soon as possible. Teamwork capitalizes on the synergy of the group
and results in well-structured workshops. Presentations should transition
smoothly from one topic to the next so that the information is presented
in a logical order. The American Society for Training and Development
(ASTD) has chapters in most major cities and they may be willing
to offer assistance or even personnel in this area. A local university
may have resources that can help too.
8. Select
appropriate materials and instructional strategies. Once
you have identified the population to be served and inventoried your
available resources, your training team should begin to select the
materials and instructional strategies that will be presented in
the tutor pre-service training. For additional information regarding
curriculum development and strategies please refer to the appropriate
section of this manual. Tutors must be provided with an adequate
background on the program's curriculum and they must learn the instructional
techniques recommended for their assigned learners. Remember, the
materials and strategies presented in your training must relate to
the curriculum and instructional strategies selected to assist learners
in achieving their goals. Simply put, if 70% of your learner population
are ESL learners, then a substantial portion of your training should
address this. Training should be activity-based, interactive, and
use a variety of instructional styles to engage all participants.
9. Develop
the training workshop. This is one of the more difficult
tasks in this process. Trainers must consider time, space, available
resources, and characteristics of the volunteer pool. The current
trend for pre-service training ranges from 10 to 18 hours and is
usually offered evenings or weekends to accommodate volunteer work
schedules. The resource listings at the end of this section will
cite materials that will assist in planning literacy workshops. Keep
your volunteer pool in mind when planning. Retired volunteers may
not mind attending an 18-hour workshop, while volunteers with full-time
jobs and young families may not be able to donate as much time. The
agenda should take advantage of individual trainer strengths and
allow for active participation by all trainers.
10. Consider
workshop topic areas. Laubach Literacy and Literacy Volunteers
of America (in the process of merging as of this writing) each offer
training materials and approaches that you may modify to fit your
local needs. These organizations will provide information that will
assist you in making training decisions. State adult education organizations
and other groups listed in the resource section may also provide
training materials and ideas.
Implementing
a Tutor Training Program
1. Conduct
tutor orientations. Many programs find it useful to offer
a tutor orientation prior to pre-service workshops. Orientations
act as a recruitment tool, yield additional program exposure, and
provide an opportunity to disseminate program information without
using up precious workshop time. In addition, an orientation program
gives tutors a chance to make a better decision about attending the
workshop. The long-term effect is usually a reduction in training
dropout rates and better tutors. Orientations are typically 1 to
3 hours and are offered prior to pre-service workshops. Topics covered
may include background information on literacy and the local program,
learner profiles, funding and accountability requirements, and a
brief activity to give prospective tutors a "taste" of what the training
will be like. You may want to ask an established program that offers
tutor orientation for ideas and suggestions.
2. Publicize
the workshop. Timing is very important to publicity and
often there is a little trial and error involved in tapping into
the pulse of your community. Advertising too early is often as detrimental
as advertising too late. Talk with other organizations in your area
and find out what works for them. Consider your local newspaper,
radio stations and cable TV bulletin board listings. Agencies with
programs that are compatible with yours may be willing to include
your information in their newsletter. Church and club bulletins and
newsletters can also be effective.
3. Consider
logistics. Programs may not have as much control over logistics
as they would like; however, they are important. Consider the workshop
location, participants' safety, lighting, seating, tables, electrical
outlets, kitchen facilities, and heating and cooling. All of these
contribute in varying degrees to the workshop success.
Maintaining
a Tutor Training Program
1. Update
training periodically. Initially, it is not uncommon to
modify your training workshop to accommodate the realities encountered
in its delivery. Even the best planned workshops often need adjustments
in time, topics, or techniques based on attendees' feedback. Gather
feedback by providing tutors with routine evaluation forms; consider
distributing forms quarterly. Also, programs should periodically
evaluate their training to ensure that it continues to address the
volunteer and learner needs and embraces new strategies and delivery
methods that have proven successful. Many programs are currently
exploring the use of more technology in delivering their tutor training.
2. Conduct
in-service workshops. Pre-service training is inherently
a broad-brush approach to training since so much information must
be shared with the tutor trainees. Once tutors gain some experience
with the materials and their learners, they will have more specific
issues and questions. These issues are possible topics for in-service
trainings. Survey your tutors and listen to their questions and feedback
to help determine the topics to offer. In-service trainings help
maintain instructional quality and maintain good contact between
the program and the tutors. The length and frequency of these workshops
will vary depending on local circumstances. Some programs offer them
monthly or quarterly and they may span one to three hours or in some
cases be a full day.
3. Establish
tutor support systems. As previously mentioned, in-service
trainings offer additional opportunities for tutor support and contact.
Newsletters also are a way of maintaining support. A newsletter section
devoted to tutor issues such as "Tutoring Tips" would be valuable
to tutors. Most tutors have email and Internet access, and this is
a great way to disseminate information and share resources among
tutors. A tutor bulletin board (whether online or physically at the
literacy center) can also help. Don't leave tutors feeling like they're
on their own and isolated. Offer events or gatherings that bring
tutors together to exchange ideas and share experiences. Monthly
coffees or roundtables work well. Consider drop-in times for tutors
to receive special help. Establish a tutor networking system that
is maintained by tutors. You may need to have a staff person assist
with the networking system at first. Remember tutors are volunteers,
so for additional information, refer to the section of the manual
that addresses volunteer recruitment and retention.
Conclusion
Tutor training is
an integral part of building an effective literacy organization. While
addressing the volunteer and learner needs, it should also reflect
the program's vision and mission, as a part of its strategic plan.
Tutor training should be interrelated with all elements of the organization.
Quality training can be an important tool in attracting funding, and
it has a tremendous impact on volunteer and student retention. Poorly
trained tutors often result in poorly tutored learners, which consequently
leads to high turnovers in both areas. Training is the vehicle that
puts the program curriculum and strategies into action. Training programs
should illustrate the same principles we advocate when teaching our
learners:
- Have respect
for the trainees,
- Make certain
the training is always relevant,
- Draw on your
trainees' life experiences, and
- Allow multiple
opportunities for practice.
Every step of the
way, from the establishment of the training program, through implementation,
and during maintenance, stay focused on your program' s goals and objectives
and be excited! Training should be informative but it should also be
fun, and they are not mutually exclusive. In the words of Ralph Waldo
Emerson "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Resources
Organizations
These resources can
provide training information online or by calling the organization
at the number listed:
Publishers
New Readers Pressis
the publishing division of Laubach Literacy. They can be reached at
800-448-8878 or http://www.newreaderspress.com/ One
resource that they publish that is particularly useful is Planning
literacy and ESL workshops (ISBN 1-56420-136-8).
Literacy Volunteers
of America offers training materials in their catalog. They can be
reached at 315-472-000. One
resource that they publish that is particularly useful is Using
LLA's guidelines for effective tutor workshops.
Other Resources
The Literacy Volunteer
Connection can be found at: http://literacyconnections.homestead.com/index.html A monthly newsletter
published by Lakewood Publications called Creative Training Techniques can
be obtained by calling 800-707-7769.
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