|
|
LEARNING TIPS--JULY 2008 TUTOR LUNCHEON
What is going well?/Tutoring tips to share.
- For those who have access to and are able to use a computer, integrate computer use into the lesson
- Taking pictures: my student had to leave pictures behind in Mexico. I gave a lesson around using a camera and taking pictures, using expressions such as “say cheese”, etc. Also descriptions of pictures; happy, laughing, sad.
- Meeting at local coffee shop helped build confidence in speaking English. Ordering food; speaking in sentences.
- Use e-mail and SKYPE (software program that allows users to make free telephone calls over the Internet) to communicate to reinforce English and for practice (informal form of homework)
- Make a pie, cake or sandwich with student as a lesson. Prior to the food preparation, teach vocabulary such as chop, slice, cut, roll, spread, sprinkle, the names of the ingredients, etc.
- Use Velcro with magazine pictures and/or drawings with matching vocabulary.
- Make student responsible for: time, location, regular participation. Let them know to contact you if they are unable to make it to a lesson.
- Books from Resource Library are useful!
- Some native language use is helpful to clarify or illustrate something.
- Tutor Coffees with Judi Kreinick helpful.
- My student wanted something to work with on her own with, so I found a work book in Spanish on amazon.com that teaches English grammar.
- Be practical. If your student is bored or troubled, ask directly what the problem is-solution may be very simple; scheduling or transportation.
- Start each meeting on a personal level. I tell something or make comments she can respond to.
- Brief review of last session. Refreshes the student’s memory, eases back into learning.
- Learn facts about student’s life or background. Build exercises or conversation around them, not “from the book”.
- If they attend Hennessy ESL classes or other language classes, suggest they tell you what they are studying so that your lessons can reinforce the learning.
- Simple kitchen cooking or preparation to teach simple words and ingredients.
- If student is working at a job, ask them to share something that happened there.
- Start with a familiar topic.
- Ask them to talk about their children.
- Be direct in questioning, practical.
- Help student be prepared for tutoring session: Quiet space, no distractions, etc.
- Discuss things student “sees around town”: planes (fire), traffic signs, road signs, “click it or ticket”, measurements/preparation for recipes, newspaper articles with pictures.
- Begin and end with something student does well.
- Have student take deep breath before transitioning from day’s events to tutoring session.
- Repeat back to student for confirmation; reinforces student confidence.
- Physical movement to reinforce language. (Total Physical Response)
- Stay flexible with lesson to accommodate student’s needs.
- Keep lesson itself short to facilitate communication about things that may come up that were unplanned.
- Set up a telephone time and call student; use English only.
- Teach verbs and colors by asking student to go around the room doing things: stand up, go to kitchen, come back, pick up glass, put glass on the table. Ask questions: what color is something, point out different colors, etc.
- Keep an open mind when it comes to lesson plan structure.
- Try to build in the unexpected; first part of each lesson—what does the student need today?
- Write a story about student’s family.
What further support would you like to receive as a Tutor?
- Upgraded Citizenship materials. (Donna is working on this.)
- New intermediate/advanced grammar materials.
- Audio CD’s, CD players, audio books, pronunciation tapes, tape players-Donations?
- Student computer with internet access.
- Easy to read short books with reading level 2/3
- More interesting short novels, 2/3 level.
- Tutor workshops to share ideas; Attend our Tutor Coffees.
- Refresher training sessions; Long-timers could sit in on a current training session, for a refresher course, and share their knowledge as well.
“Ah-ha” moments/ What didn’t you expect as a Tutor, and how did you deal with the unexpected?
- Realized at first meeting that my student knows more English than I thought.
- My student knows the alphabet but pronunciation of vowel sounds is really confusing for her.
- Realized my student wasn’t understanding what he was reading.
- I didn’t expect his ability to read English words to be so limited. Conversely his ability to think and speak in English was surprisingly better than I expected.
- My student reads and pronounces well, but she has no idea what the words mean, like “big and small”. I have to start over.
- Prep time was longer than I expected. I know it will probably decrease as I become more familiar with material.
- My student told me sometimes “gringos” say mean things to him. I told him not all of us feel that way. I told him it’s okay to respond to them in a calm measured tone.
- My student could not remember the word “fork”. I pointed to the tines of the fork and counted them: 1, 2, 3, 4’ork”. She laughed and now knows the word.
- My student doesn’t know the alphabet in English or Spanish. He has very little education. I take alphabet in small steps.
- Connecting with student on an English word or phrase; “bun” as in hamburger bun. My student’s a cook, and he was calling buns “bread”.
- I expected to be more focused on “the lesson”, but then life entered and real issues (such as driving school) had to be dealt with.
- Encourage student to be on time, to be so motivated, to know more conversational English.
- “Ah ha” moment: when my student figured out how to get a live scan of his fingerprint to Mexico to renew his driver’s license. He’s more resourceful than I am!
- Taking the “L” out of the words “walk” and “talk” for pronunciation: “wok” and “tok”.
- Having my student “teach me”.
- I didn’t expect my student to be so advanced. I’m still trying out different materials to get to the right level.
|
|
