Strategies for tutoring adult ESL students

1. www.nvcc.edu/workfo

2. EDUC 1813:
Tutoring Adult ESL Students
American Culture & Language Institute, TESOL Certificate Program
Northern Virginia Community College
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

3. Overview
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Why do we tutor?
Six Tutor Roles
Tutoring Cycle
Preparing to Tutor
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

4. Why do we tutor?
• Help tutees increase their confidence
• Learn how to learn independently
• Reduce their dependence on tutoring.
– Dr. Ross B. MacDonald, Tutor Evaluation & SelfAssessment Tool, and The Master Tutor
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

5. Six Tutor Roles
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Promote independence in learning
Personalize instruction
Facilitate tutee insights
Provide a student perspective
Respect differences
Follow a job description
From Delaware County Community College
Tutor Training Manual
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

6. The Tutoring Cycle
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

7. Step 1: Greet and Set Climate
• Greet student(s) by name.
• Give a brief introduction.
• Be friendly…smile, gesture, small talk.
• Provide proper seating arrangement.
– Sit next to, not across from each other.
– If the tutee is left handed, sit to their left.
– If in a group, sit in a circle, when possible.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

8. Step 2: Identify Task
• Ask the student to identify what he/she wants
to work on and why.
• Use open-ended questions to clarify the
tutee’s immediate concerns.
• Use empathetic statements to help the tutee
define the problem.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

9. Step 2: Identify Task
• Restate the student’s issues and use them to
focus the activities of the session.
• Ask the student to identify learning
preferences.
– Enjoyable activities
– Textbooks or other materials
• The student’s level of understanding sets the
pace for the session.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

10. Step 3: Break Task into Parts
• Ask tutee(s) to break task into steps.
– Show me how you did this in class.
– How do you begin?
• Restate steps mentioned. Tutee takes notes
or tutor writes them.
• Ask tutee(s) to explain the steps to confirm
understanding.
– Tell me what we have to do next.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

11. Step 4:
Identify Thought Process
• Ask the tutee(s) to explain the general
approach learned in class.
• Help tutee(s) understand the textbook/lecture
notes and how these resources were used to
understand the process.
– Encourage using text and class notes next visit.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

12. Step 4:
Identify Thought Process
• Help tutee identify other sources of
information to encourage independent
learning
– notes, handouts, workbooks, classmates
• Ask tutee(s) to explain the approach learned
to ensure tutees’ understanding for doing
similar tasks when studying alone.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

13. Step 5: Setting the Agenda
• Involve tutee(s) in setting agenda.
• Require tutee(s) to state agenda explicitly to
help him/her play active role in allocating time
for each task.
– Jot down an informal plan for the session.
• Readjust agenda when necessary
• Keep track of time.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

14. Step 6: Address the Task
• Encourage tutee(s) to address task without
overly directing him/her.
– Where should we begin?
– What do we do next?
• Respond appropriately, but do not interrupt
tutee’s thinking.
• Pencil and paper should remain in front of
tutee, not tutor.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

15. Step 6: Address the Task
• Encourage tutee(s) to do most of the
talking/learning.
• 30% Rule
– If you (Tutor) are talking more than 30% of the
time during the session, then you (Tutor) are doing
the learning.
• Allow sufficient “wait time” (aka “10 second rule”) for
tutee to act, speak, or learn before you take over and
explain.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

16. Step 7:
Tutee Summary of Content
• Encourage tutee(s) to summarize what has just been
learned.
– Let’s review. Show me what we were just talking about.
• Wait for tutee’s explanation without interrupting or
correcting. Give tutee opportunity to self-correct by
asking questions, then waiting.
• Use tutee’s explanations to determine if he or she
really understands.
• If understanding is incomplete, return to addressing
the task.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

17. Step 8:
Tutee Summary of Underlying Process
• Have tutee(s) summarize process for addressing the
task.
– So, how do you do this again?
• Wait for tutee summary to run its course.
• Determine if tutee’s understanding would allow the
completion of a similar task independent of tutoring.
• If understanding is incomplete, return to addressing
the task.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

18. Step 9:
Confirming and Reinforcing Confidence
• After tutee(s) explains content and process,
offer positive reinforcement, and confirm that
tutee really did understand or improve.
• Congratulate tutee(s) for working hard and
not giving up.
• Reassure tutee(s) that he/she can now do
similar tasks independently.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

19. Step 10:
Looking Ahead: What’s Next?
• Help tutee(s) anticipate what he/she will learn
next that might connect to current task.
• Help tutee(s) understand how information
from class and tutoring is connected.
• Ask future oriented questions: “What is the
next concept you will learn in class? How will
what we did today help you?”
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

20. Step 11:
Arrange and Plan Next Session
• Allow tutee(s) to make decision about
whether to return for another session and
what to do during the session.
• Confirm time and date of next session. Be
sure tutee knows who to call to cancel (if
needed).
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

21. Step 12: Close and Goodbye
• Evaluate progress on agenda.
• Ask what helped most and what could be
improved.
• Thank tutee(s) for contributions.
• If necessary, make suggestions for next time.
• End session on a positive note.
www.nvcc.edu/workfo

22. Put it into Practice
• Work in pairs to create a 10 min tutorial
focusing on a specific language skill.
– Speaking or Listening
– Writing or Reading
• Consider how you will assess students’
comprehension during the tutorial.
• Tutor us!
www.nvcc.edu/workfo