Tutor Tips

ProLiteracy has compiled a number of "tutor tips" from a variety of sources, that we thought you might find useful for working with your students. We will continue to add tips periodically and will archive older tips by topic.

If you have a tutor tip of your own that you would like to submit please e-mail it to cguy@proliteracy.org. Submissions used on this site will be credited to the author, who will also receive a free ProLiteracy America lapel pin.

1) Improving Reader Fluency

A student can have a large reading vocabulary and still read at a slow, one-word-at-a-time pace that interferes with comprehension.

This flash card technique can help: Rather than putting individual words on cards, write short phrases on "flash sets." Make a flash set by folding a sheet of 8½" x 11" paper into four horizontal strips. On each strip, write a short phrase using words the student has mastered.

Submitted by Martin Batiuk, Tutor
From LITE lines, fall 1999, Lorain Ohio Public Library System

2) Using Real-World Materials

Save weather maps, reports, and temperature listings. Read over the material with the student. Ask the student questions such as: "If you live in Pittsburgh, should you wear a sweater today?" "Should you carry an umbrella in Kansas City?" "Will you be swimming in Minneapolis?"

Save greeting cards. Make up a scenario and have the student choose an appropriate card. For example, "With deepest sympathy," "A message to you from across the miles," "Congratulations on your retirement," "Happy Holidays!" Ask the student to write a suitable personal note for the card.

Save airline, train, or bus tickets. Ask, "Where are you going?" "When will you arrive?" How much is the ticket?" or other pertinent questions.

From The Mid-State Literacy Council Monitor, Fall 2002 issue

3) Browse Through Theater or Concert Program Booklets

Pick up programs from local theaters or musical events. Familiarize students with the various elements in a program. Look at:

• the listed parts of the performance such as the play's acts or the musical selections
• background information on the play or music
• background information on the playwright or composer
• profiles or biographies on the actors or musicians
• ads

Asks students which events seem most interesting and why. Share your own thoughts too.

4) Share Junk Mail

Bring some of your own junk mail to the learning session. Ask the students to bring some of theirs.

Discuss:

• what the work junk means and what junk mail means
• mailing lists and how people often get on these lists
• which mailings can be thrown out or ignored and which can't
• compare types of junk mail and why they (or you) might be receiving it

5) Tic Tac Toe (for Beginning to Intermediate ESL Students)

All you need for this game is a chalkboard and a list of vocabulary words.

Draw a nine-square grid on the board and write one word in each box. Divide the class in half and designate one half as X and the other half as O. The students on each team collaborate in coming up with grammatical sentences using the vocabulary. When they use a word correctly in a sentence, mark either X or O over the word. Three in a row wins!

I use this game to review general vocabulary, parts of speech, and verb forms. It can be played for an hour without the students seeming to tire.

From "One World/One People" Web site

6) Rubber Bands and Vowels

It is often difficult to teach ESL students how to lengthen vowels on the stressed syllable. Use a rubber band, and have the student stretch it as he speaks. The student can feel it stretching before he goes on to the next syllable.

Example: "I always go to the store in the morning."

From The Mid-State Literacy Council Monitor, fall 2000 issue

7) Build Self-Esteem

Emphasize learning strengths, de-emphasize learning weaknesses. Eliminate the use of a red pen, a color that reminds adult learners of errors or mistakes.

From National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, Washington, D.C.

8) Notes Help

Notes you take during the lesson will come in handy:

• to record new vocabulary that might come up. If you stop to teach a new word, make a note to review it in your next lesson.
• when your student expressed a particular concern or interest. You can take a minute to offer a short-term solution and then build on the topic in a future lesson.
• if you don't have time to cover everything you planned. Note which topics you omitted, and cover them next time.

Give yourself time to review the complete lesson.

Whenever possible, try to give yourself about 10 minutes immediately after a lesson to review what just happened. This is not always easy to do, but it can be a big help in preparing future lessons.

Take time to make some brief notes about what worked well in the lesson and what didn't work well and why and what you want to do in the next lesson. Consider the new interests or concerns a student might have brought up. Jot down any preliminary ideas about activities to address these during the next lesson.

9) More Student Talk, Less Tutor Talk

Whenever possible try to design activities that enable ESL students to do most of the talking in class. Although there will be times when you, as the tutor, have to explain or clarify, it is important to give students the opportunity to practice speaking English as much as possible.

If you are working in a group setting, you can do this by:

• redirecting a student's question to the rest of the class rather than answering it yourself
• asking the questions "what do you think about this?" to encourage student to share their ideas with the rest of the class

If you are working in a one-to-one setting try to avoid the tendency to dominate the conversation. Give the student the opportunity to do most of the talking during the session. Remember that the ESL lesson may be one of the student's few chances to speak English.

At your next tutoring session, pay attention to how much you talk in comparison.

10) Vocabulary Game

To review vocabulary in any subject, take strips of masking tape and tape them to a rectangular sponge. Use a marker to write the vocabulary words on the tape. Have the students toss the sponge around the room to other students and have the student catching the sponge define and use the word in sentence.

The words that get chosen can depend on which finger is touching a particular part of the sponge. For example, if a student's left finger lands on a specific word that is the word they must try to define and use in a sentence. Students love this game. If there are more than six vocabulary words, just tape over already defined words and write the new words on top.

From Teachingtips.com

11) Individual White Boards

Do you want each of your students to have his/her own personal white board to use in class? It sure saves on paper when doing group exercises! One of the cheapest ways to obtain these handy items is to go to your local hardware store and buy a sheet of white shower board. Then ask the attendant there who is in charge of cutting materials to cut you approximately 12" x 12" squares from the board. You can get approximately 30 boards from just one sheet of shower board! It works great!

From Teachingtips.com

12) 90-Second Summary

After silent reading, have students keep a 90-second summary record of what they have read. Have them write for 90 seconds about what they JUST read in 3-4 sentences.

From Teachingtips.com

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