Having initially come from academics foreign language teaching to ESOL/Reading tutoring, then tutor trainer, trainer trainer, train the trainers trainer, I do feel qualified to respond about this. In my own case, I could just transfer my own academic training to this new field, and deeply appreciate the pedagogical reflections and techniques that one rarely gets in academic programs that are not education or teacher training. As for the tutors and trainers I've worked with, it's run the gamut from the highly talented to those who chose their students with great care so they'd be successful, to those who treated our students with a great deal of cultural bias, to those who resisted changes to the training where I tried to incorporate adult ed/ESOL"best practices" on the grounds that we should be grateful that they volunteer their time and should not expect any more than that--hence the stereotypes. Unfortunately, I left LVA before it became ProLiteracy
 and our affiliate became accredited (no, the events were not connected :-) so I don't know how tutor training is playing out now that tutors need to be re-certified and/or keep up with some kind of in-service to stay certified. Having also seen both academic and adult ed ESOL professionals in action, I'd say they run the same gamut on a different scale. I've entered many new fields by learning/doing/self education, and then academic research and development when needed. Not a bad way to stay flexible; not a great way to stay on top of CEUs....
Cheers to all gifted teachers, volunteer and professional!!!! I don't always put myself in the gifted category, believe me. It's always a struggle to find the best strategy, pedagogy, balance, each and every day.
Bonnie Odiorne



----- Original Message ----
From: "robinschwarz1 at aol.com" <robinschwarz1 at aol.com>
To: professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov
Sent: Saturday, February 9, 2008 3:52:45 PM
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 1931] better training for volunteer tutors


I know that my brush is broad (it's a bad habit of mine) --and that there are MANY competent tutors out there--somewhere.   I have heard about many at literacy conferences, for example who have done wonders with their learners.  

In my consulting work, though, I haven't encountered many who have had such notable success with English language learners.  I am SURE the success rate with native English speakers is MUCH higher.   All of the tutors I have made these observations about have received between 10-30 hours of training.  It still has not met the tutors' needs to be able to be successful with their ESL students.  The learner I described who had much higher oral competence than his tutor or supervisor suspected was a referral because he had not made "any" progress during several months of tutoring--by the tutor's report.  

The supervisor AND the tutor both told me there are students like this who " won't be able to make any meaningful progress" and that the job of the tutor therefore should be to  make the learners "feel comfortable with who they are."  As what?  non-learners?   I find this an unacceptable attitude.  

What I am out to do here is to do two things:  1) Go to bat for ESOL learners who think they are going to get help when they are assigned a volunteer tutor and then are blamed for not making progress because the tutor--and the program that put the tutor in the position of working with someone s/he was not prepared to work with-- led the learner to believe effective help was available.  

and 2) challenge the notion that we cannot expect too much of volunteer tutors.  I think we can--and they will like it when they CAN do well in teaching their learners.   The tutors I have worked with are sort of sadly grateful for any little thing that will help them do a little better for their learners.  Wouldn't it be nice to have them better prepared from the outset so that their willingness to take time to work with someone needing to advance education in some way does not just end up being an exercise in frustration for all concerned???

Robin  




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