Molly, Ted, etal... Locally, a group of us belong to the local Literacy Council, their training sessions are few and far between.  We are also a specialized group (jail tutors) and when we would attend the 'structured' training sessions other tutors were either bored and definitely not interested in what we were doing, nor did they have similar experiences.  My opinion, when you structure training sesions, people always had the sense that they 'have to be here', 'let me put in my time and get out of here'.  And, usually what you were teaching was irrelevant to what we were doing.   So, quite by accident  I suggested that a couple of us get together for lunch to discuss what we felt relevant to our jobs.  It grew.  We took it upon ourselves to meet 1x/month at a different persons house for 2 hours for lunch.  We each brought different components of the meal.  For a bunch of women this was extraordinary for we had no hassles, we were not picky about the meal or where it was etc.  The aim/focus was for us to get together, share, coach each other, discover problems and how best to facilitate and how best to teach the students with the limited amount of time and resources we had.  Our main focus was always the students.  It was uncanny, but it was never about us, it was about the job that needed doing plus an opportunity for us to feel connected and that what we were doing was fulfilling some purpose.  We were aligned with each other which gave us a kind of power that is too hard to put into words and as a group we are rather successful. The local literacy council knew about it, they never participated nor said we could not do it.  They in fact had no feelings about it one way or the other.  They supported us with the things we needed.  We were a group of people who were commited to what we were doing, were not experiencing being empowered in the 'traditional' sense.  We all had careers in different fields (none of us are 'teachers' formally trained) and we needed the empowerment of the 'like kind' group.  Interestingly, we all always attended.  We got there, quickly layed out our contribution, picked what we wanted to eat, then got started working.  When we were done, we all got together, cleaned up, then we were gone.  From my point of view it is rather extraordinary what a group of commited human beings can get accomplished in such a short period of time.  We also communicate by telephone and emails. Perhaps you could suggest something of this sort.  Sometimes (I will likely offend someone here) I think 'the higher ups' in charge, think everyting should be managed, controlled, measured and that you have to have certain credentials to succeed.  We are a group of peole who are commited to what we are doing, why we are doing it, knowing full well that more than one beauracracy exists and we have had to learn how to succeed (learn how to dance, if you will) in order to get our job done.  You don't really have to train us, just respect the fact that we are professionals who are always training ourselves in our respective fields and obviously with our tutoring.  We are also quite adept at asking for assistance when we need it.  It's the commitment that matters not the other stuff that is thrown in the way.  Give power to the commitment (at least this is true for us).  Looking outside the box is often daunting and we succeeded at it quite by accident. Hope this provides some different insight. 

From: taklein at austin.rr.comTo: englishlanguage at nifl.govDate: Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:47:24 -0500Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2784] Re: Tutor Roundtable



Molly,
 
To get more enthusiasm you can remind tutors that if they are in a structured situation the time can count toward teaching experience in many places for future job hunting purposes. Also be sure to give them some tangible proof of participation when they attend workshops and roundtables for in-service training credit. That will help attendance.
 
The specialties should always be separated and the training should concentrate on specific areas. Language teachers of all kinds are working in an area that is really different from any other type of training and education. ESL teachers need many special skills that are not commonly offered in education and other courses in college. So many are inclined to use many of the same information-based methods that never did lead to communication competence for their students. If you need students to learn to ride a bicycle, they really don't need to study bicycle engineering!  ABE/GED teachers are mostly dealing in the dissemination of information to be memorized. The game is not the same.
 
Ted
www.tedklein-ESL.com
 
 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Molly Elkins 
To: 'The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List' 
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 5:00 PM
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2780] Re: Tutor Roundtable


I’ve hosted some tutor round tables. 
 
They haven’t been very well attended; however, those who DID attend said they found them very useful. 
 
The most successful event was one where I asked specific tutors to share some things- lesson ideas, resources, etc. 
 
I feel that there could be benefits of separating the ESL from the ABE/GED tutors. At least then they will have a topic to focus on. 
 
Getting the conversation started is tricky, but once you get them talking, they have a lot to share. 
 
I know that the tutors feel very “alone” in what they do, but it is hard to bring them together. I feel that they can probably learn more from one another than from me, but it is hard. I’m hoping with time, the tutor round tables will be better received. 
 

Thank you,
 
Molly ElkinsLiteracy SpecialistDouglas County LibrariesPhillip S. Miller Library  100 S. Wilcox Street  Castle Rock CO 80104  MapDirect Phone: (303)688-7646
Alt Phone: (303) 791-READ
Fax: (303) 688-7655Email: melkins at dclibraries.orgWeb: www.DouglasCountyLibraries.org




From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Project CARESent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 3:09 PMTo: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion ListSubject: [EnglishLanguage 2779] Tutor Roundtable
 
I would like to have feedback from adult volunteer literacy programs who hold tutor roundtables. I would like to hold a roundtable for my tutors in October, but haven’t done one before. 
 
How do you organize your roundtable event? How do you help tutors feel comfortable sharing the challenges they experience with their learner with other tutors? Do you ask questions to start the conversation? Do you split the groups into ABE and ESL? 
 
Just curious how other programs run a tutor roundtable. I really like the idea and want to know how to hold a successful event. 
 
Thanks in advance for any guidance!
 
Karin Johnsey
 
Program Coordinator 
Project CARE at Morton College
Cicero, IL  
projectcare at morton.eduNo virus found in this incoming messageChecked by PC Tools AntiVirus (5.0.0.10 - 10.100.021).http://www.pctools.com/free-antivirus/


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