Students’ School Textbooks
Some of Project-Read’s students are enrolled in differing forms of education. If this is the case for your student, the textbooks and manuals that that student has can provide a great material resource in helping the student learn to read. If the student and you decide to use their textbook as a learning resource, there are important guidelines that you should remember to help fulfill Project-Read’s goal of improving literacy.
Most importantly, remember as a Project-Read tutor, your goal is to help your student improve their literacy not help them with their assignments. The old adage of its better to teach a man to fish than give him a fish is applicable in this situation. You and your student should make goals on helping them improve their comprehension and vocabulary. You can do this by reading passages together and discussing the overall meaning. While doing this you can look for vocabulary words to assign as homework and test later. You could also assign essays on the assigned readings.
If used correctly and with imagination, students’ textbooks can be a great resource and provide the motivation for your student to take their learning into their own hands. Remember that the goal is for your student is to gain the skills that she/he will need to continue their learning journey.
Writing Sample March 2013
Even thought I know she is a well teacher. I most letter go to help another student, because I found a job that takes me all the noon and evening. But I hope she will be my friend forever. Even when we never see each other you will be my friend. You can count on me if sometime you have a problem. Thank you Jan for taking your personal time to help others. I hope sometime I can do the same to help other too.
P.S. I still have to study more English and a new career. I haven’t forget.
Plan and Teach Based on Needs
Teaching is most effective when the learner is ready to learn. Otherwise, teaching efforts may feel fruitless or like banging your head against a closed door. This proves tortuous and uncomfortable for both the student and teacher. Once our students understand they need the valuable lessons taught to them by patient tutors, the learning process will accelerate. In other words, we need to teach people, not lessons. One way to teach based on student needs is seeking knowledge from students as to what they need to learn next. Student needs may be found through dropped hints or clues of what they are ready to learn next. The more the tutor pays attention to the student, the more obvious these needs will become apparent.
Another method to know student needs may come from a simple conversation with the student. Through simply asking the student “What do you think you would like to work on next?” or “What do you think you need to work on next?” may provide valuable insight. The more upfront and transparent the tutor is with the learner, the better. Obviously there are some things that need to be learned that the student may not be aware of. In this case, perhaps giving the learner two or three options of topics to choose from can unite the tutor and student in a mutual goal. Once the student finds he/she has a choice and active role in his/her learning, the student is more likely to have more positive motivation. Teaching students based on their current needs will both help the student feel more engaged and provide a catalyst to the learning process.
2013 Writing Contest
The Complete Phonic Handbook
“Phonetics” refers to speech sounds or how combinations of letters indicate pronunciation, and it has recently been regarded by many experts as a good way to teach literacy skills. The Complete Phonic Handbook by Diana Hope is a book in the Project Read office. It’s an excellent resource for teaching phonics skills as it includes grapho-phonic family word lists, common spellings for specific sounds, lists of compound words, principles for increasing grapho-phonic understanding, and activity ideas. The whole book is split up into color-coded categories according to approximate reading age, so it can be used for students at all reading levels. The extensive family word lists are especially useful for relating words with similar sounds to each other. For instance, when your student has trouble with one word repeatedly, you can show him or her the correct sound and a list of other words that have that same sound/spelling. By doing so, you will not only give him or her more examples of when that sound is used, but you will also help your student see other areas where potential mistakes may be made or, with practice, avoided. This is a comprehensive grapho-phonic and spelling reference with word lists of commonly misspelled or mispronounced consonant/vowel combinations. Please take advantage of this resource.