Literacy Tutoring That Works

With this wide-ranging volume, literacy leaders, practitioners, and scholars will gain much-needed information about high-quality, evidence-based extended learning programs. Contributors present principles for designing effective tutoring programs in school, after school, and during the summer. They outline their programs and supply evidence that their tutoring initiatives benefit students literacy development. Most important, the authors clearly explain their work so that their tutoring programs and research can be replicated.

Filling a key need among educators and literacy volunteers, this is the first hands-on guide for tutoring students with literacy difficulties in grades 6-12. Grounded in the most current literacy research, the book reflects the authors' 25+ years of combined experience working with tutoring programs. Every page features practical ideas for carrying out the entire process of tutoring: assessing teenagers' strengths, weaknesses, and interests; selecting appropriate, engaging materials; and fostering development in comprehension, word study, fluency, and composition. Special features include concrete examples and activities from over 20 tutors; a Q&A chapter on dealing with frequently encountered problems; and reproducible planning forms in a large, ready-to-use format.

Tutoring Adolescent Readers shows teachers how to reap the benefits of one-to-one teaching by using volunteer tutors. It provides the information you need to incorporate a tutoring program that addresses a variety of student needs -- from students who are unmotivated or have different learning styles to those learning English for the first time or who have a learning disability. Teachers will learn everything they need to create an effective tutoring program that supports classroom instruction.Setting up a tutoring program -- from defining the roles and responsibilities of tutors to recruiting and training volunteers;Working with dependent readers -- from identifying readers who need more help to tips for dealing with the specific learning needs and styles of students;Using explicit instruction -- from encouraging tutors to recognize where students are and how to set goals to monitor and assess student progress;Promoting fluency and word recognition -- from teaching cueing systems and modeling effective reading strategies to using specialized techniques for introducing and reviewing decoding skills. Resources that teachers can copy and use with tutors are an important part of this handy resource. These materials explain the essentials of reading instruction and investigate the variety of techniques that good readers use.

This book investigates the depth of the illiteracy problem in the United States and the rationale and administration of a literacy-learning program. Based on some of the latest reading research, the authors provide a comprehensive up-to-date look at literacy tutoring. Following an introduction to the illiteracy problem, the book focuses on literacy and intelligence, the rationale in literacy programs, and promoting literacy programs in administration. Detailed information is presented on tutoring, program objectives, lesson plans, and teaching strategies. The text is further enhanced with basic sentence structure, words, letters, the teaching of grammar, reference information with explanations, examples, and suggested homework. The Appendix contains material on teaching resources, phonics charts, alphabet flashcards, and alphabet practice sheets. Administrators and tutors wishing to help students become better readers will find this unique and comprehensive text to be a helpful guide.

Appropriate for programs which prepare literacy tutors for the "America Reads Challenge" or service learning courses that focus on literacy tutoring. This manual guides tutors through assessment, rapport-building techniques, innovative lesson plans, interesting activities, and evaluation tools. It is particularly valuable given President Clinton's "America Reads Challenge". This national literacy initiative challenges schools, universities and communities to work together to have all children reading independently by third grade with the help of tutors. The "Read to Succeed Program" has produced excellent results by incorporating four philosophical points; it maintains that all children can learn when they: 1) are interested in the tasks presented to them 2) feel they can be successful 3) are given an appropriate amount of support and structure 4) receive honest praise. Very clear language and directions make it especially easy to use.

Build students’ confidence and competence with tutoring strategies that spark meaningful, accelerated learning. Tutoring is much more than telling students information. Effective tutoring begins with the strong and caring relationship a tutor establishes with a learner to build trust, fuel motivation, and drive critical learning. How Tutoring Works distills the complexity of strategic moves effective tutors make to build students’ confidence and competence. Harnessing decades of Visible Learning® research, this easy to read, eye-opening guide details the six essential components of any effective tutoring intervention—establishing a relationship and credibility, addressing student confidence and challenges, setting shared goals, helping a student learn how to learn, teaching and learning content, and establishing a habit of deliberate practice. Indispensable for any educator who intervenes with students, this rich resource includes: Examples of impactful tutoring conversations, including what to say and what not to say when building a relationship with a learner. Specific approaches to use when establishing credibility, addressing challenges to learning, leveraging the relevance of knowledge, setting goals, and ensuring practice. Learning strategies, with effect size, for teaching and learning content, including specific strategies for improving reading, writing, and mathematics. Tips and tools for helping students develop powerful cognitive, metacognitive, and affective study skills. Resources and advice for establishing an effective and transformational tutoring program. Done well, tutoring can repair a student’s damaged relationship to learning, address unrealized potential, and alter the course of a young person’s life. A strong and nurturing relationship between tutor and learner is key.

This textbook is intended as a guide for non-educators who want to learn how to tutor individuals in literacy tasks. A short introductory section is included that is devoted to theory, but only as much as necessary to allow tutors to make reasonable instructional decisions about their students. The remainder of the book focuses on the practical aspects of instruction in literacy for those who have no formal training in teaching. Because many tutors work without the supervision of professional educators, the book seeks to make tutors independent in their instruction. Initially, a 6-point procedure for tutoring lessons in literacy is outlined. Subsequent chapters provide specific teaching and learning strategies for each of the six points. The book represents an effort to combine whole language literacy learning techniques with a lesson structure that is manageable for tutors and yet sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of the students effectively. Suggested record-keeping procedures are outlined, and the text includes a chapter containing the record-keeping forms as well as directions for their use. At the end of each chapter is a summary of the important points from the chapter, as well as a section of questions and statements for the tutor to reflect upon and respond to.