This chapter is fantastic. It is all about tutoring, which is what we will be doing very soon. Reading it made me very nervous and excited. This chapter discussed the different kinds of tutors and their qualifications. It also discusses some great programs and ideas on how to tutor. I really liked how they made an outline for each session because it makes me have a better idea of how things are supposed to go. The question I had about the reading is when it tells you to intervene with the students reading. I know that questions lead to discovering if the students understands the information, but what if they are reading so quickly that you can't get a word in. Should you let them know before hand that you will be asking questions throughout their reading? Tutoring ELL students was something that I was afraid of before reading this chapter. After reading the section in this chapter, I feel far more confident about tutoring an ELL student. I like the idea of using magazines to determine the student's vocabulary. I was tutored when I was younger in reading and math and I really liked my tutor. She had me use the computer a lot during sessions because it interested me. I had never gotten the chance to work on a computer before the tutoring sessions began so I thought it was so cool that I could play games on this big screen. Other times, she would read to me and then I would read to her. It made me a more confident reader because she was very supportive. She would always tell me that I was doing a good job and to keep going.
Tutoring is a great way to help students because the group size is small and the learning becomes personalized. I had no idea that students who were not reading by grade three had a higher dropout rate, but it is easy to understand why. Reading is vital for student success. As the text said, many schools do not have the funds needed to hire trained tutors so by grade three students who cannot read will probably be less likely to receive the adequate quality attention that is needed. When a student struggles with reading it affects all other content areas which will make school very difficult. This difficulty would obviously increase the chances that a student will drop out due to frustration. I feel that cross-age tutors can be very successful. When I was in sixth grade we tutored first graders and I gained so much from that experience. I really liked the idea of having middle school students who struggle with reading tutor the younger students. I think that the middle school students would develop a sense of pride and accomplishment from helping younger students succeed in their reading. If a middle school student is struggling with reading they may not experience this success very often and it is an important part of the learning process. This chapter helped me understand how to plan and carry out tutoring sessions. I had no idea where to begin when I found out how our internship would work. I feel much more prepared to create and implement lesson plans for tutoring after reading this chapter. The strategies on page 348 are very helpful. I worked one on one with struggling readers in my internship, and there were times when I struggled with giving clues without actually telling them the word they were struggling with. I often would try to break up the word if there was a part that the students would recognize and I found that to be very helpful for many of the second graders.
Brandy, I felt nervous and excited after reading this chapter too! It is incredible to think about the fact that our tutoring could really lead to lifelong reading success for these students. They will need reinforcement throughout their time in school, but if we can help them get off to a good start or develop in struggling areas it will have a great impact. I felt that the outlines were extremely helpful. I did not know how tutoring sessions should be planned out. I know we will learn and talk more about it in class, but I feel that this chapter helped me get started in mentally preparing for my time as a tutor.
In response to Jaclyn: I really like the idea of having an older child tutor a younger one. I think that it is a great learning experience for both parties involved. We had peer tutors when I was in grade school and I really enjoyed learning from someone who could speak to me in my terms. It made learning fun.
In response to Brandy...I felt the same about reading this chapter - very excited, and also very grateful that a lot of my jitters about starting our tutoring (very soon!)were put to rest. My favorite part was seeing those sample lesson plans - that will be a huge help to me. Thanks for sharing! Julie
Thank goodness for this chapter and for skipping over to it when we did - very timely! I ate this one up - I truly appreciate those sample lesson plans, log sheets, and the section on getting started. I do feel myself relaxing about the task ahead between our classroom lessons and our very helpful textbooks. In addition, we now have our students and grade levels ready to go, so it's nice to focus, plan, and cull down all of this huge amount of info and relate it to our specific grade level. I noticed the chapter touched on the importance of proper tutoring techniques for paras...it is a dose of reality that para-professionals will be called upon more and more for literacy tutoring. I know in the case of the school where I work, there is a concern that budget cuts could possibly take away reading specialists in all but the schools with the most dire need. It is a legitimate concern for all of us whose goal is to get every student reading independently. I also appreciated the info on Book Buddies - I never thought of that as a form of tutoring, but it makes sense that it is. Day, by day, I'm feeling a little more ready for action!
Is it a bit inauspicious that the chapter on tutoring is the number 13?
My first thoughts on this chapter were of some disbelief. The fictional story of the school hiring paraprofessionals to assist in tutoring students is very touching, but seemed completely unreal in today’s world of education budget cuts. It is much more likely that schools will rely on community volunteers (Hutchinson has the Youth Friends program), and that volunteers are only as good as the training provided. Having spent many years as a special education para, I felt the section recommending paraprofessionals spend only a few hours each week tutoring was unrealistic as well. In order to hire effective paras, the hours would have to justify the effort. In other words, there are few people qualified enough to work as a para in this way, for such little time and pay. This is just my humble opinion however.
That being said, the rest of the chapter was a goldmine of information for our upcoming tutoring sessions. Again, this book has provided us with the forms and information necessary to tutor effectively and successfully. The charts listed in this chapter (lesson plan for tutoring, interest activities, and log sheets, to name a few) should be considered our road maps to student achievement. I feel so much better reading about the nuts and bolts, rather than the theories, of teaching. The section describing how to run the first few sessions will be very helpful in creating those lesson plans.
The tutoring strategies listed are research-based and proven methods. In my son’s school, the kindergarteners meet with fourth and fifth grade reading buddies. The kindergarteners like working with the older kids, and the older students feel a sense of accomplishment. In a somewhat similar way, our local library offers reading sessions with a dog reading buddy. The dog is non-judgmental, and very comforting to some children who might feel intimidated reading aloud to others.
I have the same question as you about interrupting or not when a student is reading. Especially those who don't "see" the punctuation!
It is interesting that you felt the use of the computer was a treat, a good change of pace. That's something I hadn't thought about before. I had planned to use some read-along books using cds, etc. but will also think now about including some Computer-Assisted Tutoring as well.
Julie, I am so glad that we skipped to this chapter as well! This textbook is extremely helpful, I know it will be a great resource throughout our time tutoring students and when we begin our own teaching careers. All of the suggestions, resources, and templates are extremely beneficial! It is unfortunate that reading specialists may have to be taken out of the schools. The school I interned in last semester really needed the reading specialists, I honestly do not know how my teacher could have completed all of the required work without their help!
Sara, I agree that the availability of para educators and tutors is very limited. Sometimes the text suggests that teachers provide students with tutors to help give them the individualized attention they need, but unfortunately it is not that easy! I am looking forward to doing our internship for this course because the parents of the students I will be working with are extremely excited because this is not something they could have paid for.
The information this chapter provides us on tutoring is an insight to the professionalism we will need to exude as teachers. This chapter provides us with information to handle many situations as well as charts and other forms to use during out tutoring sessions. Although I am nervous, I am really looking forward to this tutoring experience. I am ready to move past the nervousness though and help these students. The activities and lessons we create will be an addition to the foundation we created in our reading and language arts methods class and internship.
I completely agree with your comment in regards to how unfortunate it is that reading specialists may have to be taken out of schools. Reading specialists are a great resources to both students and teachers. Not only are they able to work with students struggling to read, but they can also be beneficial to those students who are excelling at reading. The state is dumping more and more onto our teachers and providing them with less money and resources but still expecting exceptional results. It is sad.
Chapter 13 provided some great information about tutoring that will be helpful in the upcoming tutoring program as well as in my future classroom. I liked that the chapter broke the different types of tutors down and listed the different qualifications and responsibilities of each. Of course in the current budget crisis we have it will probably fall onto the shoulders of volunteers to tutor in most circumstances but the idea of trained professionals is always nice. I have not had a great amount of in-class experience so it was nice to be able to better understand the role each of these people play in the school setting. I think that the reading recovery program seemed like a great way to help struggling readers and wonder if anyone has had a chance to witness this in the classroom? The lesson plan examples were nice to view to get a better idea of how to best structure the tutoring sessions to maximize both time and instruction. As the text states, reflecting on lessons is a vital part of teaching and tutoring is no exception. I really like that we are required to turn in reflections after each session so I get into the habit of doing this at this stage in my education. The getting started section stressed many of the things that we have discussed in class and it was nice to see them in here to remind me of the important steps to take to get my tutoring program off on the right foot.
Response to Julie L: I agree that the timing of this chapter is great. The examples and getting started information really helped me solidify the details of what I need to do to get my program started. I know that my school district has been hit hard with budget cuts and support staff, such as para-educators and specialists, have been cut at all schools. I am working with an after school program for my tutoring so it will benefit these students who have lost some of their supporting educators. Tyler
I really enjoyed reading this chapter, especially right before jumping into tutoring next week. Before this semester, or I should say before this class, I really wasn't aware of all the responsibility placed on tutors. I always thought of tutors as just helpers but it's a lot more than just helping, it's actually teaching new concepts most of the time. I really liked the peer-to-peer tutoring section because I see that a lot happening in internships and I dont think anyone really realizes it's going on. I know the students don't consider themselves tutors, just friends helping friends. I was never personally tutored but my sister was all through elementary school. I wish her tutor would've let her use computer-assisted tutoring. I really liked everything about that section. My sister is always on the computer even to this day and I just think for some students they would get more out of working on the computer instead of just staring at a book or worksheet. I found the section about planning and conducting tutoring sessions helpful and it gave me a better idea of what I need to prepare for for next week's tutoring session. It gave us a layout of how to approach the sessions and what to do each time we're with the students. Reading this chapter has given me a lot more confidence when it comes to tutoring and I find myself much more prepared to jump into our tutoring next week.
In response to Brandy, I also commented on using computers to do tutoring and I agree that it's a great technique and would interest a ton of students, way more than a textbook would. I also appreciated reading the section about tutoring ELL students. Since all of us will have at least one ELL student, this information was very useful and ensures way more confidence in me than I had previous to reading this chapter.
This chapter has gotten me excited to start in tutoring. I have been a para for several years and wish I would have taken some of these classes years ago. A lot of the information that came across in figure 13.9 (helping tutees tackle challenging words) sounded very familiar to me. Some of it is knowing what helps me figure out unfamiliar words and others I learned a couple of years back when my daughter did six months of reading recovery. I knew the teacher and she sat down with me and showed me how they taught the reading recovery so I could mimic it at home. The part in the text that told about helping the student make a sentence and then cutting up the sentence and letting the student put the words back together to form a sentence; I remember well from her time spent in reading recovery. It is such simple little things that add up over time and assist the student in their understanding. My daughter now reads at the top of her class and has a hard time putting the books down. Part of that is just her personality, but if she still struggled with reading I don't think she would read nearly as much as she does. I enjoyed reading about the different ideas of programs that could assist in our local communities. I often wonder why the high school students don't tutor more. It would be great to put on an application for college grants and scholarships. There are many programs that require the students to have a certain number of service hours. I wish our community would start up a program where older students helped younger ones. This could be a very beneficial program to everyone involved. Perhaps I may take on the challenge, after graduation that is.
In response to Sara C - I have heard about programs with dogs in fact I saw a news report about one just a week or two ago. One of our 4th grade teachers brings her lab to school every once in awhile and the students love it. I liked the idea of book buddies, students love working with other students. It is boring for them to read with the same adult time and time again.
Holly, I agree with you that there is a lot of responsibility placed on tutors that no one is probably aware of. I always assumed it was simply helping with what they already knew, and while that is some of it, there is a great amount of new teaching taking place. You also make a good point about peer tutoring. I have also seen this used a lot and I think it is a great concept. The students don't know that they are providing a good service and building cooperation and social skills, they usually think they are just as you said, helping a friend out. Also, thankfully now we have many more options to help students learn other than books and worksheets. Learning can be much more fun now thank goodness!
While reading this chapter, I came across a statement that kind of surprised me. It said that "children who are not reading by the third grade have higher chances of dropping out before graduating from high school." I really was not aware of this. It does make sense though, because by this age level if the students aren't becoming pretty proficient in reading, everything becomes more difficult. I think this is something that will always stick with me and if I teach early primary grades I will have this in the back of my mind while teaching reading. Knowing that tutoring can help these students immensely makes me feel a little less pressure about my future students though. I have worked in schools that used paras and been in classrooms that didn't. The teachers seem to get run a little ragged in a large class with special needs children and no help. I know I would love to have any help offered for the benefit of the students. Since it will soon be my job to first be the teacher's help, I really liked the information provided in this chapter. I know I will have to have a plan for each session since trying to "wing it" would be absurd! I want to provide good activities that are fun and educational that will definitely help the students progress in their reading skills. The suggestions for how to proceed through sessions was very helpful. There was a part mentioned in the intervening section that said telling the student to simply sound out a word is not really the best option. I have seen teachers use this as their only help when students can't pronounce a word and have thought to myself, "Really, that's your advice? I'm pretty sure if they could sound it out they would have by now." Sometimes this will work, but not always. We have to have other tools to work with besides that! Thankfully we are learning them.
I am glad you suggested we read this before we listen to the Thursday’s podcast. This chapter has a lot of great information regarding tutoring. I knew of the benefits of tutoring as our small district has the juniors in our high school go to the first grade once a week and read with the students. I wish it was more tutoring than just sitting there listening to the students read, because I have been in the class while it was going on and I do not believe the students (any of them) are gaining anything from it.
I really like the idea of peer-to-peer tutoring. This is different than having a student walk around after the assignment is over and helping students correct? I believe students help one another grasp a concept that maybe they couldn’t grasp when it was explained to the entire class.
I am fascinated with the cross-age tutoring and would love to know how you get that started in a school. Our school has a Title 1 program, but I know this would benefit so many students in so many ways. What a great way to help all involved.
In my mentoring class last semester, the students were not allowed to correct one another when reading. There was at least a five-second rule for the student to try to figure out the word before the teacher would help them sound it out. Unfortunately, in my son’s class that is not the case. The second a student has a problem with a word, another student jumps in and yells out the word. How are these students going to learn to sound out these words if everyone else is doing it for them?
Response to Tyler… I agree that the budget crisis is going to be detrimental to everyone…teachers, tutors, paraprofessionals; the whole bunch of us. But no matter what happens, we cannot let the students fail because of that. Don’t you wish our lesson plans were as easy as the one’s in the book???? LOL
This chapter had a lot of information over tutoring. I liked how they gave plenty of scenarios on how different people tutored. On pages 344 & 345 were the break down of the first few sessions. I thought that those two pages were very informative. I was able to see how to structure a tutoring sessions. I think that have students tutor with a peer is an awesome idea because it allows them to improve on reading, but also on any social skills that they need to work on. This chapter had a lot of good information and will help us on what to expect when we start tutoring our students next week.
I think that it's awesome that the Juniors do that. Every once in awhile a class from the high school would take a trip down to the elementary school and read to the 1st and 2nd grade. The students loved it and they got a chance to hang out with some high schoolers which little kids think is awesome. I also agree that reading this chapter is what everyone needed. It just backed up what Dr. Stoppal has been talking about.
My favorite part of the entire chapter is on page 334 and says “all volunteers can be effective tutors, particularly if a certified teacher trains them, but college students are the most effective.” As much as I have been freaking out about tutoring next week, I realize I need to calm down and take a deep breath. We have been training and preparing for having our own classrooms and these tutoring sessions are a great way to experience that in a smaller dose. All of the information in the chapter was very informative and helpful for me as I plan my own tutoring sessions. Since I will have both English-speaking students and ELLs in my tutoring group, I found the “Getting Started” and “Tutoring Sessions for English Learners” sections starting on page 344 to be very useful. I decided I could combine what is suggested for the first several sessions in the “Getting Started” and “Tutoring Sessions for English Learners” to make sure that I meet the needs of all the students in my tutoring group. I have bookmarked page 348 and plan on sharing these tips with my students as they work on their reading skills. There are also many good strategies listed in the example log sheets and lesson plans towards the end of chapter 13.
When I was in high school and middle school everyone took part in a “Reading Buddies” program with the elementary school. It sounds similar to the cross-age tutors on page 336 minus the fact that the older student were struggling readers. We were all trained in helping students figure out challenging words and we were taught how to ask the younger students questions to get them interested and excited about books. I know that the elementary students loved having us come in and read with them, but we older students also enjoyed it. We felt like we were important and actually helping younger children to become better students. Programs such as these can be great moral boosters and they helped to build a stronger sense of community in my K-12th grade school.
I also like the idea of peer-to-peer tutoring. There are so many benefits outside of reading that can come from a program like this. I think that students can relate to each other and explain concepts to each other in a way that adult educators can’t. Sometimes all it takes for a student to understand is to have a peer explain it to them. This is something that I plan on using in my own classroom.
As I was reading the section on planning and conducting the tutoring session, I found that I really liked the way that she did her lesson plan; I liked how the reflection was right next to the activity they did and that it was set to meet each goal. As the section went on, it started to sound more familiar since we had already covered some of these things in class. During session one, the main thing was to establish a comfortable relationship with your kids. Each student will learn differently, and in order to help him or her learn effectively it helps to know what his or her interests are; when children’s interests are integrated into a lesson, they will be more excited or interested in learning what it is you want them to learn or work on. Doing the interests activity and the introduction activities will be one of my favorite things to do because the students will be having fun as they are learning about each other and more facts about myself as well. I have so many ideas to use for my lesson plans later in the semester and I can’t wait to see how well the students will like them as well. Before we started our lesson plans the other day, I was really nervous about getting them done and figuring out where I needed to fill in; however, after working with them a little bit, I am more at ease and I think it will get easier after the first few weeks. In a way, it makes me nervous to think that I will be responsible for 3 students that need help in reading but I know that this will be a great experience and I am looking forward to it.
In response to Hannah B: I agree. Very deep breaths! After all of our training the past month, I feel like we are very prepared to do the tutoring thing effectively; if our professors didn't think we could do it then we wouldn't be to this point yet in our education. This is a great opportunity for us to put our skills to the test! When I was in school, we never had a tutoring after school program and it was sad because I know that I could of definitely used some.
Chapter 13 dealt all with tutoring. Right away the chapter dove right in with the benefits of tutoring. Tutoring allows for more one-on-one instruction. The books states, "...tutoring is one of the most effective forms of instruction" (pg. 334). I particularly liked how the book broke down the different types of tutors. When I was in high school i participated in a type of tutoring similar to the cross-age tutors. A group of high school students would go to different elementary schools and help struggling students in different content areas. While I was at my junior college, I was a peer academic tutor. I helped students in the English Composition I class. I would help the students with grammar and the technical aspects of writing essays. As a part of my tutoring job, I had student complete tutoring programs on the computer as a part to track progress. I really like the Reading Recovery tutoring program mentioned in the text. i wonder how many schools are using this program throughout the world. This chapter has made me both excited and nervous to begin my tutoring sessions with my 3 students. It is important to always be prepared for the tutoring sessions because the time passes by so quickly. I liked towards the end of the chapter how it breaks down tutoring sessions. I'm ready to get out into the field and begin tutoring!
In response to laceykaye – Lacey, I too was extremely nervous about the lesson plans we were to create. Especially since I am working with Kindergarteners and the tests we are to use are completely different than those of the other grades. I am nervous as well that I am responsible for my 3 students. I just hope I can prove to be successful with them. This is a great way to actually implement the teaching methods we have been learning about in the teacher education program.
This chapter is about tutoring and I found it very interesting all of the different titles a teacher of reading can hold. We have a title reading teacher that is our reading specialist. She coordinates what programs to implement and analyzes all of the data from progress monitoring of students. Our school also has a mentoring program where people in the community come in and read with students on certain days of the week. This is a nice program, but like the text points out, it can have its problems as well. The fourth and fifth grade students are know as "junior mints" because selected students will come and mentor kindergarten through 2nd grade students in reading. Sometimes this is good and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes the older student is reading the younger student's book and the younger student is not paying attention;or the younger student is reading away and the older student is not paying attention. It is important that the older students are mature, responsible and that they don't work in proximity of their other peers.
In response to Jacyln C - I agree! I think that reading is foundational and it covers a multitude of disciplines. If a child cannot read or has difficulty reading then normally they struggle in other subjects as well. This is a trend that I am seeing in student teaching. I also believe that tutoring gives that "personal experience" that students cannot receive in whole class instruction. I find that more children learn better in small group instruction or tutoring. Good post!
Tutoring is very important! It allows students who are slow learners to get the personal attention that they need. Many times students don't understand material presented in class because they aren't as fast in learning as a majority of the class or either they need methods of instruction that requires more time - more time that teachers feel they cannot afford to spare during regular instructional hours. In a case like this tutoring is necessary. Recently in the classroom where I am interning I encountered a young man whose IQ is not low enough for him to be identified as exceptional but he is slower at learning than his peers. With the Title I money the school has hired Title I tutors to come out to the school and as learned like this young man to help them understand what they didn't understand before. the good thing about this Title I tutoring program as well as the one we have in this course is that it's free of charge to parents who cannot afford private tutoring services such as Sylvan. What I don't understand is why many districts claim not have the funds for tutoring services. Districts with Title one schools. Is tutoring a mandate in the NCLB Act? I'm thinking (and hoping) there is more to NCLB than just testing! students.
Chapter 13 was a great wrap-up of the schedule of events we will be using in two days! I was glad that the text reinforced, "The first tutoring session should be a time for the tutor and tutee to become acquainted." Every class I have had in Elementary Education reinforces this point and it is so true. Students will learn the material if they can connect the lesson to things they love and care about. I'm excited to get to know my students and use that background knowledge to (hopefully!) improve their reading. I also liked how the text reinforced the importance of reflection. It was interesting to see the Reflection section built into the lesson plan.
Thanks for your testimony about reading with your tutor. It's encouraging to know you remember that tutoring experience after so many years. I hope all of us can be that tutor that each student remembers...one that encourages the student and gives compliments.
As far as teaching ELL students, you will do a great job as long as you have the passion to help them. In my internship last semester there were about 4 or 5 ELL students. I learned that they were extremely open to any and all instruction and they learned quickly. They were a delight to work with. So I think you will do a great job after you get to know them, and use their interests during the lesson.
There are undoubtedly great benefits for students from receiving tutoring. More one on one time with an instructor almost always helps students. I didn’t realize that tutors could be categorized into 6 groups. I think that for this class we fall into the Paraprofessional category. I think that paras are a schools most cost effective option for reading tutors. I was very interested in the cross-age tutoring. I know that since the school I went to had the elementary and middle school in the same building, some of the older students use to go help younger students read and we had reading buddies. I assumed it was always the students who were master readers, not the ones who struggled themselves. After reading this chapter I can see how this would be a positive learning experience for older struggling readers as well as young ones. The list of what a child does ever Reading Recovery Session sounds like too much to get done in a 30 minute session! Are these session extremely face paced? The Book Buddies reading program sounds like it would fit into most classrooms better because of the different time schedule. Our tutoring session sounds like it’s going to go along great with the amount of time and elements that should be included. It is going to be very important for us as tutors to be on top of things, so that the sessions can roll smoothly and students can benefit as much as possible. This end of this chapter really stressed the importance of being able to teach students the strategies to read instead of just telling students the word. Giving students the time to work through words and difficult reading situations will help them to become better readers and build their self-confidence knowing that they figured it out!
It’s great that you get to see how the world of tutoring reading from both the paraprofessional and teacher perspectives. I also agree with you that more high school and college students should be used as reading paras. Most schools require students to take elective courses, even in high school. Allowing students to be aids for reading in elementary schools would be a great benefit for the whole district!
Chapter 13 was an informative chapter on the positive effects of tutoring in schools. The chapter goes on to explain the different types of tutoring and the different people who tutor. The chapter also talked about different programs to use for tutoring and what to do during each of the first few tutoring sessions. The chapter also had great examples of lesson plans and notes from tutoring sessions. I really enjoyed reading this chapter because I have never had a tutoring experience before. Since this is my second semester with internships, I am excited and nervous at the same time to be working so closely with a few students on their reading skills. I liked how the chapter explained the different types of tutors and why they are effective. I remember hearing about having upper elementary students to tutor lower elementary and how it is effective for both students. I would love to incorporate this into my own classroom someday! There are so many great examples in this chapter that show lesson plans, tutoring sessions, notes, etc. that I will definitely keep this book around for future reference! I also liked how the chapter referenced different appendixes for useful templates and card activities! In my first internship experience, I helped with reading with 1st graders. I loved the one on one time I had with them in centers and experienced several of the students using different reading strategies. I also worked with ESL students and helped them by using the different reading strategies.
In response to Janel…I agree that one-on-one tutoring is VERY beneficial and as tutors we need to be on top of our lessons and know what activities, books, etc. would be most beneficial to the students! I cannot wait to start tutoring and helping my students become better readers and (hopefully) change their view(s) about reading! I agree that the Reading Recovery sections seem to have a lot put into a little amount of time! It might just be that once a tutor gets going, things just run so smoothly that time for activities isn’t an issue!
First and foremost, I was glad to be more introduced into tutoring before actually going out. It gave me very many ideas and helpful techniques that I need to keep in mind when tutoring. I previously tutored another college student in the subject of American History. The person was a few years older to me. It will now be a bit different to work with a young child to help them on their reading, but I believe my prior experience can just be a positive aspect. I never realized how many different types of tutoring are available though. Tutoring ELL students takes a little more time and shaping your tutoring skills to help the student not only understand the English language, but also be a good reader. Keeping a log from strategies used throughout tutoring can be a good resource for the tutor because this way they will not keep using and repeating the same strategies. I am really looking forward to what is to come when I begin as a tutor.
This chapter was so important and relieving! I have been excited about getting tutoring started since I learned about the plan, but now that the beginning is so close, I was getting a little stressed and worried about how I’m going to get everything done and how it’ll all go. This chapter definitely helped me think through things and get things cleared up. My favorite part of the chapter was the “Planning and Conducting the Tutoring Session”. I found a lot of great information in this section! I tend to try to be a very organized person, so in the section on appropriate materials, I found it helpful to rely on lists to get prepared for the session’s activities. I know how precious the time is going to be during the sessions, so I believe being prepared is going to be a HUGE part of this experience. I also really appreciated how the chapter kept bringing up the importance of student success, I think for students to enjoy reading; they must first feel confident about doing it. “It is important that the tutor chooses books easy enough for the tutee to experience success (p. 344).” I am most definitely going to write this down somewhere, I want to remember that my students need to experience that feeling of success to stay motivated! The section on tutoring English learners was great, I liked the tip on providing ample time for discussion during a tutoring session to give the English learner time to express oneself. Another very important section was “Intervening with the Tutee During Reading”. I found the tips in Figure 13.9 to be very helpful! I plan on copying these and keeping them close by during the tutoring sessions!
In response to Becky H., I liked the sections on the types of tutoring and the different people who tutor. I knew that it took a special person to tutor a student, but it was great to get some real detail on what it takes to make a great tutor. I appreciated the scenario at the beginning of the chapter as well, it really shows that you can’t just show up and have a student read for them to grow; you must focus on their weaknesses to truly help a student. The questionnaire that Mrs. Stoppel made up to send out with our enrollment forms was great. I appreciated the question “What improvements would you like to see in your child’s reading and writing”. I think having this information beforehand is very helpful and can give us a head-up on what may be to come.
I have heard of older elementary students tutoring lower elementary grade students as well. I think it is a great way to boost the higher level elementary students’ confidence. Just knowing they are helping another can be great for them, but also learning in the process is another positive note. I think this is an important process, and I too, wish to one day implement it into my classroom’s itinerary.
Chapter 13 was all about tutoring. And as Tuesday quickly approaches it was great to read about all the different types of tutoring and all of the benefits of tutoring. The chapter calmed my nerves a little. Although the chapter made me completely realize that as the tutor I need to be prepared as I can possibly be. I really liked how the chapter started off by discussing how a teacher can become the tutor that the student needs then it moved into giving examples classroom teachers can use to give their students tutoring. I really like the ideas of cross-age tutoring and peer-to-peer tutoring in the classroom. I think that younger students like to model older students so why not use it to the benefit of the students reading. Also I believe that a student’s peer will be able to give the information in words that the student understands. My favorite part of the chapter was where it laid out the first three sessions for tutoring and also included the same for ESOL students. This will be a great resource to review the day before we start tutoring. Figure 13.7 stuck out to me. I really like this idea for an interest activity. It allows the student to list what they want in them. Each bubble has simple headings that are not so specific. It will be easy to tell what the students like. Obviously Chase likes sports. So from this activity a tutor can find anything sports related and Chase will enjoy and want to learn. I think that is the key for us as tutors this first week. We need to identify exactly what our students are interested in so we can bring those items in and those themes in order to motivate the students learning.
This chapter was very informative about tutoring and reading levels for children. The chapter gave several ideas on how to help children read based on tutoring. I liked how the book said on page 334, "but college students are most effective." I thought this was perfect especially considering that we are going to start out tutoring this coming week. Our school district has several volunteers come in and be a book buddy. However, the majority of the people coming in are not trained. We are lucky enough for retired teachers to still come in and volunteer their time. I think that this program will help the students. The other part of the chapter that I found most useful starts on the bottom of page 341 and goes to 343. It gives us sequence to the tutoring session. I read and reread this section about what to do with your students. I found this to be the most beneficial and I can comprehend why doing these steps with this time frame would be very beneficial. My question is how much does it really hinder a child if the tutor is not trained by a "reading specialist"? Does anyone else have these extra people helping in their school district and if so have you seen an improvement on AYP?
In response to Lori A, I also thought the sections on tutoring for ELL was very important and requires a much more detailed lesson plan along with more time planning your activities. Where I live the is vast amount of ELL students, and this chapter will greatly enhance my knowledge and understanding when it comes to tutoring children.
I completely agree! I cannot wait until I can get to know my students. I want to make reading and learning fun for them. Once I find out their interests I'm looking forward to creating lessons they will love and enjoy taking part in. As long as the students are motivated then I hopefully can give the information so their learning excels.
This chapter was very helpful because here in a few days we will be doing our tutoring and I still feel a little lost and totally confused. The outline that was in this chapter was great. It gave us a good description of what we should do in each session. It also gave us outlines on what we should if we are tutoring ELL students. I also liked that this chapter also gave us good activities to have the students do while we are doing our tutoring sessions. Another thing I really enjoyed about this chapter was that it gave sample lesson plans. I know that we have lesson plans that we are supposed to follow, but seeing these sample lesson plans makes it easier to fill out our lesson plans for our tutoring sessions.
I also had that question. If an untrained individual is tutoring the children than do they really learn a whole lot? I think any practice reading is beneficial but hopefully the untrained individuals are giving them the right feedback that they need.
I was glad we skipped over to chapter 13! This chapter emphasized the importance of paraprofessionals being trained and supervised. I know in the elementary school back home that we don’t have reading specialists, instead they rely on paras. I enjoyed seeing examples of lesson plans, and log sheets. I also love the idea of reading buddies. I’ve seen this implemented in several of my internship schools and it proves to be very beneficial. Once again another great chapter!
In response to Julie, I was so glad we jumped ahead to this chapter too! After reading this chapter, I’m even more excited to start tutoring. As school budgets are becoming tighter, I think you are right, we will be seeing more and more paras and/or community volunteers rather than reading specialist.
I definitely feel more at ease tutoring my students after reading this chapter. I like how it tells us what we need to do/can do for each lesson. On page 341 the section on “Sequence of the lesson,” I thought was helpful in planning my time on our lesson plans. I had no idea how much time to allow on the activities, I imagine after our first couple of tutoring sessions we will have a better idea of how to plan our time. On page 348, I like the table that talks about helping your students with challenging words. I’m never quite sure if I should interrupt the student if they mispronounce or skip words. In my internship last week, the students were reading from their Social Studies book and several would either mispronounce the words or read through the paragraph without breathing. The teacher didn’t say anything after they had read the paragraph/story. I find it interesting observing our mentor teachers and then reading what they should be doing. Perhaps it’s an age level thing, because my internship is in the 6th grade and it’s not their “reading” class. I’m not a fan of our lesson plan template. It drives me crazy to have the activities split onto another page. I like the lesson plan sample on page 347 the lesson plan sample and how they have at the bottom the reflection notes. Everything is right there for us to write our anecdotal notes and in the back of the book they even have a blank template. I love this book!
In response to Kacey F., I was glad we skipped over to chapter 13 too! We don't have reading buddies at the school my children attend now, but in their previous school they matched the higher grades up with the lower grades. There was positive comments on both sides. The younger students love being read and acknowledge by the older students and the older students liked that they could share some knowledge with someone.
I too liked the lesson plan examples and the template at the back of the book. I really like having the reflection included as part of our lesson plan.
Right off the bat this chapter talks about how students’ skills improved after tutoring. This worked because the tutors and paraprofessionals that were with the student’s in the scenario were the same every day. I think that brings up another good point. Student’s need consistency and that is why the teachers provided the tutors with the material that went along with the regular classroom instruction. There are a variety of ways to implement tutoring. The type of tutoring I have seen the most often is the cross-age tutoring. This is when an older student tutors a younger student. I think that when the right pair of students are matched this method of tutoring is very effective. The older student can model good study skills and enjoyment for the subject being taught. I think that peer-to-peer tutoring can have the same effectiveness if done the same way. I personally think that the computer-assisted tutoring would be the least effective form of tutoring. I think that the interaction with the face- to-face is an important part of the learning process. I have seen the Reading Recovery program in a school and I think that it is a good program, when there is consistency with the regular curriculum. I was so excited to see the planning and conducting of the tutoring session in this chapter. It helps me to see how my own lesson plans are going to be laid out and take place. I bookmarked these pages so that I can easily refer back to them. I have never been a tutor before and when I did work with a student one on one I didn’t do ALL the planning, I did do most of it, but not to the extent we are doing here, and it was in math not reading.
I was a special education para for 2 years and I agree that it is unrealistic to ask a para to only tutor a few hours a week. At the school I was at they did rely heavily on the paras to do the tutoring and small group sessions. We didn't get paid any extra for it but it was on top of our regular responsibilities. I agree that this was because of budget issues.
This was a very informational chapter to read. I appreciated the layout of the chapter and the information to kind of calm my nerves about the tutoring process. I am not nervous about my ability to provide instruction I am nervous about being able to provide instruction to meet each students reading need. I know that after assessing their strengths and weaknesses that this will be something that I will more comfortable with. I specifically enjoyed reading about the qualifications of a reading specialist. As I am approaching graduation I find myself questioning what I am going to do next. I have started to plan the semester after my graduation and am looking into the ELL endorsement. After last semester I have found myself thinking about a Masters degree in reading disabilities. This class has really strengthened that idea. This chapter provided some information that will put me on the path to finding a good masters program. In this chapter I realized how important is going to be for me to keep detailed logs on each of my students. How they are reading, decoding skills, reading strategies, etc. As a parent these are all things that I would love to see at conferences and it will also help me reflect and prepare better instruction. I have made copies of the Log sheets for strategies and the books read during tutoring. I have put one in each students portfolio to keep detailed notes. On my tri-fold board I have prepared a space where we are going to list all of the books that we read. “We are out of this world readers” and then they will list the books that they have read and we have read as a group on a star. I have also provided them with a book log that allows them to tell others about the part that was their favorite. This chapter put some of my worries to rest and I feel very confident about this week of tutoring!
In response to Melinda S: I too agree that this chapter calmed my nerves. I loved the tutoring logs that they provided and plan to use them with the children. I have prepared a rolling crate that is basically like my office/classroom on wheels! Having everything on hand and being extremely prepared will be the key to providing the best instruction possible. Tomorrow is my first day and I have planned a group get to know you activity that has to do with Valentines Day. I have a large heart that I am going to display. We will go around to each student and they will tell what they love and I will record it on the heart. This will help me with the interest inventory as well. Good luck this week!
In response to Julie L..... I like you feel myself relaxing a little more after reading this chapter. i am so excited to start my tutoring and make a difference in the students reading abilities. I found the information in this chapter to be extra helpful and gave me some great ideas to use that I hadn't thought of before. I also loved the idea of the book buddies that the chapter discussed. Good luck in your tutoring.
The breakdown of Chapter 13 was tutoring with the different types and conducting tutoring sessions. The reading reflected me is that I was a tutor when I was in high school for a girl student and we worked on reading. It was a great experience and I forgot about it until I was talking to my mom about this class and tutoring, then she reminded me of this. I thought it was different was that “one on tutoring drains the school districts.” I know that some teachers stay after school and help students if needed. Where I work they have an afterschool program called “P.M. Academy” and school staff stay after school to help students but I’m not sure about the pay issue.
Tara M in response to the reading that is a great idea to have as a tri-fold to post the books the students have read. Also great idea to keep log notes for each student.
Wow, this chapter could not have been assigned at a better time. With tutoring quickly approaching, I found that I was extremely nervous about working with the students and making sure that they have everything that they need from me to become better readers. This chapter provided so much information that relaxed me and I am so excited to get into the school and work with the students. One of the topics that the chapter discussed was Reading Recovery and Title 1, these are used in the school that I am doing my internships at. My daughter when she was in grade school was helped greatly by the tutoring and help that she received during the reading recovery and title 1 time that she received each day. The one thing that really concerns me in the chapter was the section regarding the paraprofessionals. While reading the section, I learned that the training that they have to go through. While I have been in the classroom, either as an intern or as a substitute, I have seen several of the paraprofessionals in the classroom. I have seen both bad paraprofessionals and good. There are those that are caring and want to help the students and then there are the ones that just really don't seem to care at all.
Chapter 13 was the perfect chapter to read right before I start tutoring this week. I had heard of some of the terms that were mentioned in the chapter, such as paraprofessional, certified teacher, book buddies, and a few others. But, it was nice to have a review of those terms and see in detail how each term was defined. The chapter discussed the differences between a literacy coach, a reading intervention teacher and a reading supervisor/coordinator. I had heard of those terms prior to this reading, but they were titled differently. I think I will act almost like a paraprofessional during these tutoring sessions. I am very familiar with the roles of a paraprofessional because the school that I attended was a big believer in hiring a paraprofessional. I liked how the book broke it down into sessions because it kind of gave me an idea of what to expect after so many tutoring sessions. One question that I had was, can you intervene too much? You don’t want to jump to conclusions too quickly, but you also don’t want to look past it too long. That is one thing I am a little uneasy about because I am the type that would intervene too much because I want my students to understand and do well. I really enjoyed all the Figures that were provided because it is nice to see what the text is referring to. This was a great review and prep for tutoring!
This chapter gave a lot of information about tutoring. Tutoring is one-on-one instruction. I really found the five conditions that exist is when tutoring is the most effective. It was really interesting to read that they think college students are the most effective, but I kind of see why because they are going to school as well and are learning good ways to work with children who need the tutoring, especially education college students. There are six types of tutors: reading specialists/literacy coaches, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, crossage, peer-to-peer and computer-assisted. I really like how the textbook explained each type of tutor in detail including their qualifications. It was all very informative. The section about successful tutoring programs was very informative and helpful to me. It was good to see figure 13.6 about sample objectives. We need to administer an interest survey to each student we tutor to get to know them better and find out interesting facts about each of them. I really liked the example on page 344. The other strategy examples throughout the rest of the chapter were very helpful to look at to get ideas to keep track of information for each student we are tutoring. The goal of tutoring is to help struggling readers and writers to become literate. We need to remember to make each tutoring session very interesting and worthwhile for the students, which has spent a full day in school and is ready to go home everyday right after school.
I agree, this chapter came at the perfect time! I think everyone is probably a little nervous to start the tutoring program, but once we get started it the nerves will be put aside. I think it is the initial thought that makes everyone nervous. When you talked about paraprofessionals, I have had the same experience that you have had. It is sad to see the ones who do not really care about the student and just give them the answer. But, it is also neat to see the paraprofessionals who have developed a great relationship with their student. Paraprofessionals play a big role in a child’s education.
In response to Shelby H– I use to be a paraprofessional at the junior high here in town. I also did it at a preschool, but the jobs were completely different. I enjoyed it more at the preschool. I agree this chapter gave tons of insight on our tutoring process and experience.
Tutoring is a very important tool to help children meet their individual needs. The book instructed us on how to really connect with the students and ways to instruct the student. The book explained how you need to find ways to help the child relate to the tutor. A good way to do this would be to find a hobby or topic they both like. The chapter touched on Para's and Title 1, I think that both area very needed areas in the school day however I think that the type of instruction for each should be more specific to a grade so that when a student is struggling in a specific grade the tutor is prepared and ready to handle that developmental level.
I read your post about paras in the classroom and I agree their are some that are great and are very helpful and then their are some who are abrasive and loud and in a way rude. I was a para for a few years and made an observation in the school I was in (I am not saying all schools and Paras are like this) the good paras had some type of training and had a heart for children and the ones who were not good with the children were the ones who just needed a pay check. I think that Paras need some type of formal education so that they can more or less co-teach and also be ready to work with a student one on one. I got the opportunity to act more as a co teacher and I loved it, I truly enjoy pre-school children!
Reading this chapter could not have come at a better time for me. As we are approaching our first session of tutoring, I have become a lot more nervous with this task. But after reading this chapter it has calmed me down and has made me become more aware of what I can do and should be looking towards doing. I found this chapter to be very informative as the previous chapters we have read. The lesson plan formats are awesome and I only wish that we could adopt something like that for ours. I have found that our lesson plan formats are too broken up for me and cause some confusion when reading the plan. I have spent numerous hours as a teacher developing a lesson plan that works for me personally and these in the book are so similar and I know would be for me a lot more beneficial. I have mentioned before that I love anecdotal note taking and I liked that the lesson plans had that space for it. After reading this chapter, I am sure that I will enjoy tutoring my kindergarten students. I have spent a lot of time in preparation for my tutoring sessions, which I am sure that I have over planned for! I took the section Planning and Conducting the Tutoring Session to heart. I am pretty sure that I have reread that section several times. I like to know what I am doing, I can do things on the fly but it is so nice to be prepared! Reflecting on the lesson is something that I feel like I might not have done in the pass and I realize how important it is to reflect on the lesson.
Christine,
I can’t agree with you more on the lesson plans. I am not a fan of our lesson plans either. I think that they may work for some but not for all. It is the same way with our reading strategies, not all our strategies will work for all the students and we as teachers have to make that commitment to find the strategy that works for that individual student. Oh, how I wish that we could design our own lesson plan template! Good luck this week in your tutoring sessions!
Chapter 13 was much needed because it was all about tutoring! I have never fully understood the benefits of tutoring but after reading the text, I realize how important and beneficial tutoring can be! I really like how my children’s elementary school uses the older students to be book buddies for the younger students. My 4th grade son loves that he is now a book buddy to a younger student. The chapter also did a great job at breaking down each tutoring session so that we have a better idea of what to expect. I also appreciated the lesson plans given. It was great to be able to look at them. Overall, Chapter 13 gave a lot of great information about tutoring. I will have to say that Professor Stoppel does a much better job at explaining tutoring in detail. I am thankful for the live Adobe Connect sessions! I would be lost without being able to listen to the class!
I agree 100% with your post! I think that it is so important to connect with the students! Tutoring has a bad reputation. Kids do not want to go to tutoring. If we can make it fun and exciting then we could have such a big impact in that student's education. Thanks for sharing your post!
This chapter was wonderful especially since we begin tutoring on Tuesday! The chapter addressed different types of tutors which include reading specialists, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, cross-age tutors, peer-to-peer tutoring, and computer-assisted tutoring. It was interesting to read about the specific role and tools that each of the types of tutors use to be effective. I enjoyed reading about the Reading Recovery program and the session structure on page 340 as well. The planning and conducting the tutoring session section of the chapter really applied to my current progress in this course! I am in between writing lesson plans, objectives, planning activities, and gathering appropriate materials. All of these areas were addressed in this chapter which made me feel at ease a bit in the fact that I am right on track to begin my tutoring sessions. The most vital area of this chapter for me was the tutoring sessions for English Learners section. I have 3 English learners in my tutoring group so it is great to get an idea of how tutoring sessions should be run. The ideas of showing the ELL student pictures in Session one, were ideas that I thought would be great to implement in my own lesson for students in the adaptations area of my lesson plans. The interest activity on page 344 was another great resource as well! I think that the ideas and tools in this chapter were great in preparing me for what I may encounter on my first tutoring session on Tuesday. Although, I am still nervous and stressed about being all on my own with students, I feel that with these text books and the help of Mrs. Stoppel , I will be just fine and eventually get into the groove of things. Does anyone else have any questions or tips to help with the first few days of tutoring?
In response to Trisha W- I agree with you in that I never fully realized the endless benefits tutoring sessions can have for students until reading this chapter. I have seen many schools that implement the buddy system with having an older student work with a younger student and it really seems to work well and it provides a “family” environment among the students. I also agree that Mrs. Stoppel does a much better job of what we will need to do during each step of our tutoring session but it was interesting to see what the text had to add about tutoring. I still feel overwhelmed about beginning tutoring sessions on Tuesday, but I am sure with the help of Mrs. Stoppel and classmates I will get right on track. Good luck with your tutoring!
In response to Sara Childs- I thought the dog reading buddy was a great idea! I have never heard of anybody doing that before but what a great way to get a child to relax and just read! The school I was at also had Kindergarten buddies which was new to me. I found it to be a great way for all students to interact and learn from one another. My daughter was in Kindergarten this last school year and she grew very attached to her Kindergarten buddy. She even cried when she read the letter her buddy gave her on the last day! It is nice to read information that you can use and put to use immediately. I think that's why I liked the Wong text so much about the First Days of School. I understand theories are important but we need to know more than theories as we go into teaching.
This chapter is fantastic. It is all about tutoring, which is what we will be doing very soon. Reading it made me very nervous and excited. This chapter discussed the different kinds of tutors and their qualifications. It also discusses some great programs and ideas on how to tutor. I really liked how they made an outline for each session because it makes me have a better idea of how things are supposed to go.
ReplyDeleteThe question I had about the reading is when it tells you to intervene with the students reading. I know that questions lead to discovering if the students understands the information, but what if they are reading so quickly that you can't get a word in. Should you let them know before hand that you will be asking questions throughout their reading?
Tutoring ELL students was something that I was afraid of before reading this chapter. After reading the section in this chapter, I feel far more confident about tutoring an ELL student. I like the idea of using magazines to determine the student's vocabulary.
I was tutored when I was younger in reading and math and I really liked my tutor. She had me use the computer a lot during sessions because it interested me. I had never gotten the chance to work on a computer before the tutoring sessions began so I thought it was so cool that I could play games on this big screen. Other times, she would read to me and then I would read to her. It made me a more confident reader because she was very supportive. She would always tell me that I was doing a good job and to keep going.
Tutoring is a great way to help students because the group size is small and the learning becomes personalized. I had no idea that students who were not reading by grade three had a higher dropout rate, but it is easy to understand why. Reading is vital for student success. As the text said, many schools do not have the funds needed to hire trained tutors so by grade three students who cannot read will probably be less likely to receive the adequate quality attention that is needed. When a student struggles with reading it affects all other content areas which will make school very difficult. This difficulty would obviously increase the chances that a student will drop out due to frustration.
ReplyDeleteI feel that cross-age tutors can be very successful. When I was in sixth grade we tutored first graders and I gained so much from that experience. I really liked the idea of having middle school students who struggle with reading tutor the younger students. I think that the middle school students would develop a sense of pride and accomplishment from helping younger students succeed in their reading. If a middle school student is struggling with reading they may not experience this success very often and it is an important part of the learning process.
This chapter helped me understand how to plan and carry out tutoring sessions. I had no idea where to begin when I found out how our internship would work. I feel much more prepared to create and implement lesson plans for tutoring after reading this chapter.
The strategies on page 348 are very helpful. I worked one on one with struggling readers in my internship, and there were times when I struggled with giving clues without actually telling them the word they were struggling with. I often would try to break up the word if there was a part that the students would recognize and I found that to be very helpful for many of the second graders.
Brandy,
ReplyDeleteI felt nervous and excited after reading this chapter too! It is incredible to think about the fact that our tutoring could really lead to lifelong reading success for these students. They will need reinforcement throughout their time in school, but if we can help them get off to a good start or develop in struggling areas it will have a great impact. I felt that the outlines were extremely helpful. I did not know how tutoring sessions should be planned out. I know we will learn and talk more about it in class, but I feel that this chapter helped me get started in mentally preparing for my time as a tutor.
In response to Jaclyn:
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of having an older child tutor a younger one. I think that it is a great learning experience for both parties involved. We had peer tutors when I was in grade school and I really enjoyed learning from someone who could speak to me in my terms. It made learning fun.
In response to Brandy...I felt the same about reading this chapter - very excited, and also very grateful that a lot of my jitters about starting our tutoring (very soon!)were put to rest. My favorite part was seeing those sample lesson plans - that will be a huge help to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Julie
Thank goodness for this chapter and for skipping over to it when we did - very timely! I ate this one up - I truly appreciate those sample lesson plans, log sheets, and the section on getting started. I do feel myself relaxing about the task ahead between our classroom lessons and our very helpful textbooks. In addition, we now have our students and grade levels ready to go, so it's nice to focus, plan, and cull down all of this huge amount of info and relate it to our specific grade level. I noticed the chapter touched on the importance of proper tutoring techniques for paras...it is a dose of reality that para-professionals will be called upon more and more for literacy tutoring. I know in the case of the school where I work, there is a concern that budget cuts could possibly take away reading specialists in all but the schools with the most dire need. It is a legitimate concern for all of us whose goal is to get every student reading independently. I also appreciated the info on Book Buddies - I never thought of that as a form of tutoring, but it makes sense that it is. Day, by day, I'm feeling a little more ready for action!
ReplyDeleteIs it a bit inauspicious that the chapter on tutoring is the number 13?
ReplyDeleteMy first thoughts on this chapter were of some disbelief. The fictional story of the school hiring paraprofessionals to assist in tutoring students is very touching, but seemed completely unreal in today’s world of education budget cuts. It is much more likely that schools will rely on community volunteers (Hutchinson has the Youth Friends program), and that volunteers are only as good as the training provided. Having spent many years as a special education para, I felt the section recommending paraprofessionals spend only a few hours each week tutoring was unrealistic as well. In order to hire effective paras, the hours would have to justify the effort. In other words, there are few people qualified enough to work as a para in this way, for such little time and pay. This is just my humble opinion however.
That being said, the rest of the chapter was a goldmine of information for our upcoming tutoring sessions. Again, this book has provided us with the forms and information necessary to tutor effectively and successfully. The charts listed in this chapter (lesson plan for tutoring, interest activities, and log sheets, to name a few) should be considered our road maps to student achievement. I feel so much better reading about the nuts and bolts, rather than the theories, of teaching. The section describing how to run the first few sessions will be very helpful in creating those lesson plans.
The tutoring strategies listed are research-based and proven methods. In my son’s school, the kindergarteners meet with fourth and fifth grade reading buddies. The kindergarteners like working with the older kids, and the older students feel a sense of accomplishment. In a somewhat similar way, our local library offers reading sessions with a dog reading buddy. The dog is non-judgmental, and very comforting to some children who might feel intimidated reading aloud to others.
As usual, another great chapter!
In response to Brandy:
ReplyDeleteI have the same question as you about interrupting or not when a student is reading. Especially those who don't "see" the punctuation!
It is interesting that you felt the use of the computer was a treat, a good change of pace. That's something I hadn't thought about before. I had planned to use some read-along books using cds, etc. but will also think now about including some Computer-Assisted Tutoring as well.
Julie, I am so glad that we skipped to this chapter as well! This textbook is extremely helpful, I know it will be a great resource throughout our time tutoring students and when we begin our own teaching careers. All of the suggestions, resources, and templates are extremely beneficial! It is unfortunate that reading specialists may have to be taken out of the schools. The school I interned in last semester really needed the reading specialists, I honestly do not know how my teacher could have completed all of the required work without their help!
ReplyDeleteSara,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the availability of para educators and tutors is very limited. Sometimes the text suggests that teachers provide students with tutors to help give them the individualized attention they need, but unfortunately it is not that easy! I am looking forward to doing our internship for this course because the parents of the students I will be working with are extremely excited because this is not something they could have paid for.
The information this chapter provides us on tutoring is an insight to the professionalism we will need to exude as teachers. This chapter provides us with information to handle many situations as well as charts and other forms to use during out tutoring sessions. Although I am nervous, I am really looking forward to this tutoring experience. I am ready to move past the nervousness though and help these students. The activities and lessons we create will be an addition to the foundation we created in our reading and language arts methods class and internship.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jaclyn C....
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your comment in regards to how unfortunate it is that reading specialists may have to be taken out of schools. Reading specialists are a great resources to both students and teachers. Not only are they able to work with students struggling to read, but they can also be beneficial to those students who are excelling at reading. The state is dumping more and more onto our teachers and providing them with less money and resources but still expecting exceptional results. It is sad.
Chapter 13 provided some great information about tutoring that will be helpful in the upcoming tutoring program as well as in my future classroom. I liked that the chapter broke the different types of tutors down and listed the different qualifications and responsibilities of each. Of course in the current budget crisis we have it will probably fall onto the shoulders of volunteers to tutor in most circumstances but the idea of trained professionals is always nice. I have not had a great amount of in-class experience so it was nice to be able to better understand the role each of these people play in the school setting. I think that the reading recovery program seemed like a great way to help struggling readers and wonder if anyone has had a chance to witness this in the classroom?
ReplyDeleteThe lesson plan examples were nice to view to get a better idea of how to best structure the tutoring sessions to maximize both time and instruction. As the text states, reflecting on lessons is a vital part of teaching and tutoring is no exception. I really like that we are required to turn in reflections after each session so I get into the habit of doing this at this stage in my education. The getting started section stressed many of the things that we have discussed in class and it was nice to see them in here to remind me of the important steps to take to get my tutoring program off on the right foot.
Response to Julie L:
I agree that the timing of this chapter is great. The examples and getting started information really helped me solidify the details of what I need to do to get my program started. I know that my school district has been hit hard with budget cuts and support staff, such as para-educators and specialists, have been cut at all schools. I am working with an after school program for my tutoring so it will benefit these students who have lost some of their supporting educators.
Tyler
I really enjoyed reading this chapter, especially right before jumping into tutoring next week. Before this semester, or I should say before this class, I really wasn't aware of all the responsibility placed on tutors. I always thought of tutors as just helpers but it's a lot more than just helping, it's actually teaching new concepts most of the time. I really liked the peer-to-peer tutoring section because I see that a lot happening in internships and I dont think anyone really realizes it's going on. I know the students don't consider themselves tutors, just friends helping friends. I was never personally tutored but my sister was all through elementary school. I wish her tutor would've let her use computer-assisted tutoring. I really liked everything about that section. My sister is always on the computer even to this day and I just think for some students they would get more out of working on the computer instead of just staring at a book or worksheet. I found the section about planning and conducting tutoring sessions helpful and it gave me a better idea of what I need to prepare for for next week's tutoring session. It gave us a layout of how to approach the sessions and what to do each time we're with the students. Reading this chapter has given me a lot more confidence when it comes to tutoring and I find myself much more prepared to jump into our tutoring next week.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brandy,
ReplyDeleteI also commented on using computers to do tutoring and I agree that it's a great technique and would interest a ton of students, way more than a textbook would. I also appreciated reading the section about tutoring ELL students. Since all of us will have at least one ELL student, this information was very useful and ensures way more confidence in me than I had previous to reading this chapter.
This chapter has gotten me excited to start in tutoring. I have been a para for several years and wish I would have taken some of these classes years ago. A lot of the information that came across in figure 13.9 (helping tutees tackle challenging words) sounded very familiar to me. Some of it is knowing what helps me figure out unfamiliar words and others I learned a couple of years back when my daughter did six months of reading recovery. I knew the teacher and she sat down with me and showed me how they taught the reading recovery so I could mimic it at home. The part in the text that told about helping the student make a sentence and then cutting up the sentence and letting the student put the words back together to form a sentence; I remember well from her time spent in reading recovery. It is such simple little things that add up over time and assist the student in their understanding. My daughter now reads at the top of her class and has a hard time putting the books down. Part of that is just her personality, but if she still struggled with reading I don't think she would read nearly as much as she does. I enjoyed reading about the different ideas of programs that could assist in our local communities. I often wonder why the high school students don't tutor more. It would be great to put on an application for college grants and scholarships. There are many programs that require the students to have a certain number of service hours. I wish our community would start up a program where older students helped younger ones. This could be a very beneficial program to everyone involved. Perhaps I may take on the challenge, after graduation that is.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Sara C - I have heard about programs with dogs in fact I saw a news report about one just a week or two ago. One of our 4th grade teachers brings her lab to school every once in awhile and the students love it. I liked the idea of book buddies, students love working with other students. It is boring for them to read with the same adult time and time again.
ReplyDeleteHolly,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there is a lot of responsibility placed on tutors that no one is probably aware of. I always assumed it was simply helping with what they already knew, and while that is some of it, there is a great amount of new teaching taking place. You also make a good point about peer tutoring. I have also seen this used a lot and I think it is a great concept. The students don't know that they are providing a good service and building cooperation and social skills, they usually think they are just as you said, helping a friend out. Also, thankfully now we have many more options to help students learn other than books and worksheets. Learning can be much more fun now thank goodness!
While reading this chapter, I came across a statement that kind of surprised me. It said that "children who are not reading by the third grade have higher chances of dropping out before graduating from high school." I really was not aware of this. It does make sense though, because by this age level if the students aren't becoming pretty proficient in reading, everything becomes more difficult. I think this is something that will always stick with me and if I teach early primary grades I will have this in the back of my mind while teaching reading. Knowing that tutoring can help these students immensely makes me feel a little less pressure about my future students though. I have worked in schools that used paras and been in classrooms that didn't. The teachers seem to get run a little ragged in a large class with special needs children and no help. I know I would love to have any help offered for the benefit of the students. Since it will soon be my job to first be the teacher's help, I really liked the information provided in this chapter. I know I will have to have a plan for each session since trying to "wing it" would be absurd! I want to provide good activities that are fun and educational that will definitely help the students progress in their reading skills. The suggestions for how to proceed through sessions was very helpful. There was a part mentioned in the intervening section that said telling the student to simply sound out a word is not really the best option. I have seen teachers use this as their only help when students can't pronounce a word and have thought to myself, "Really, that's your advice? I'm pretty sure if they could sound it out they would have by now." Sometimes this will work, but not always. We have to have other tools to work with besides that! Thankfully we are learning them.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you suggested we read this before we listen to the Thursday’s podcast. This chapter has a lot of great information regarding tutoring. I knew of the benefits of tutoring as our small district has the juniors in our high school go to the first grade once a week and read with the students. I wish it was more tutoring than just sitting there listening to the students read, because I have been in the class while it was going on and I do not believe the students (any of them) are gaining anything from it.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of peer-to-peer tutoring. This is different than having a student walk around after the assignment is over and helping students correct? I believe students help one another grasp a concept that maybe they couldn’t grasp when it was explained to the entire class.
I am fascinated with the cross-age tutoring and would love to know how you get that started in a school. Our school has a Title 1 program, but I know this would benefit so many students in so many ways. What a great way to help all involved.
In my mentoring class last semester, the students were not allowed to correct one another when reading. There was at least a five-second rule for the student to try to figure out the word before the teacher would help them sound it out. Unfortunately, in my son’s class that is not the case. The second a student has a problem with a word, another student jumps in and yells out the word. How are these students going to learn to sound out these words if everyone else is doing it for them?
Response to Tyler…
ReplyDeleteI agree that the budget crisis is going to be detrimental to everyone…teachers, tutors, paraprofessionals; the whole bunch of us. But no matter what happens, we cannot let the students fail because of that. Don’t you wish our lesson plans were as easy as the one’s in the book???? LOL
This chapter had a lot of information over tutoring. I liked how they gave plenty of scenarios on how different people tutored. On pages 344 & 345 were the break down of the first few sessions. I thought that those two pages were very informative. I was able to see how to structure a tutoring sessions. I think that have students tutor with a peer is an awesome idea because it allows them to improve on reading, but also on any social skills that they need to work on. This chapter had a lot of good information and will help us on what to expect when we start tutoring our students next week.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Debbie M,
ReplyDeleteI think that it's awesome that the Juniors do that. Every once in awhile a class from the high school would take a trip down to the elementary school and read to the 1st and 2nd grade. The students loved it and they got a chance to hang out with some high schoolers which little kids think is awesome. I also agree that reading this chapter is what everyone needed. It just backed up what Dr. Stoppal has been talking about.
My favorite part of the entire chapter is on page 334 and says “all volunteers can be effective tutors, particularly if a certified teacher trains them, but college students are the most effective.” As much as I have been freaking out about tutoring next week, I realize I need to calm down and take a deep breath. We have been training and preparing for having our own classrooms and these tutoring sessions are a great way to experience that in a smaller dose. All of the information in the chapter was very informative and helpful for me as I plan my own tutoring sessions. Since I will have both English-speaking students and ELLs in my tutoring group, I found the “Getting Started” and “Tutoring Sessions for English Learners” sections starting on page 344 to be very useful. I decided I could combine what is suggested for the first several sessions in the “Getting Started” and “Tutoring Sessions for English Learners” to make sure that I meet the needs of all the students in my tutoring group. I have bookmarked page 348 and plan on sharing these tips with my students as they work on their reading skills. There are also many good strategies listed in the example log sheets and lesson plans towards the end of chapter 13.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school and middle school everyone took part in a “Reading Buddies” program with the elementary school. It sounds similar to the cross-age tutors on page 336 minus the fact that the older student were struggling readers. We were all trained in helping students figure out challenging words and we were taught how to ask the younger students questions to get them interested and excited about books. I know that the elementary students loved having us come in and read with them, but we older students also enjoyed it. We felt like we were important and actually helping younger children to become better students. Programs such as these can be great moral boosters and they helped to build a stronger sense of community in my K-12th grade school.
In response to Janna Colson…
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of peer-to-peer tutoring. There are so many benefits outside of reading that can come from a program like this. I think that students can relate to each other and explain concepts to each other in a way that adult educators can’t. Sometimes all it takes for a student to understand is to have a peer explain it to them. This is something that I plan on using in my own classroom.
As I was reading the section on planning and conducting the tutoring session, I found that I really liked the way that she did her lesson plan; I liked how the reflection was right next to the activity they did and that it was set to meet each goal. As the section went on, it started to sound more familiar since we had already covered some of these things in class. During session one, the main thing was to establish a comfortable relationship with your kids. Each student will learn differently, and in order to help him or her learn effectively it helps to know what his or her interests are; when children’s interests are integrated into a lesson, they will be more excited or interested in learning what it is you want them to learn or work on. Doing the interests activity and the introduction activities will be one of my favorite things to do because the students will be having fun as they are learning about each other and more facts about myself as well. I have so many ideas to use for my lesson plans later in the semester and I can’t wait to see how well the students will like them as well. Before we started our lesson plans the other day, I was really nervous about getting them done and figuring out where I needed to fill in; however, after working with them a little bit, I am more at ease and I think it will get easier after the first few weeks. In a way, it makes me nervous to think that I will be responsible for 3 students that need help in reading but I know that this will be a great experience and I am looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Hannah B:
ReplyDeleteI agree. Very deep breaths! After all of our training the past month, I feel like we are very prepared to do the tutoring thing effectively; if our professors didn't think we could do it then we wouldn't be to this point yet in our education. This is a great opportunity for us to put our skills to the test! When I was in school, we never had a tutoring after school program and it was sad because I know that I could of definitely used some.
Chapter 13 dealt all with tutoring. Right away the chapter dove right in with the benefits of tutoring. Tutoring allows for more one-on-one instruction. The books states, "...tutoring is one of the most effective forms of instruction" (pg. 334). I particularly liked how the book broke down the different types of tutors. When I was in high school i participated in a type of tutoring similar to the cross-age tutors. A group of high school students would go to different elementary schools and help struggling students in different content areas. While I was at my junior college, I was a peer academic tutor. I helped students in the English Composition I class. I would help the students with grammar and the technical aspects of writing essays. As a part of my tutoring job, I had student complete tutoring programs on the computer as a part to track progress. I really like the Reading Recovery tutoring program mentioned in the text. i wonder how many schools are using this program throughout the world. This chapter has made me both excited and nervous to begin my tutoring sessions with my 3 students. It is important to always be prepared for the tutoring sessions because the time passes by so quickly. I liked towards the end of the chapter how it breaks down tutoring sessions. I'm ready to get out into the field and begin tutoring!
ReplyDeleteIn response to laceykaye – Lacey, I too was extremely nervous about the lesson plans we were to create. Especially since I am working with Kindergarteners and the tests we are to use are completely different than those of the other grades. I am nervous as well that I am responsible for my 3 students. I just hope I can prove to be successful with them. This is a great way to actually implement the teaching methods we have been learning about in the teacher education program.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter is about tutoring and I found it very interesting all of the different titles a teacher of reading can hold. We have a title reading teacher that is our reading specialist. She coordinates what programs to implement and analyzes all of the data from progress monitoring of students. Our school also has a mentoring program where people in the community come in and read with students on certain days of the week. This is a nice program, but like the text points out, it can have its problems as well. The fourth and fifth grade students are know as "junior mints" because selected students will come and mentor kindergarten through 2nd grade students in reading. Sometimes this is good and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes the older student is reading the younger student's book and the younger student is not paying attention;or the younger student is reading away and the older student is not paying attention. It is important that the older students are mature, responsible and that they don't work in proximity of their other peers.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jacyln C - I agree! I think that reading is foundational and it covers a multitude of disciplines. If a child cannot read or has difficulty reading then normally they struggle in other subjects as well. This is a trend that I am seeing in student teaching. I also believe that tutoring gives that "personal experience" that students cannot receive in whole class instruction. I find that more children learn better in small group instruction or tutoring. Good post!
ReplyDeleteTutoring is very important! It allows students who are slow learners to get the personal attention that they need. Many times students don't understand material presented in class because they aren't as fast in learning as a majority of the class or either they need methods of instruction that requires more time - more time that teachers feel they cannot afford to spare during regular instructional hours. In a case like this tutoring is necessary. Recently in the classroom where I am interning I encountered a young man whose IQ is not low enough for him to be identified as exceptional but he is slower at learning than his peers. With the Title I money the school has hired Title I tutors to come out to the school and as learned like this young man to help them understand what they didn't understand before. the good thing about this Title I tutoring program as well as the one we have in this course is that it's free of charge to parents who cannot afford private tutoring services such as Sylvan. What I don't understand is why many districts claim not have the funds for tutoring services. Districts with Title one schools. Is tutoring a mandate in the NCLB Act? I'm thinking (and hoping) there is more to NCLB than just testing! students.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 was a great wrap-up of the schedule of events we will be using in two days! I was glad that the text reinforced, "The first tutoring session should be a time for the tutor and tutee to become acquainted." Every class I have had in Elementary Education reinforces this point and it is so true. Students will learn the material if they can connect the lesson to things they love and care about. I'm excited to get to know my students and use that background knowledge to (hopefully!) improve their reading. I also liked how the text reinforced the importance of reflection. It was interesting to see the Reflection section built into the lesson plan.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brandy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your testimony about reading with your tutor. It's encouraging to know you remember that tutoring experience after so many years. I hope all of us can be that tutor that each student remembers...one that encourages the student and gives compliments.
As far as teaching ELL students, you will do a great job as long as you have the passion to help them. In my internship last semester there were about 4 or 5 ELL students. I learned that they were extremely open to any and all instruction and they learned quickly. They were a delight to work with. So I think you will do a great job after you get to know them, and use their interests during the lesson.
There are undoubtedly great benefits for students from receiving tutoring. More one on one time with an instructor almost always helps students. I didn’t realize that tutors could be categorized into 6 groups. I think that for this class we fall into the Paraprofessional category. I think that paras are a schools most cost effective option for reading tutors. I was very interested in the cross-age tutoring. I know that since the school I went to had the elementary and middle school in the same building, some of the older students use to go help younger students read and we had reading buddies. I assumed it was always the students who were master readers, not the ones who struggled themselves. After reading this chapter I can see how this would be a positive learning experience for older struggling readers as well as young ones.
ReplyDeleteThe list of what a child does ever Reading Recovery Session sounds like too much to get done in a 30 minute session! Are these session extremely face paced? The Book Buddies reading program sounds like it would fit into most classrooms better because of the different time schedule.
Our tutoring session sounds like it’s going to go along great with the amount of time and elements that should be included. It is going to be very important for us as tutors to be on top of things, so that the sessions can roll smoothly and students can benefit as much as possible.
This end of this chapter really stressed the importance of being able to teach students the strategies to read instead of just telling students the word. Giving students the time to work through words and difficult reading situations will help them to become better readers and build their self-confidence knowing that they figured it out!
In response to Janet H.
ReplyDeleteIt’s great that you get to see how the world of tutoring reading from both the paraprofessional and teacher perspectives. I also agree with you that more high school and college students should be used as reading paras. Most schools require students to take elective courses, even in high school. Allowing students to be aids for reading in elementary schools would be a great benefit for the whole district!
Chapter 13 was an informative chapter on the positive effects of tutoring in schools. The chapter goes on to explain the different types of tutoring and the different people who tutor. The chapter also talked about different programs to use for tutoring and what to do during each of the first few tutoring sessions. The chapter also had great examples of lesson plans and notes from tutoring sessions.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this chapter because I have never had a tutoring experience before. Since this is my second semester with internships, I am excited and nervous at the same time to be working so closely with a few students on their reading skills. I liked how the chapter explained the different types of tutors and why they are effective. I remember hearing about having upper elementary students to tutor lower elementary and how it is effective for both students. I would love to incorporate this into my own classroom someday! There are so many great examples in this chapter that show lesson plans, tutoring sessions, notes, etc. that I will definitely keep this book around for future reference! I also liked how the chapter referenced different appendixes for useful templates and card activities!
In my first internship experience, I helped with reading with 1st graders. I loved the one on one time I had with them in centers and experienced several of the students using different reading strategies. I also worked with ESL students and helped them by using the different reading strategies.
In response to Janel…I agree that one-on-one tutoring is VERY beneficial and as tutors we need to be on top of our lessons and know what activities, books, etc. would be most beneficial to the students! I cannot wait to start tutoring and helping my students become better readers and (hopefully) change their view(s) about reading! I agree that the Reading Recovery sections seem to have a lot put into a little amount of time! It might just be that once a tutor gets going, things just run so smoothly that time for activities isn’t an issue!
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, I was glad to be more introduced into tutoring before actually going out. It gave me very many ideas and helpful techniques that I need to keep in mind when tutoring. I previously tutored another college student in the subject of American History. The person was a few years older to me. It will now be a bit different to work with a young child to help them on their reading, but I believe my prior experience can just be a positive aspect. I never realized how many different types of tutoring are available though. Tutoring ELL students takes a little more time and shaping your tutoring skills to help the student not only understand the English language, but also be a good reader. Keeping a log from strategies used throughout tutoring can be a good resource for the tutor because this way they will not keep using and repeating the same strategies. I am really looking forward to what is to come when I begin as a tutor.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Becky H.:
ReplyDeleteWhat is a technique you used with the ESL students? Where did u learn this technique from?
This chapter was so important and relieving! I have been excited about getting tutoring started since I learned about the plan, but now that the beginning is so close, I was getting a little stressed and worried about how I’m going to get everything done and how it’ll all go. This chapter definitely helped me think through things and get things cleared up. My favorite part of the chapter was the “Planning and Conducting the Tutoring Session”. I found a lot of great information in this section! I tend to try to be a very organized person, so in the section on appropriate materials, I found it helpful to rely on lists to get prepared for the session’s activities. I know how precious the time is going to be during the sessions, so I believe being prepared is going to be a HUGE part of this experience. I also really appreciated how the chapter kept bringing up the importance of student success, I think for students to enjoy reading; they must first feel confident about doing it. “It is important that the tutor chooses books easy enough for the tutee to experience success (p. 344).” I am most definitely going to write this down somewhere, I want to remember that my students need to experience that feeling of success to stay motivated! The section on tutoring English learners was great, I liked the tip on providing ample time for discussion during a tutoring session to give the English learner time to express oneself. Another very important section was “Intervening with the Tutee During Reading”. I found the tips in Figure 13.9 to be very helpful! I plan on copying these and keeping them close by during the tutoring sessions!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Becky H., I liked the sections on the types of tutoring and the different people who tutor. I knew that it took a special person to tutor a student, but it was great to get some real detail on what it takes to make a great tutor. I appreciated the scenario at the beginning of the chapter as well, it really shows that you can’t just show up and have a student read for them to grow; you must focus on their weaknesses to truly help a student. The questionnaire that Mrs. Stoppel made up to send out with our enrollment forms was great. I appreciated the question “What improvements would you like to see in your child’s reading and writing”. I think having this information beforehand is very helpful and can give us a head-up on what may be to come.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of older elementary students tutoring lower elementary grade students as well. I think it is a great way to boost the higher level elementary students’ confidence. Just knowing they are helping another can be great for them, but also learning in the process is another positive note. I think this is an important process, and I too, wish to one day implement it into my classroom’s itinerary.
Melinda S.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 was all about tutoring. And as Tuesday quickly approaches it was great to read about all the different types of tutoring and all of the benefits of tutoring. The chapter calmed my nerves a little. Although the chapter made me completely realize that as the tutor I need to be prepared as I can possibly be. I really liked how the chapter started off by discussing how a teacher can become the tutor that the student needs then it moved into giving examples classroom teachers can use to give their students tutoring. I really like the ideas of cross-age tutoring and peer-to-peer tutoring in the classroom. I think that younger students like to model older students so why not use it to the benefit of the students reading. Also I believe that a student’s peer will be able to give the information in words that the student understands. My favorite part of the chapter was where it laid out the first three sessions for tutoring and also included the same for ESOL students. This will be a great resource to review the day before we start tutoring. Figure 13.7 stuck out to me. I really like this idea for an interest activity. It allows the student to list what they want in them. Each bubble has simple headings that are not so specific. It will be easy to tell what the students like. Obviously Chase likes sports. So from this activity a tutor can find anything sports related and Chase will enjoy and want to learn. I think that is the key for us as tutors this first week. We need to identify exactly what our students are interested in so we can bring those items in and those themes in order to motivate the students learning.
This chapter was very informative about tutoring and reading levels for children. The chapter gave several ideas on how to help children read based on tutoring. I liked how the book said on page 334, "but college students are most effective." I thought this was perfect especially considering that we are going to start out tutoring this coming week.
ReplyDeleteOur school district has several volunteers come in and be a book buddy. However, the majority of the people coming in are not trained. We are lucky enough for retired teachers to still come in and volunteer their time. I think that this program will help the students.
The other part of the chapter that I found most useful starts on the bottom of page 341 and goes to 343. It gives us sequence to the tutoring session. I read and reread this section about what to do with your students. I found this to be the most beneficial and I can comprehend why doing these steps with this time frame would be very beneficial.
My question is how much does it really hinder a child if the tutor is not trained by a "reading specialist"?
Does anyone else have these extra people helping in their school district and if so have you seen an improvement on AYP?
In response to Lori A,
ReplyDeleteI also thought the sections on tutoring for ELL was very important and requires a much more detailed lesson plan along with more time planning your activities. Where I live the is vast amount of ELL students, and this chapter will greatly enhance my knowledge and understanding when it comes to tutoring children.
In response to Larissa,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! I cannot wait until I can get to know my students. I want to make reading and learning fun for them. Once I find out their interests I'm looking forward to creating lessons they will love and enjoy taking part in. As long as the students are motivated then I hopefully can give the information so their learning excels.
This chapter was very helpful because here in a few days we will be doing our tutoring and I still feel a little lost and totally confused. The outline that was in this chapter was great. It gave us a good description of what we should do in each session. It also gave us outlines on what we should if we are tutoring ELL students. I also liked that this chapter also gave us good activities to have the students do while we are doing our tutoring sessions.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I really enjoyed about this chapter was that it gave sample lesson plans. I know that we have lesson plans that we are supposed to follow, but seeing these sample lesson plans makes it easier to fill out our lesson plans for our tutoring sessions.
Jen H:
ReplyDeleteI also had that question. If an untrained individual is tutoring the children than do they really learn a whole lot? I think any practice reading is beneficial but hopefully the untrained individuals are giving them the right feedback that they need.
I was glad we skipped over to chapter 13! This chapter emphasized the importance of paraprofessionals being trained and supervised. I know in the elementary school back home that we don’t have reading specialists, instead they rely on paras. I enjoyed seeing examples of lesson plans, and log sheets. I also love the idea of reading buddies. I’ve seen this implemented in several of my internship schools and it proves to be very beneficial. Once again another great chapter!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Julie,
ReplyDeleteI was so glad we jumped ahead to this chapter too! After reading this chapter, I’m even more excited to start tutoring. As school budgets are becoming tighter, I think you are right, we will be seeing more and more paras and/or community volunteers rather than reading specialist.
I definitely feel more at ease tutoring my students after reading this chapter. I like how it tells us what we need to do/can do for each lesson. On page 341 the section on “Sequence of the lesson,” I thought was helpful in planning my time on our lesson plans. I had no idea how much time to allow on the activities, I imagine after our first couple of tutoring sessions we will have a better idea of how to plan our time. On page 348, I like the table that talks about helping your students with challenging words. I’m never quite sure if I should interrupt the student if they mispronounce or skip words. In my internship last week, the students were reading from their Social Studies book and several would either mispronounce the words or read through the paragraph without breathing. The teacher didn’t say anything after they had read the paragraph/story. I find it interesting observing our mentor teachers and then reading what they should be doing. Perhaps it’s an age level thing, because my internship is in the 6th grade and it’s not their “reading” class.
ReplyDeleteI’m not a fan of our lesson plan template. It drives me crazy to have the activities split onto another page. I like the lesson plan sample on page 347 the lesson plan sample and how they have at the bottom the reflection notes. Everything is right there for us to write our anecdotal notes and in the back of the book they even have a blank template. I love this book!
In response to Kacey F.,
ReplyDeleteI was glad we skipped over to chapter 13 too! We don't have reading buddies at the school my children attend now, but in their previous school they matched the higher grades up with the lower grades. There was positive comments on both sides. The younger students love being read and acknowledge by the older students and the older students liked that they could share some knowledge with someone.
In response to Kiley A.,
ReplyDeleteI too liked the lesson plan examples and the template at the back of the book. I really like having the reflection included as part of our lesson plan.
Right off the bat this chapter talks about how students’ skills improved after tutoring. This worked because the tutors and paraprofessionals that were with the student’s in the scenario were the same every day. I think that brings up another good point. Student’s need consistency and that is why the teachers provided the tutors with the material that went along with the regular classroom instruction. There are a variety of ways to implement tutoring. The type of tutoring I have seen the most often is the cross-age tutoring. This is when an older student tutors a younger student. I think that when the right pair of students are matched this method of tutoring is very effective. The older student can model good study skills and enjoyment for the subject being taught. I think that peer-to-peer tutoring can have the same effectiveness if done the same way. I personally think that the computer-assisted tutoring would be the least effective form of tutoring. I think that the interaction with the face- to-face is an important part of the learning process. I have seen the Reading Recovery program in a school and I think that it is a good program, when there is consistency with the regular curriculum. I was so excited to see the planning and conducting of the tutoring session in this chapter. It helps me to see how my own lesson plans are going to be laid out and take place. I bookmarked these pages so that I can easily refer back to them. I have never been a tutor before and when I did work with a student one on one I didn’t do ALL the planning, I did do most of it, but not to the extent we are doing here, and it was in math not reading.
ReplyDeletein response to Sarah C.
ReplyDeleteI was a special education para for 2 years and I agree that it is unrealistic to ask a para to only tutor a few hours a week. At the school I was at they did rely heavily on the paras to do the tutoring and small group sessions. We didn't get paid any extra for it but it was on top of our regular responsibilities. I agree that this was because of budget issues.
This was a very informational chapter to read. I appreciated the layout of the chapter and the information to kind of calm my nerves about the tutoring process. I am not nervous about my ability to provide instruction I am nervous about being able to provide instruction to meet each students reading need. I know that after assessing their strengths and weaknesses that this will be something that I will more comfortable with. I specifically enjoyed reading about the qualifications of a reading specialist. As I am approaching graduation I find myself questioning what I am going to do next. I have started to plan the semester after my graduation and am looking into the ELL endorsement. After last semester I have found myself thinking about a Masters degree in reading disabilities. This class has really strengthened that idea. This chapter provided some information that will put me on the path to finding a good masters program. In this chapter I realized how important is going to be for me to keep detailed logs on each of my students. How they are reading, decoding skills, reading strategies, etc. As a parent these are all things that I would love to see at conferences and it will also help me reflect and prepare better instruction. I have made copies of the Log sheets for strategies and the books read during tutoring. I have put one in each students portfolio to keep detailed notes. On my tri-fold board I have prepared a space where we are going to list all of the books that we read. “We are out of this world readers” and then they will list the books that they have read and we have read as a group on a star. I have also provided them with a book log that allows them to tell others about the part that was their favorite. This chapter put some of my worries to rest and I feel very confident about this week of tutoring!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Melinda S:
ReplyDeleteI too agree that this chapter calmed my nerves. I loved the tutoring logs that they provided and plan to use them with the children. I have prepared a rolling crate that is basically like my office/classroom on wheels! Having everything on hand and being extremely prepared will be the key to providing the best instruction possible. Tomorrow is my first day and I have planned a group get to know you activity that has to do with Valentines Day. I have a large heart that I am going to display. We will go around to each student and they will tell what they love and I will record it on the heart. This will help me with the interest inventory as well. Good luck this week!
In response to Julie L.....
ReplyDeleteI like you feel myself relaxing a little more after reading this chapter. i am so excited to start my tutoring and make a difference in the students reading abilities. I found the information in this chapter to be extra helpful and gave me some great ideas to use that I hadn't thought of before. I also loved the idea of the book buddies that the chapter discussed. Good luck in your tutoring.
The breakdown of Chapter 13 was tutoring with the different types and conducting tutoring sessions. The reading reflected me is that I was a tutor when I was in high school for a girl student and we worked on reading. It was a great experience and I forgot about it until I was talking to my mom about this class and tutoring, then she reminded me of this. I thought it was different was that “one on tutoring drains the school districts.” I know that some teachers stay after school and help students if needed. Where I work they have an afterschool program called “P.M. Academy” and school staff stay after school to help students but I’m not sure about the pay issue.
ReplyDeleteTara M in response to the reading that is a great idea to have as a tri-fold to post the books the students have read. Also great idea to keep log notes for each student.
ReplyDeleteWow, this chapter could not have been assigned at a better time. With tutoring quickly approaching, I found that I was extremely nervous about working with the students and making sure that they have everything that they need from me to become better readers. This chapter provided so much information that relaxed me and I am so excited to get into the school and work with the students. One of the topics that the chapter discussed was Reading Recovery and Title 1, these are used in the school that I am doing my internships at. My daughter when she was in grade school was helped greatly by the tutoring and help that she received during the reading recovery and title 1 time that she received each day. The one thing that really concerns me in the chapter was the section regarding the paraprofessionals. While reading the section, I learned that the training that they have to go through. While I have been in the classroom, either as an intern or as a substitute, I have seen several of the paraprofessionals in the classroom. I have seen both bad paraprofessionals and good. There are those that are caring and want to help the students and then there are the ones that just really don't seem to care at all.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 was the perfect chapter to read right before I start tutoring this week. I had heard of some of the terms that were mentioned in the chapter, such as paraprofessional, certified teacher, book buddies, and a few others. But, it was nice to have a review of those terms and see in detail how each term was defined. The chapter discussed the differences between a literacy coach, a reading intervention teacher and a reading supervisor/coordinator. I had heard of those terms prior to this reading, but they were titled differently. I think I will act almost like a paraprofessional during these tutoring sessions. I am very familiar with the roles of a paraprofessional because the school that I attended was a big believer in hiring a paraprofessional. I liked how the book broke it down into sessions because it kind of gave me an idea of what to expect after so many tutoring sessions. One question that I had was, can you intervene too much? You don’t want to jump to conclusions too quickly, but you also don’t want to look past it too long. That is one thing I am a little uneasy about because I am the type that would intervene too much because I want my students to understand and do well. I really enjoyed all the Figures that were provided because it is nice to see what the text is referring to. This was a great review and prep for tutoring!
ReplyDeleteThis chapter gave a lot of information about tutoring. Tutoring is one-on-one instruction. I really found the five conditions that exist is when tutoring is the most effective. It was really interesting to read that they think college students are the most effective, but I kind of see why because they are going to school as well and are learning good ways to work with children who need the tutoring, especially education college students. There are six types of tutors: reading specialists/literacy coaches, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, crossage, peer-to-peer and computer-assisted.
ReplyDeleteI really like how the textbook explained each type of tutor in detail including their qualifications. It was all very informative. The section about successful tutoring programs was very informative and helpful to me. It was good to see figure 13.6 about sample objectives. We need to administer an interest survey to each student we tutor to get to know them better and find out interesting facts about each of them. I really liked the example on page 344. The other strategy examples throughout the rest of the chapter were very helpful to look at to get ideas to keep track of information for each student we are tutoring. The goal of tutoring is to help struggling readers and writers to become literate. We need to remember to make each tutoring session very interesting and worthwhile for the students, which has spent a full day in school and is ready to go home everyday right after school.
In response to Margaret:
ReplyDeleteI agree, this chapter came at the perfect time! I think everyone is probably a little nervous to start the tutoring program, but once we get started it the nerves will be put aside. I think it is the initial thought that makes everyone nervous. When you talked about paraprofessionals, I have had the same experience that you have had. It is sad to see the ones who do not really care about the student and just give them the answer. But, it is also neat to see the paraprofessionals who have developed a great relationship with their student. Paraprofessionals play a big role in a child’s education.
In response to Shelby H–
ReplyDeleteI use to be a paraprofessional at the junior high here in town. I also did it at a preschool, but the jobs were completely different. I enjoyed it more at the preschool. I agree this chapter gave tons of insight on our tutoring process and experience.
Tutoring is a very important tool to help children meet their individual needs. The book instructed us on how to really connect with the students and ways to instruct the student. The book explained how you need to find ways to help the child relate to the tutor. A good way to do this would be to find a hobby or topic they both like. The chapter touched on Para's and Title 1, I think that both area very needed areas in the school day however I think that the type of instruction for each should be more specific to a grade so that when a student is struggling in a specific grade the tutor is prepared and ready to handle that developmental level.
ReplyDeleteTo Margaret W.
ReplyDeleteI read your post about paras in the classroom and I agree their are some that are great and are very helpful and then their are some who are abrasive and loud and in a way rude. I was a para for a few years and made an observation in the school I was in (I am not saying all schools and Paras are like this) the good paras had some type of training and had a heart for children and the ones who were not good with the children were the ones who just needed a pay check. I think that Paras need some type of formal education so that they can more or less co-teach and also be ready to work with a student one on one. I got the opportunity to act more as a co teacher and I loved it, I truly enjoy pre-school children!
Reading this chapter could not have come at a better time for me. As we are approaching our first session of tutoring, I have become a lot more nervous with this task. But after reading this chapter it has calmed me down and has made me become more aware of what I can do and should be looking towards doing. I found this chapter to be very informative as the previous chapters we have read. The lesson plan formats are awesome and I only wish that we could adopt something like that for ours. I have found that our lesson plan formats are too broken up for me and cause some confusion when reading the plan. I have spent numerous hours as a teacher developing a lesson plan that works for me personally and these in the book are so similar and I know would be for me a lot more beneficial. I have mentioned before that I love anecdotal note taking and I liked that the lesson plans had that space for it. After reading this chapter, I am sure that I will enjoy tutoring my kindergarten students. I have spent a lot of time in preparation for my tutoring sessions, which I am sure that I have over planned for! I took the section Planning and Conducting the Tutoring Session to heart. I am pretty sure that I have reread that section several times. I like to know what I am doing, I can do things on the fly but it is so nice to be prepared! Reflecting on the lesson is something that I feel like I might not have done in the pass and I realize how important it is to reflect on the lesson.
ReplyDeleteChristine,
I can’t agree with you more on the lesson plans. I am not a fan of our lesson plans either. I think that they may work for some but not for all. It is the same way with our reading strategies, not all our strategies will work for all the students and we as teachers have to make that commitment to find the strategy that works for that individual student. Oh, how I wish that we could design our own lesson plan template! Good luck this week in your tutoring sessions!
Brooke
Chapter 13 was much needed because it was all about tutoring! I have never fully understood the benefits of tutoring but after reading the text, I realize how important and beneficial tutoring can be! I really like how my children’s elementary school uses the older students to be book buddies for the younger students. My 4th grade son loves that he is now a book buddy to a younger student. The chapter also did a great job at breaking down each tutoring session so that we have a better idea of what to expect. I also appreciated the lesson plans given. It was great to be able to look at them. Overall, Chapter 13 gave a lot of great information about tutoring. I will have to say that Professor Stoppel does a much better job at explaining tutoring in detail. I am thankful for the live Adobe Connect sessions! I would be lost without being able to listen to the class!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lauren S.:
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with your post! I think that it is so important to connect with the students! Tutoring has a bad reputation. Kids do not want to go to tutoring. If we can make it fun and exciting then we could have such a big impact in that student's education. Thanks for sharing your post!
This chapter was wonderful especially since we begin tutoring on Tuesday! The chapter addressed different types of tutors which include reading specialists, certified teachers, paraprofessionals, cross-age tutors, peer-to-peer tutoring, and computer-assisted tutoring. It was interesting to read about the specific role and tools that each of the types of tutors use to be effective. I enjoyed reading about the Reading Recovery program and the session structure on page 340 as well. The planning and conducting the tutoring session section of the chapter really applied to my current progress in this course! I am in between writing lesson plans, objectives, planning activities, and gathering appropriate materials. All of these areas were addressed in this chapter which made me feel at ease a bit in the fact that I am right on track to begin my tutoring sessions. The most vital area of this chapter for me was the tutoring sessions for English Learners section. I have 3 English learners in my tutoring group so it is great to get an idea of how tutoring sessions should be run. The ideas of showing the ELL student pictures in Session one, were ideas that I thought would be great to implement in my own lesson for students in the adaptations area of my lesson plans. The interest activity on page 344 was another great resource as well! I think that the ideas and tools in this chapter were great in preparing me for what I may encounter on my first tutoring session on Tuesday. Although, I am still nervous and stressed about being all on my own with students, I feel that with these text books and the help of Mrs. Stoppel , I will be just fine and eventually get into the groove of things. Does anyone else have any questions or tips to help with the first few days of tutoring?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Trisha W- I agree with you in that I never fully realized the endless benefits tutoring sessions can have for students until reading this chapter. I have seen many schools that implement the buddy system with having an older student work with a younger student and it really seems to work well and it provides a “family” environment among the students. I also agree that Mrs. Stoppel does a much better job of what we will need to do during each step of our tutoring session but it was interesting to see what the text had to add about tutoring. I still feel overwhelmed about beginning tutoring sessions on Tuesday, but I am sure with the help of Mrs. Stoppel and classmates I will get right on track. Good luck with your tutoring!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Sara Childs- I thought the dog reading buddy was a great idea! I have never heard of anybody doing that before but what a great way to get a child to relax and just read! The school I was at also had Kindergarten buddies which was new to me. I found it to be a great way for all students to interact and learn from one another. My daughter was in Kindergarten this last school year and she grew very attached to her Kindergarten buddy. She even cried when she read the letter her buddy gave her on the last day! It is nice to read information that you can use and put to use immediately. I think that's why I liked the Wong text so much about the First Days of School. I understand theories are important but we need to know more than theories as we go into teaching.
ReplyDelete