Sat, 10/11/2014 - 8:30am - 12:00pm
2014 Fall Tutoring Kickoff
Join over 100 other tutors and teachers to share experiences and pick up new ideas for tutoring .
This free mini-conference will feature a variety of 50-minute sessions designed to give you practical ideas and activities. The will be sessions appropriate for 1-1 tutors, classroom assistants, and small group leaders.
(Please note that this event is intended for tutors who are working with ADULT students.)
8:30 - 9:00 Registration, Bagels and mingle
9:00 - 9:50 Concurrent sessions
10:00 - 10:50 Concurrent sessions
11:00 - 11:50 Concurrent sessions
11:50 - 12:00 Evaluation and Wrap Up
Fall Tutoring Kickoff Sessions (subject to change):
9:00 – 9:50 a.m.
Leave Nothing on the Table: Teaching with Grammar Charts – Burgen Young
Many textbooks present grammar in a chart at the top of a workbook page. The intention is for students to read the chart to learn the grammar and then practice the grammar in an exercise or two. Unfortunately, students often struggle to understand the information in the chart and are unable to do the practice exercise as intended. In this workshop we’ll use a four step process to thoroughly present new grammar so students are better prepared for grammar practice exercises. These steps are suitable for use in one-to-one tutoring or with a whole class.
Techniques for Teaching Low-Literacy Adults– Meghan Boyle
This session will be a refresher on techniques to keep in mind while working with adult ESL students who are just beginning to read. Participate in practical ways tutors can put the techniques in action and discuss how these techniques demonstrate important principles for working with beginning students.
Back Pocket Activities for Building Academic Language– Jen Ouellette
More and more, ABE learners need to learn academic language skills in English to prepare for goals like passing the GED or succeeding in community college. Academic language, though, can be complex to learn, and can take a long time. Come to this session for an overview of what makes reading academic texts difficult, and walk away practiced in some low-prep activities for breaking down academic texts with learners. This session will be most applicable for volunteers working with High Intermediate learners or above.
Videos, Tutorials, and Print-ables for Teaching Digital Literacy– Susan Wetenkamp-Brandt
So you want to help your adult learners gain digital literacy skills. That’s great! Now what? Where do you begin? What materials are available for you and your learners to use? In this session we’ll explore a variety of digital literacy instructional videos, online tutorials, and printable materials that are made for adult learners. We’ll also discuss a few tips for using these kinds of materials effectively in the classroom.
Charting a Course to Visual Literacy– Patrick Smith
Interpreting and using charts and graphs are essential visual literacy skills for the new GED test, college, and beyond. In this session we’ll explore ways to integrate charts and graphs into your classroom activities to build students’ comfort level with these vital tools. Recommended for GED and college readiness teachers and tutors, as well as ESL teachers who want to help their students build transition skills.
10:00 – 10:50 a.m.
Stress-full Activities for Pronunciation Practice – Burgen Young
Accurate word and sentence stress are vital when pronouncing English. Come try some creative activities that give students practice with both word and sentence stress. Many of the activities can be used in one-to-one tutoring or with a whole class.
Get Up Offa That Thing! - Barb Murphy
Learning is movement; learning is fun! See how you can help your students stay alert and promote learning through gross motor activities.
That’s Not the End of the Story: Activities for Retelling and Summarizing - Rob Podlasek
Retelling and summarizing are two key reading comprehension skills. Come learn (and try) a few fun ideas for teaching and practicing each of these two important competencies. Activities will be adaptable to all levels of reading students.
Collective Wisdom – Allison Runchey
What's your greatest challenge? And more importantly, what's been your biggest success? Do you have an idea to share with other volunteers, or with the literacy council? Listen to the experiences of other volunteers who tutor or teach adults – and share your own! You'll leave with inspiring stories and ideas to take back to the classroom.
Building the House: GED Constructed Response Coaching - Erin Cary
Extensive writing can be overwhelming even to professionals, let alone less initiated writers!
Volunteers preparing students for the 2014 GED may know that test-takers are now expected to construct written responses for the Social Studies, Reasoning through Language Arts and Science tests. GED hopefuls will be asked to analyze prompts, make written claims and back them up with evidence to form an argument.
But seriously, how can we prepare students to create organized, logically sound, evidence-based written responses in a timely manner? In this session, we'll look at ways to coach students on bringing structure to their writing and aligning their content to the task at hand by visualizing the handy (and home-y!) metaphor of building a house. Activities can be simplified and/or adapted for lower-literacy learners.
11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
Adayg Badanaa! (It’s Hard!) The Challenges of English for Somali Speakers - Ebyan Abdulle and Ellie Purdy
In this session, you’ll put yourself in your learners’ shoes by learning some Somali vocab, learn about a few key linguistic differences between Somali and English, and talk about cultural differences that you may observe in your classes.
Are There Any Questions?– Rob Podlasek
Questioning is a vital component of comprehension. This session will explore ways of getting students to ask and answer questions before, during and after reading. Activities for students working on listening comprehension will always be discussed.
Quick Strategies to Check for Understanding - Susan Marshall and Leah Hauge
How do you know if your students are learning what you want them to learn? Come and learn quick strategies that you can incorporate again and again in your lesson plans to check for comprehension.
Let the Learner Hold the Mouse, and Other Tips from the Digital Literacy Lab - Susan Wetenkamp-Brandt
Assisting adult learners as they begin using computers – often for the first time – can be a real challenge. How do you help learners accomplish computer tasks without just doing everything for them? How do you convey computer concepts in plain English? In this session we’ll discuss some tips for working with adults on computers, and strategies you can teach to learners to help them be more self-sufficient.
Grab Bag of High-Impact, Last-Minute Activities - Debbie Cushman, Lloyd Brown
Have you ever needed to substitute teach at the last minute in a classroom you’re not familiar with? This session will look at time-tested no- and low-prep ideas for meaningful lessons at different levels. Feel free to also bring your own ideas and experience to share with the group!
2700 E. Lake St.
Suite 2500 (2nd floor)
Minneapolis, MN 55406
POINT(-93.2327586 44.9485719)