Literacy
New York Trainer Corp
Resources
What
Are The Learning Rhythms of Your Student?
Learning rhythms
will emerge during the tutoring sessions. Does a student go strong for
15 minutes and then feel restless, or does s/he have a hard time settling
down? After a few sessions, this knowledge can help structure your work
time. A warm-up conversation about a news event, a work or family issue,
or a recent movie usually creates a good beginning, especially if you
convey personal interest. Good language skills are modeled when you
ask questions, listen carefully, and give clear responses, creating
an easy but meaningful give and take.
If your student's
attention flags mid-way in the session, take a break and work on something
fun that relates to language. Some possibilities are: creating a dictionary
of local slang, playing word games for ten minutes, or exchanging stories
about something that happened to you during the week. Each of you might
write a short poem or reflection on the same subject to read aloud,
reinforcing the connection between reading and writing. Or play "story
starters," where one person writes a sentence and the other adds
to it, passing it back and forth to create a story.
Sleepy? Wake up
with a short walk outdoors or around the building, where you can build
a conversation around a topic that your student chooses. Asking about
favorites often unleashes opinions (favorite movies, foods, or types
of music). Following up with open-ended questions, such as "What
do you like (or think) about. . ." spurs students to use their
language skills to support their opinions.
