Welcome to the SASS Tutoring Orientation:

Fall 2015

An opening thought…• Few will have the greatness to bend

history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events…Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Robert Kennedy

A presentation in five parts

• SASS Overview

• About the SASS Tutoring Program

• Academic Tutoring

•Mentoring

• Conclusion

Thanks yous and introductions!

• SASS Board members

• The tutors! Please introduce yourself. Tell us…• If you’re a new tutor, how you got

involved. • If you’ve been tutoring, tell us a bit

about your experiences.

Part 1: SASS Overview

• The SASS mission statement• Sequoia Adult School Scholars

provides financial support, tutoring and other assistance to Sequoia District Adult School ESL and GED students—the vast majority of whom have minimum wage jobs—so they can enroll in community college to continue their education and expand their career options.

Part 1: SASS Overview

• We started in 2010 with 3 students; this semester we’re supporting 179 students in community college, primarily Cañada College.

• We are one-of-a-kind.

• Our budget is about $100,000. About 66 percent comes from individuals, the rest from foundations. civic organizations, and corporations.

SASS milestones:May 2015: First two SASS recipients earn AA degrees

SASS milestones:May 2015: Six SASS recipients earn certificates

Who are SASS recipients?

•Majority are from Mexico; about 95 percent are from Latin America

• Age range: 17 to 65

• About 2/3 have graduated from high school, a few have some college

How do students learn about SASS?

ESL classes at Sequoia

Adult School

A Cañada ESL class taught at Sequoia

Adult School

Cañada ESL classes at Cañada College

What SASS provides

• Books. bus passes, parking passes

• Advising (Paid for by a grant to Sequoia Adult School from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation)

• Tutoring/mentoring

• Tablets (to a select group of students)

For SASS recipients, college is almost free!

• Tuition: Paid for through a State of California program for low-income students

•Books and transportation: Paid for by SASS

Why are SASS recipients going to college?

• Complete Cañada College ESL sequence

• Earn a certificate (Early childhood education, medical assisting, bookkeeping)

• Earn an AA degree and transfer to a four year college

What SASS recipients study

• The vast majority of SASS recipients take ESL classes.

•While students take ESL classes, they also can take • Computer applications classes• Career exploration classes• Fitness/Salsa/Soccer, etc.

Barriers students face• Poverty

• Multiple jobs, variable schedules

• Poor education in their native country

• Lack of understanding of the US education system

• Lack of resources (e.g. computers)

How immigration reform affects students

• Federal laws• Deferred Action•New Executive Order

• California laws: Drivers licenses for undocumented residents starting January 1, 2015!

Questions? Comments?

Part 2: The SASS Tutoring Program

Why a tutoring program?

• Capable students

BUT

• Poor grades

• Limited knowledge of the American education system

We’re growing

•We had two tutors in spring, 2014

• This fall, we have 24 tutors: • 6 new• 18 returning

• And we need more!

Who are SASS tutors?• Most are retired professionals.

• Other tutors…• Working professionals (e.g. attorney

at Apple Computer, software engineer)• Stanford undergrads• Recent college grads

• We need more tutors, so tell your friends!

Subject matter of tutoring sessions

•Most tutors focus on ESL coursework.

•We also have tutors helping students with computer applications and calculus.

How are students referred?

• Progress reports completed by students’ professors

• Failed classes

• Self-referral

Your role

• Academic tutor

•Mentor/advocate

Tutor expectations• Meet once a week at a location you and your

student agree to.

• Minimum one hour, can be more.

• If you need to miss more than a week, try to find a sub or contact me and I’ll try to find one for you.

• Complete a short form at the beginning and end of the semester about your experience as a tutor.

Timeline

• Students and tutors are matched on an ongoing basis

You should expect your student to

• Arrive on time

• Arrive with assignments complete or at least started

• Inform you in advance if they can’t attend

As a tutor, don’t accept anything less!

Student limitations that may affect tutoring’s efficacy

• Changes in student’s schedule.

• Student not adequately prepared for current class.

• Life gets in the way…

Tutor limitations that may affect tutoring’s efficacy

• Travel plans that require you to miss tutoring sessions • Call for substitutes!

• Challenges presenting the material in a way that makes sense to the student.

Measuring success

• Attending college even for one semester is a “success”.

•Not all students will complete the ESL sequence, much less get a vocational certificate.

• As a tutor, you’re having an impact nonetheless.

Takeaway #1

• You could transform a life.

• Students speaking about their tutors at Back to School session• My tutor made me more confident

to speak. • My tutor always calls me to see

when we can meet. • My tutor makes things clear for

me.

Takeaway #2

• There may be bumps along the way.

Questions? Comments?

Photo!

Part 3: Being an academic tutor

Focus of tutoring sessions

• Review past assignments

•Work on upcoming assignments

•Other (conversation, completing job applications, recreational reading, etc.)

The Cañada College ESL sequence

ESL course content

• Reading, Listening, and Speaking classes • Reading comprehension• Presentations

•Grammar and writing classes• Grammar exercises• Essays

First, allaying your fears…

• You don’t need to be a grammar expert to tutor ESL

• Example of an ESL 922 grammar assignment

Resources for tutors

• The SASS Web site: SASSFoundation.net/tutors• Recommended grammar books• On-line grammar resources• Links to Cañada’s ESL text book series

Resources for tutors (cont.)

• The SASS Web site: SASSFoundation.net/tutors• News sites for ESL students• Recommended fiction for intermediate ESL students

Resources for tutors (cont.)

•Grammar Summary Cards

• The Internet!

Tutoring tips (in no particular order)

•Don’t be afraid to correct students’ pronunciation.

• Check for understanding again and again. Students often say they understand when they don’t.

Tutoring tips (in no particular order, cont.)

•When teaching vocabulary, ask your student to use the new word in a sentence.

•Use Spanish when it elucidates; avoid it other times.

Tutoring tips (in no particular order, cont.)

• Encourage your student to use the Internet as a resource: • If you have a laptop, bring it to your session.• If you student has a laptop,

encourage her to bring it to the session.

Helping students become better editors

• Ask your student to read their essay to you.

• Read the essay out loud to your student.

• Ask your student to read backwards to check for spelling errors.

Helping students become better editors (cont.)

• Show a student an incorrect sentence and ask him to find the error.

•Give hints as opposed to providing outright corrections.

Helping students become better editors (cont.)

• Resist the urge to correct all errors; make editing a collaborative process.

•Group errors by type (e.g. subject/verb agreement errors, verb tense errors, etc.).

Helping students become better readers

• Check out the handouts on the SASS Tutoring Web page

A word about grades

• If a student receives a D or F in an ESL class, he/she is required to repeat the class.

• A student can receive a SASS scholarship even if they fail a class and need to repeat it.

Takeaway for today….

•Do your best with what you have.

Questions? Comments from tutors?

Part 4: Your role as mentor and advocate

Help your student advocate for herselfThat means encouraging your student to

• ask questions in class.

• ask questions after class.

• visit professors during office hours.

• ask professors for feedback on their performance.

Encourage your student to communicate effectively

Use your tutoring sessions as a reason to communicate via

• emails

• texts

• phone calls

Encourage your student to take advantage of available resources:

•Melissa, our Transition Advisor

• Cañada counselors

• Cañada Learning Center

Enourage your student to take advantage of available resources (cont):

• Cañada Fitness Center/PE classes

• Cañada Health Center

• Lowcost Internet ($10 a month if a parent; see SASS Web site)

Encourage your student to read!

• Both Redwood City and Menlo Park have excellent libraries.

• All you need to get a library card is proof of your address (e.g. a bill).

•Help your student get a library card and choose books.

Don’t be afraid to ask leading questions:

•Why are you going to college?

•What do you want to be doing in five years?

•What is your dream job?

Conclusion

• Please communicate with me, both successes and questions.

• Please keep a rough count of how many hours you tutor per semester.

• Please answer SASS surveys promptly.

• Please like Sequoia Adult School Scholars on Facebook and visit our page.

Questions? Comments from tutors?

We need your help!

• A SASS donor agreed to purchase Microsoft Surface Tablets for 10 SASS recipients.

• 39 students applied.

•We’re asking Microsoft to match any additional contributions that are made toward the purchase of more tablets.

We need your help!

•Here’s how recipients describe how they get their homework done without a computer

“I go to the Public Library with my 3 sons for homework. But is a little difficult for my concentration”.

We need your help!

• Another response…I don't have a computer, I use my roomate’s computer Sometimes, but most of the time I run to Cañada College after work to complete homework, I had a laptop but I lost my job and I had to sell many stuff and one of those things was my laptop.

We need your help!

• If you can donate to this program, or know anyone who can, please take an envelope.

• All donations received by Sept. 10 will go towards Microsoft Surface Tablets.

Thank you for your time for helping our students!