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Photo supplied by Seattle Reads Tutoring Compact |
How can a program ensure that its tutor training accurately represents the goals and philosophy of the partnership? It is essential that a sound tutoring program include a training of trainers conducted by a qualified professional or master trainer who is familiar with the operational and instructional norms of the partnership, as well as the principles of adult education. A training of trainers includes a comprehensive overview of both the training methodology and instructional content used in the tutor-training program.
Master trainers, or those who train tutor trainers, are most often program staff members with leadership experience. A master trainer provides tutor trainers with the resources and expertise they need to carry out an effective tutor-training program. The design and duration of the training of trainers depends on the expertise and experience of the participants. For experienced tutor trainers, a one-day planning meeting may be sufficient; for teams working together for the first time, or which may be introducing a new tutoring model, more time is needed.
In Utah's I CAN READ program, a master trainer provides eight hours of training to teachers who serve as site-based tutor trainers. The master trainer is a Title I teacher trained in Reading Recovery, an early intervention method developed in New Zealand that is designed to prevent reading failure. Follow-up meetings reinforce the initial eight-hour training, and tutor trainers are invited to stay in touch with the master trainer by phone as they continue their work with tutors. The program director reports that the program has been very successful in adapting its tutoring services to each site's unique needs because it has onsite tutor trainers and coordinators to provide ongoing training and logistical support to tutors.
School district staff may also serve as master trainers. With its America Reads subcontract, YouthFriends in Kansas City, Missouri, incorporates reading tutors into its existing volunteer program in the city's school districts. In training-of-trainers sessions, YouthFriends coordinators and school personnel are trained in the Reading Pals tutoring model developed in collaboration with the University of Kansas.
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