If you are interested in reviewing any of the concepts we covered in the ABE Tutor Training, please take a look at the following presentation.

A few key ideas to keep in mind when working with adult learners:

• Respect your student. Be non-judgmental, accepting their personal integrity without trying to manage or change their frame of reference to suit your own value system. Try for an equal status, non-patronizing relationship.

• Maintain confidentiality. Be professional. Information gained about your student’s challenges, problems, test scores, grades, etc., is strictly confidential.

• Be sensitive to student’s individual needs. Your student might be embarrassed to ask for help. Offering help in a patronizing or condescending way can easily compound the feelings of inadequacy you are working to help him or her overcome.

• Be positive. Your student may have had little success in school and needs a rewarding experience as an adult learner. Focus on what the student is doing right. Help them recognize their strong points. Be honest, direct, and tactful. Sincere praise and success are the best motivators.

• Encourage independence. Encourage your student to study on their own and complete assigned homework. Be certain they understand how to complete the homework. In the beginning, complete a small portion with them before tutoring session ends. Be sure your student understands how you arrived at an answer and check for retention and understanding of that concept later on in the next session.

• Ask questions. Rather than simply feed your student answers, probe or prompt your student to remain in an active role in the tutoring process. Engage them in a joint exploration of problems and concerns. Verbalization builds self-confidence and enhances learning. Take a look at this ProLiteracy video for ideas: https://youtu.be/9XH6enGVoeI

• Be flexible. Remember that the style and content of the material to be learned should be adjusted to the individual being tutored. Be resourceful and use initiative in devising or trying new methods and approaches to learning the subject at hand.

• Help student to focus on “learning how to learn.” Try to get them to concentrate on developing mental processes and learning strategies rather than on getting the “correct answers” and using rote memorization. Help your student to master techniques that will help them to become efficient learners. We want our students to become life-long learners.

• Be a good listener. Be aware of both verbal and non-verbal clues. Listen carefully to all of the messages about their feelings, the progress being made, concerns with the subject matter and course requirements.

• Have confidence in yourself, but don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance. Don’t hesitate to say that you do not know an answer. Be willing to research the matter and get back to your student at the next session. Your student will enjoy finding out that you are human too.

Complete an online self-paced class to learn about tutoring

New tutors and experienced tutors can take classes through ProLiteracy Education Network. Create a free account as a non-member. You can then look through classes and chose what interests you. Following are only a few examples:

• A Way With Words: Strategies for Strengthening Adult Learners’ Vocabularies – Online Course

• How to Teach Students to Read and Spell Sight Words

• Changing the Way We Teach Math

• Phonemic Awareness Instruction for Adult Literacy Learners – Online Course