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Tips for Tutors
Sandy Gilmore
says I took my student to Meijer so she could practice asking questions to real people speaking quickly and in slang. We stopped at the bank, starbucks, deli, etc. We also practiced her fruit and veggie vocabulary
Lisa Powers
describes At the library choose a book about your students country of origin (i.e. Korea Brazil) written at their skill level. I chose a book from the childrens section. The student can read the book to the tutor. In my experience the student is excited to read about their country and then share stories, thus initiating lots of conversation.
This was fun and I learn a lot about her country. I also photocopied a map of her country and she painted out locations as we read the book.
Karen Lipson
recommends the web site puzzlemaker.com. Check it out! (Hint:
Puzzle Maker is linked to the Council's web site under tutor links.)
Arlene Sears says
Golden Book's First Dictionary and Thesaurus
are wonderful for using context clues to help sound out new words.
Nadine Harvey suggests
Every Living Thing, a book by Cynthia Riley,
and its accompanying audio tape.
Anne Williams stresses listening to your
student's goals and gearing lessons around them.
Barbara VanSyckel says that if you are
looking for idioms, you can find them on the Internet at ESL Cafe. Hint:
ESL Cafe is linked to the Council's web site under tutor links.
Dick Minch asks his student to be a
detective: read an article, then write down who, what, why, where and how;
underline unknown words for discussion.
Bralynn Newby says for help with prepositions
she omits them from a page of text so her student can fill them in.
Gaby Davis keeps things organized by writing
a brief description of what was covered at tutoring sessions in a small
notebook. Gaby says 3x5 cards would work well too. (Note:
we think this would be a swell way to keep track of the number of hours
you tutor.)
Lionel Robbins uses "written conversation"
with his basic student - they write notes back and forth. His student also
checks out books with accompanying audiotapes from the library.
To reinforce lessons, Doris Lomas makes up
crossword puzzles using new words her learner has encountered, uses word
cards as spontaneous sentence makers, and asks her learner to write a
story using five assigned words.
Linda Loisal says a small white board (8 1/2"
x 11") is easy to write on when practicing word
endings.
Several days after his weekly tutoring session,
Frank Wilson uses e-mail to encourage the student, offer
suggestions, give two or three idioms and give an example of sentence and
paragraph structure.
Bob Bechler found help for his ESL learner in
a library reference book called Better Grammar in 30
Days. Bob also has his student view TV programs and then write
summaries emphasizing the main points. He finds this helps to improve the
student's oral receptivity as well as her written expression.
Pat Peck always centers lesson plans on what
her ESL learners need. For example, medical conversation for seeing the
doctor or reviewing want ads when looking for a job.
Ben Snyder plays opposites games with his
learner. First he says a word, then the student says the opposite word and
writes down both words.
Gordon Wheaton clips newspaper articles about
his learner's homeland to read and discuss with his student.
Phyllis Allshouse recommends the movie
Stanley and Iris starring Jane Fonda and
Robert DeNiro. DeNiro plays an adult learner who is tutored by Fonda.
Phyllis says it's a great movie for all volunteers to see. The video tape
is available in the free section at the Troy Library.
How To Encourage ESL Learners To Speak English
By C. F. Weiss
Many ESL students have trouble using their newly acquired language. Using
"directed dialogues" can help ease their fears.
First pick a situation, e.g., making an appointment, talking with a
teacher, ordering an item by phone, etc. Write out what each speaker will
most likely say. Read the dialogue to the student several times. Discuss
any unfamiliar words. Have the student copy the dialogue. Then take turns
being each speaker. Practice and review. Encourage student to put these
dialogues to use.
Once the student is comfortable and fluent you can expand the dialogue by
making it longer and more complicated.
Collect these dialogues and review and practice them occasionally.
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