Training

for New Adult Basic Literacy Volunteers

Here you will find materials needed to complete the self-study portion of the training required for Basic Literacy tutors. Volunteers who are accepted for training are required to complete their study of this background information prior to attending the first group training session.

If you are interested in volunteering as a Tutor, please attend an Orientation session if you have not already done so. In Bellevue, these are scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month from 1 - 2:30 pm or 7-8:30 p.m. At our Bothell site, Orientation is held on the first Wednesday of the month from 1 - 2:30 pm only. In the Snoqualmie Valley, you may call for an appointment.

1 - Welcome to Hopelink's Adult Basic Literacy Volunteer Program

Please follow the links below for a brief orientation to Hopelink's one-to-one tutoring program.

To gain a better understanding of the role of volunteers and how staff supports both students and tutors, explore the Program Process .
Click here to familiarize yourself with the training agenda . This page will give you information about what you will be learning in our classroom sessions.
Gain some insight into what tutoring is like. A few of our veteran tutors discuss their tutoring experiences.
Staff members at our Bellevue, Sno-Valley, and Shoreline Learning Centers are here to help if you have any questions or concerns. Please don't hesitate to contact us .

2 - Investigate how adults learn

Visit the web site for Verizon Literacy Campus. Complete the "How Adults Learn Best" section of the Working with Adult Literacy Learners course. You will need to register to begin this free course, which is self-paced and takes 30-45 minutes to complete. If you have difficulty enrolling in the course, please refer to the "Enrollment Instructions" for assistance
Explore how learning something as an adult differs from learning something as a child. Compare these learning characteristics.

3 - Discover your learning style and your special strengths

Discover your Learning Style and learn why it is important to understand how you learn as you prepare to teach.
Read the introductory sections of the Multiple Intelligences web site, then complete the online Assessment.
Then, if you wish to explore this topic further, go to the Practice section to learn how to adapt your teaching for each of the intelligences.
Be prepared to discuss how to use this information with your learners.

4 - Standards and Goals

Although every student in Hopelink's Basic Literacy Program sets their own individualized goals, the common goal among them all is to increase their literacy. To help determine what level students are when they enter the program and to monitor their progress, we adhere to standards for adult education on both state and national levels. Click on the links below to find out more.

The Equipped for the Future (EFF) is the National standards-based educational improvement initiative for adult basic education and English language learning. Explore the EFF Teaching/Learning Cycle web site. Move your mouse over the numbers to see the steps of the cycle. Which step do you think is most important? Why?
The state of Washington has developed a series of Adult Learning Standards to help articulate the common aims of volunteer literacy programs, institutes of higher education and other organizations. Read more about the Washington State Adult Learning Standards.

5 - Learn about special needs

Visit these two on-line training sites and explore at least one of them in detail:

6 - Meet some of our learners:

New volunteers often ask staff members, "What is a typical student like?" However, one of the most interesting things about working at Hopelink Literacy is the incredible variety of students in our program. Click on the student profiles for a sample of some of our previous learners to get an idea of the scope and spectrum of our students.

7 - Determine your training needs and expectations.

Assume you have been matched with one of the students you read about in the section above. Consider how you might use what you have learned in this self-study.
After considering this, what areas do you feel you will need to work on in order to work with a student? What do you hope to gain from training? We would like to ensure that we address any specfic questions you have in our upcoming classroom sessions, so please take a few moments to formulate any questions or responses you have at this point.

8 - Your assignment!

Now that you have competed steps 1- 7 of the online portion of training, please send in or bring to the first session the following information:
The certificate of completion from the Verizon Literacy Campus "How Adults Learn" course.
Your learning style (Are you auditory, visual, kinesthetic or a combination?).
At least one question or concern you have regarding your upcoming role as a tutor.

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