Initial Tutor Training for new volunteers:

Kerry Education and Training Board runs Initial Tutor Training for all volunteer tutors. Volunteer tutors are people who have been selected following an interview. Our Initial Tutor Training covers everything you need to know before starting to work with a learner. Topics include:

An introduction to adult literacy and its causes and effects
How to plan lessons
Assessment and listening skills
The reading process and how to teach reading skills
The writing process and how to teach writing skills
Numeracy skills
How to develop teaching and learning materials
Teaching and learning using a computer
Spelling

The Powerpoint presentations relating to the Initial Tutor training course are available on this page, scroll down for details.

In Service Training for volunteers and group tutors:

We offer regular in service training courses, to extend your skills and keep them up to date. If you have any questions about in-service training, or would like to request training on any topic around tutoring, contact Tutor Support directly; the details can be found here.

CID Tutor Event 2016

The CID Tutor event was held on Friday 9th September 2016.

Below you can find links to resources that were made available on the day.

Numeracy Energiser by Elaine Clifford

(1MB) NALA Numeracy workshop – Clare Hatcher

(11MB) Tutors’ Toolbox Suzanne Smith

Dyslexia Workshop

Dyslexia In-Service Training

Amy Smth from the Dyslexia Association delivering In-Sercvice Training to Kerry Adult Basic Education Tutors We were delighted recently to welcome Amy Smyth from the Dyslexia Association to deliver in-service training toAdult Basic Education tutors. Amy talked about:

how dyslexia affects people
how to identify dyslexia
where to access assessment
accessing suitable resources and materials as well as some tips on teaching and learning strategies.

We hope to welcome Amy back in the autumn to demonstrate apps that are useful for teaching and learning with dyslexia.

You can download a copy of her presentation here.

The Decoding phoneme alphabet that was made available can be downloaded also.

Another excellent resource that you may find useful is the web site www.beatingdyslexia.com

QQI Level 2 inservice training

Aoife Comiskey Clifford, Kerry ETB’s expert on all matters QQI, recently delivered an in-service training session to ABE tutors. It focussed on Level 2, exploring the purpose of awards at this level and how they can be delivered creatively. If you would like to see the slides from this presentation, click on the link below.

QQI Level 2 In-Service

NALA tutor training videos

Whenever NALA host a training day, conference or seminar, they video some of the key points for those of us who cannot attend. Click here to see a selection of these videos, on topics including:

Ideas for blended learning
Team teaching and integrated courses
Family learning models
Tips for numeracy teachers on teaching algebra, fractions, problem solving and more

Evaluation Resources

Evaluation Time!

When you come to the end of a term, it is vital to evaluate your work with learners. Why? To find out what worked for them, what they’re taking away from the course and what they would like to do next. The answers might surprise you, and might surprise them!

It is a good idea to conduct evaluations in a few different ways (for example a group discussion, followed by some pair work and then maybe a week later a sheet for each learner) to allow for different styles and to give people time to think. Many learners are not used to reflecting on their own skills and what takes place in the classroom, so they might need a lot of help.

As for planning for what they might like to do next, that’s the really exciting part. Supporting a learner to progress is a key part of our role. That progression might be to another group at the same level, in the same subject area, or might involve some change if they’re ready for that. Check in with your organiser what’s available in your area to make sure you have up to date information for your groups. Here are some evaluation forms we have developed over the years. Feel free to adapt, but be sure to use the tutor summary sheet to feed back the information to your organiser for planning purposes.

Note: You must download the Evaluation Pack document. Then open it, and choose which pages you want to print. If you try to print from here directly without downloading first, it is a huge document. So first download, then print chosen pages in Microsoft Word.

Course evaluation form Tutor Summary to give you to your organiser

Evaluation Pack with logos

Family Learning Evaluation Form

Tutor Newsletter

Isabelle Dumont is the Tutor Support Worker for Adult Literacy and Basic Education tutors across county Kerry. Her contact details can be found here. Her role includes tutor training, development of tutor in service training programmes, day to day tutor support and problem solving. Feel free to get in touch with her if you need advice on a teaching and learning matter. Another important aspect of her role is to collate our Tutor Newsletter. Everyone is welcome to contribute to this publication, it’s a great place to share what’s new or what has gone well for you in your work with your learner or your group, so please put your thinking caps on and submit an article, a poem, a piece of writing, whatever you are ready to share.