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Just for Tutors (and volunteers)
• Volunteer Profile • The Orientation Session • Upcoming Orientation Dates
• Report forms • Professional Development for Tutors
SEEKING A SPECIAL NEEDS TUTOR - We are looking for a tutor who is interested in working with people with special learning needs/mental challenges and is available to volunteer one afternoon a week. Please call 464-3444.
We are currently seeking some specialized tutors and volunteers, in addition to our regular tutors and volunteers. Please call the office for more information and other details.
We are looking for an individual that would be comfortable using ASL (American Sign Language) to tutor math, reading, and writing skills and would be able to meet with a learner once or twice a week.
We are in need of volunteers that would be interested in working on cataloguing our resources and setting up a sign out system to track our books and other resources. If you are interested, please call the office.
Volunteer Profile
Coming soon.
The Orientation Session
Attendance at an orientation session is mandatory for all prospective tutors and volunteers. Sponsors and Friends of DLN are also welcome. Before you come to an orientation session, you will have booked a space at the session of your choice (You must be registered for the session so that we have your contact information in case the session needs to be cancelled due to weather or other circumstances).
Group orientation sessions are held at the Dartmouth Learning Network office. Individual orientations can be arranged for those that cannot make a group orientation session.
At an orientation session you will learn a little of DLN's history and some literacy statistics. The majority of the session will be spent on increasing your knowledge and understanding of our policies and procedures.
Once you have attended an orientation session, prospective tutors may book an individual appointment to meet with the Volunteer Coordinator to fill out the applicaiton and discuss in detail what they would like to work on with an adult learner, (subject, level etc.).
Propsective tutors will be contacted in due course with a suggested match. If the match is not what you want, or is inconvenient, say so, because the next step is the First Meeting between Tutor (you!), Learner and a Staff member. Introductions will take place and the staff member will guide you both through the process.
Upcoming Orientation Dates
Orientation sessions for new Tutors and Volunteers are approximately 2 hours long and are conducted at the Dartmouth Learning Network office at least once a month. Please phone the office at 464-3444, for information on the next available orientation session.
- Saturday, February 18, 2012 - 10am to 12pm
- Tuesday, February 28, 2012 - 6pm to 8pm
- Saturday, March 31, 2012 - 10am to 12pm
- Thursday, April 19, 2012 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Once you are registered, please phone us (contact info at the top of the page) if you cannot make the scheduled session or, let us know and we'll try to make alternative arrangements to suit your schedule.
Please phone us if you cannot make the scheduled session and we'll try to make alternative arrangements to suit your schedule.
Please phone us at 464-3444 or let us know.
Report forms
We've switched to an online report form format for both Learners & Tutors because of all the data compilation we have to do in the office. Just type in your report and click on the Submit button. If you'd prefer to utilize the old print-and-fax method, let us know and we'll give you some old-fashioned paper forms.
Click here for the online report forms.
Note: there is no 'Save' function, so please make sure you complete and submit the form in one sitting: if you use the Back button or visit another page during completion, all your work may disappear!
Professional Development for Tutors
Upcoming Workshops:
These workshops are free and open to all volunteer adult literacy tutors in HRM. This is an opportunity to meet other tutors. Space is limited, so please register early.
Tutor and Instructor Training Certification Course
Previously delivered under the title Tutor Training and Certification Course, the Online Literacy Practitioner Training has been updated and revamped to be delivered to Adult Literacy Tutors and Practitioners. This is an online certificate course that will prepare practitioners and tutors to work with adult learners. On completion of the program requirements the participant will receive a certificate.
Originally developed and delivered by the department of Education, this new online course has been developed in partnership with Literacy Nova Scotia. Priority for registration is given to participants involved with local literacy and learning networks. Interested volunteers should contact their network coordinator to submit their name for registration.
About the Online Literacy Practitioner Course
“Literacy practitioner” refers to both paid instructors and volunteer tutors. Literacy practitioners work with adult literacy learners in groups and/or one-to-one. This training program is, therefore, for both volunteer tutors and paid instructors. The teaching strategies, best practices, and curriculum referred to in the modules are meant for both tutors and instructors. The examples given sometimes refer to teaching groups of learners, and sometimes to teaching a single learner in a one-to-one situation, but all can be adapted from one situation to the other.
This is foundational training for practitioners in their first year of working with adult literacy learners, but seasoned practitioners are also welcome to participate. Those who work with adult learners in some other capacity, such as coordinators, support staff, board members, and administrators may find some of the modules useful to their work as well.
Participants in the modules have a wide range of experience at teaching or tutoring. Some come from teaching English as a second language; others come from the K-12 system; others have no experience in teaching, but bring their own love of learning and a desire to help. Those with more experience may provide practical help to less experienced practitioners; new practitioners bring experience in other areas of life, and their ideas and questions will help more experienced practitioners re-examine their practice.
This is only foundational training but it gets you started working with adult learners. Good practitioners are life-long learners, and as you work in the literacy field, there will be many opportunities for further training—workshops, on-line courses, books and presentations of various kinds. There are nine modules plus a short practicum in the program. To obtain a certificate practitioners must successfully complete a practicum plus six modules.
For more information about this Online Literacy Practitioner Training and to find the registration form to submit to Literacy Nova Scotia, please see Literacy Nova Scotia's website or contact your network coordinator.
Literacy Nova Scotia Website link to Online Course Information:
http://www.ns.literacy.ca/ptc.htm
