Tips and Pitfalls
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Pick your battles when deciding what corrections to make on speech, writing, spelling, etc. For a beginner, capitalization, punctuation and spelling are not the focus, and can be postponed until later. My student loves it when I bring in real stuff! When we talk about shopping, I bring in grocery flyers (“What does ‘Limit 5’ or ‘per pound’ mean?”) and various foods. When talking about ordering at a restaurant, I bring in a menu, or fashion a Culver’s cap and pretend to be the counter person. |
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My student needs lots of practice in writing simple English sentences--especially when it comes to filling out forms etc. I bring a dry erase board and pens and she practices writing sentences to go with our lessons in Interactive English. I can then help her with punctuation, spelling and subject-verb agreement.
Spanish speaking students often have difficulty pronouncing letters like i, h and y in English. So, ask if they know the Alphabet Song! If they have kids who grew up in our school system, they may have learned it along with them, not realizing that it's a great tool to guide pronunciation. And, it's fun!!
Repetition is essential! Just because you’ve taught something once, do NOT assume that that’s all it takes. Review, build upon previous learning, then review again!
Speak clearly and naturally, trying to minimize slang and complicated words. Don’t speak unusually slowly or loudly.
I always suggest that they keep their workbook or dictionary in the bathroom! They often don't have time to really "study," so a bit here and there can make a difference.
If they have kids who speak English, I try to send them home with an unexpected phrase they can use. Like, "What's up, kiddo?"
If you find that you need a handful of words in their language, use Google Translate. Words like "sentence," and "word" have helped me a lot. It shouldn't take a lot.
Here’s a great set of suggestions! http://www.eastsideliteracy.org/tutorsupport/ESL/ESLTips.htm
Spanish speaking students often have difficulty pronouncing letters like i, h and y in English. So, ask if they know the Alphabet Song! If they have kids who grew up in our school system, they may have learned it along with them, not realizing that it's a great tool to guide pronunciation. And, it's fun!!
Repetition is essential! Just because you’ve taught something once, do NOT assume that that’s all it takes. Review, build upon previous learning, then review again!
Speak clearly and naturally, trying to minimize slang and complicated words. Don’t speak unusually slowly or loudly.
I always suggest that they keep their workbook or dictionary in the bathroom! They often don't have time to really "study," so a bit here and there can make a difference.
If they have kids who speak English, I try to send them home with an unexpected phrase they can use. Like, "What's up, kiddo?"
If you find that you need a handful of words in their language, use Google Translate. Words like "sentence," and "word" have helped me a lot. It shouldn't take a lot.
Here’s a great set of suggestions! http://www.eastsideliteracy.org/tutorsupport/ESL/ESLTips.htm
Pitfalls: Try not to fall into one of these patterns!
The Tutor-as-Friend
This tutor thinks that merely getting together with the student to chat for an hour or two a week is enough. A tutor/friend and student probably enjoy their time together, but this is not tutoring. While being friendly and approachable is a wonderful tone to set, without a goal or plan for each session there is no way to evaluate progress. You need to know the student’s goals (“I want to talk to my child’s teacher.”) and formulate a plan for each session to make progress toward them.
The Ambitious Tutor
The ambitious tutor expects too much of himself and his student. He tries to do too much with the student in a short time and he under-estimates the complexities of becoming fluent in English. The ambitious tutor works hard but may confuse and discourage the student because he moves too rapidly from one activity to another in no logical order, with little repetition.
The Perfectionist Tutor
This tutor has a strict, rigid plan and will insist that the student learn all the terms used to describe English grammar, sentence structure, and so on. While there is certainly a need to teach grammar and sometimes a need to use a few technical terms, the average student wants to use English, not analyze and label it. (Remember the pluperfect subjunctive? Me neither.)
For more examples, see this link from busy teacher.org
The Tutor-as-Friend
This tutor thinks that merely getting together with the student to chat for an hour or two a week is enough. A tutor/friend and student probably enjoy their time together, but this is not tutoring. While being friendly and approachable is a wonderful tone to set, without a goal or plan for each session there is no way to evaluate progress. You need to know the student’s goals (“I want to talk to my child’s teacher.”) and formulate a plan for each session to make progress toward them.
The Ambitious Tutor
The ambitious tutor expects too much of himself and his student. He tries to do too much with the student in a short time and he under-estimates the complexities of becoming fluent in English. The ambitious tutor works hard but may confuse and discourage the student because he moves too rapidly from one activity to another in no logical order, with little repetition.
The Perfectionist Tutor
This tutor has a strict, rigid plan and will insist that the student learn all the terms used to describe English grammar, sentence structure, and so on. While there is certainly a need to teach grammar and sometimes a need to use a few technical terms, the average student wants to use English, not analyze and label it. (Remember the pluperfect subjunctive? Me neither.)
For more examples, see this link from busy teacher.org