Adult Literacy 1-to-1 Tutoring (Oahu)

Save to Favorites

Orientation
We offer an hour-long orientation that is open to anyone interested in the problems of illiteracy and Hawaii Literacy's program. The orientation includes a brief introduction to Hawaii Literacy, the causes and problems that low-literacy skills may create, and the nature of our training programs; we also discuss what is expected of Hawaii Literacy volunteer tutors. The orientation provides an opportunity to ask questions about literacy and about Hawaii Literacy's programs.

Training
Immediately following the orientation is the first day of the 2-day tutor-training workshop, which is required prior to being paired with a learner. During the workshop, the participants learn nationally recognized tutoring methods and how to use the materials that will be employed during tutoring.

Volunteers Help Local Adults
The learners at Hawaii Literacy come from various educational backgrounds: some dropped out of school early on, some graduated from high school, and everything in between. Many of them speak English as their first language; some have learned English as a second language, but we require that they have good verbal communication skills because we are not teaching the English language--we are teaching reading and writing.

Schedule
The learner and tutor decide together when and where they will meet. It is recommended that they meet twice a week for an hour to an hour-and-a-half in a public meeting place, such as a library or a community center. In the training, we discuss several series of books that provide structure and guidance when working with the learner.

Commitment
We ask volunteers to commit to 6 months total of tutoring (does not have to be consecutive). The learner and tutor meet together for as long as it is satisfactory to both. There is no set time that a tutor works with a particular learner because the learners vary greatly in their skills upon entering the program, have different goals, and have varied levels of motivation.

Mahalo!