Monday, March 20, 2017

Results "tickle" us

"I get 'tickled' when I see our learners using
 their skills to teach their classmates! 
(Sometimes, I even choke up a bit.)" - KJL

This sentiment is felt by all of us who work with the adults who come to Literacy Action. 

Picture this - 

Prepared, Rob (an adult learner) is now at the board, but white board blindness has set in. 

Have you ever had white board blindness? 
You know, that moment in time when you 
know what to do but your mind goes blank?

Sal (another adult learner) steps up. She begins by finding out what part of the math problem is bothering him - where he's stuck. She asks Rob questions about what he's thinking, what he's trying to do, and what the problem is asking. He responds. When his written or oral responses are slightly off, she asks other questions to facilitate Rob's decisions.

Payoff -

As volunteers/tutors, we know that we learn the most when we teach or guide someone else in discovering and understanding. 
As such, we encourage our learners to teach each other. In fact, when learners have enough skill, we aid them in the next step - building their mentoring and questioning skills as facilitators of knowledge. 

The payoff for them is incredible. Their self-esteem soars, their leadership skills grow, and their own learning excels. The payoff for us is priceless. Changes in learners keeps us coming back, back to help more learners. 

You can feel this same way when you join us as a volunteer tutor.