Building Beautiful Bridges: Training and Supporting International TutorsCollege Reading and Learning Association National Conference 2017

Presented by: Kyla Shannon, M.Ed. Assistant Director, TECHniques Center – kyla.shannon@ttu.eduBrandi Willis Schreiber, M.A. Program Director, TECHniques Center – brandi.schreiber@ttu.edu

1. What is the TECHniques Center at Texas Tech University? Fee-for-service, CRLA certified peer tutoring program in its 18th year Part of Student Disability Services, the office that provides accommodations to any student with a

documented disability 7 full-time Academic Counselors and 1 full-time Administrative Assistant 175 students and 75-80 tutors each semester

Notes:

2. Who are our students? Our tutors? All students have a diagnosis of a learning disability, ADD / ADHD, and/or Autism Spectrum disorder Students must be approved for services with Student Disability Services, attend their intake, and

follow our policies to participate Students and tutors are from very major you can imagine Tutors go through a highly competitive interview, hiring, training, and on-the-job evaluation process Many international tutors apply, and we always have several international tutors on staff who tutor

a variety of disciplinesNotes:

3. Best Practices for Hiring {International} TutorsRecruitment

Current tutor word of mouth Emails to advisors, professors, students organizations Social media, TECHannounce, Career Centers Explicit description of requirements/eligibility, job description, time commitments Info session Application packet Application Resume, C.V., transcript from other institutions

Interview Process Based on student/course need Master Tutor and staff member Take note of professionalism, knowledge of our program, interaction with interviewers, language

use, questions they have for us Each interviewer takes notes on responses from interviewee as well as any other comments or

concerns from interview Discuss as a full staff to determine if they are a best fit for our program and our students

You’re Hired! A phone call to let them know they are hired and next steps

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Offer email with more details about the job and what we will now need from them University employee paperwork

o International Cultural Center Orientation, tour, and meet the staff Mandatory tutor training

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4. Best Practices for Training {International} Tutors Two-day mandatory training

o Day 1-All new tutorso Day 2-New and returning tutors

Tutor resource binder On-going training throughout the semester Monthly team meetings Supplemental/make-up training Monthly check-ins with staff

Notes:

5. Best Practices for Supporting {International} Tutors Comprehensive Tutor Policies & Procedures and required quiz One-on-one tutor observation with follow-up visit One-on-one monthly meetings with Academic Counselors to discuss progress Formal final end-of-semester evaluation with feedback and goals for next semester Tutor of the Month awards! Ask for feedback on how to help tutors who may be "silently suffering" or afraid to ask for help. Serve as references for next steps.

Notes:

6. Celebrating Diversity We also support our international tutors by celebrating their diversity at our Center:

International Potluck Event Feature blog posts which we share all over our social media and in our TECHniques Center

newsletters Encourage international tutors to have their best and brightest friends apply to work with us Student / Tutor Appreciation Days where we get to know tutors better End of Semester Graduation Celebration during which we honor our graduating tutors and how they

have impacted our center in unique waysNotes:

7. Lessons Learned* Many international tutors come from backgrounds in which educational models are different and/or learning disabilities / differences are not recognized or celebrated.* Many international tutors may be unfamiliar with the American culture of proper job applications, interviews, and hiring processes. Communication up front is important.* Lots of one-on-one support, guidance, and feedback are key.

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* Educating our students about the value of working with people from different cultures is just as important as educating our tutors how to do their job.Notes:

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Training & Supporting International Tutors Survey – Comments

1. In your opinion, what were the most helpful aspects of your training and support as a tutor while you were at the TECHniques Center?

“The tutor training gave me an idea of what is going to come. It also helped me to interact with other tutors.”

“I like training for first 2 days prior to start of semester training. It's target my goal and stimulate the passion to helping other. It revisits concepts in training and awareness so I can bring out the best in students. It also help me to aware to take care my own health, time management, goal planning so I can perform well at work and school. Support service is great, always provide high response and attentive to the email, fulfill the need, provide good supports and reliable.”

“Understanding the different types [of] learning disability.”

“The initial training provided helped a lot to get acquainted with the way a tutor is supposed to work and the resources available to us to help the students there. Weekly meetings with the mentor also helped to get some feedback and get additional resources when needed. Also links to online resources like Khan Academy and Lynda.com helped.”

2. What is the biggest thing you learned coming into this job as a new tutor in a program that supports students who learn differently?

“You are not only a teacher, but a student also. You will get to learn a lot from your students.”

“I learn that prior assessment before the semester is quite helpful because other ways of teaching is not effective. Some are like to work on whiteboard, some are like to work on papers and keep as reference, the other students would prefer to hear information while doing the problems … I learned encouragement is key and set the goal that is reasonable for students.”

“To not judge a student based on grades as much as the knowledge a student knows.”

“This job helped me think of solutions to a question in a different way in order to help students understand and solve questions for their assignments. It also helped me learn the value of patience and perseverance from all my students who tried very hard to excel at what they were doing.”

3. What advice would you give to tutor from a different culture, nationality, and/or background who wants to work at the TECHniques Center?

“Don't be shy. Feel free to interact explore and talk to others. Techniques is a wonderful place.”

“Be informed the learning approach could be different with students who have different backgrounds and be willing to change, adapt new methods, re-study the subjects … Lastly, questioning and observing the student during the session to see how fast or slow [he or she] responds to teaching methods.”

“Keep and open mind and adjust your techniques based on each student's situation.”

“My advice would be to have an open mind and to invite and accept changes to different learning techniques, it sometimes helps not only the students but the tutors as well!”

8. Next Steps4

Let's visit a bit! Turn to someone in your row / table to discuss IF you like group talk. If not, jot down your answers to these two questions:

1. What are 2 ways you could better recruit, hire, train, and support international tutors in your program?

2. What are some ways that you could celebrate your international tutors?

3. What is one change / best practice you could integrate from this session right away when you return to your work?

9. Questions & Thank You!

LET'S CONNECT!

The TECHniques CenterTexas Tech University

Box 45007, 242 West Hall(806) 742-1822

Website: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/techniques/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TechniquesCenter

Twitter: @TECHniquesTTUInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/techniquescenter/

Blog: https://techniquescenter.wordpress.com/Newsletter Sign-up: http://bit.ly/2yLZzmj

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From India to the TECHniques Center: One Tutor’s Journey to Work HereApril 11, 2017

by Nilay Thakkar, Spring 2017 Graduate Engineering Tutor

The best part about tutoring is its perennial quest for innovation, which presents a lot of exciting opportunities to explore and experiment. This statement fits best to the place where I currently work! Yes! I am talking about the TECHniques Center!!

Getting a job at the TECHniques Center was one of the reasons I came to Texas Tech University. It is also something that I am passionate about. Tutoring itself is one-of-a-kind profession where one makes a difference in someone else’s life, and the reward is pure happiness.

I got this passion to teach and be a tutor from my mother. My mom has been my inspiration throughout my life. She used to be a teacher, and I always used to look at her as my role model. There is something special about this profession. I can say that it is the one and only profession in the world that teaches about other professions.

When I graduated in 2016, I intended to pursue a graduate degree. I wasn’t sure which university to attend. Then I came across Texas Tech University. A friend of mine had one of his friends studying at Texas Tech. He told me about various courses available here at Tech and about the on-campus job opportunities, as well. Upon doing some research, I was certain that Texas Tech was the right platform to hone my skills.

It was during this research time I came across various job opportunities on campus, and the TECHniques Center was one of them. After I read the TECHniques Center’s website, I was so happy to know that this program focuses on making a difference in student’s life. Within no time, I started imagining myself working at TECHniques Center. I remember telling my mom that one day I will get this job and I will become a tutor at the TC! During this time, I even came across the TECHniques Center’s Instagram page and viewed their posts. I knew that this place was something different and had that dynamic feeling.

By the time to got to Tech, I missed the deadline to apply for the TECHniques Center for the fall semester. I started working at the Hospitality services for the first semester. During this semester, I used to look at Techannounce every day, waiting for information about any opening at the TECHniques Center. Towards the end of the semester, I saw the announcement that Engineering majors were needed!! I applied on the same day, and then the next week I got a call for an interview. I was on cloud 9. The interview process was like a friendly conversation to know each other. By this time, I was already in love with this place! The wait for the result that if I was selected or not was making me impatient day by day.

Then one day I got a call saying that I was selected to work at the TECHniques Center! I was so happy that day! Immediately I called my mom to inform her. She was happy, too. Then came the fun part: tutor training. I met a lot of people and learned a lot about being a successful tutor.

I have been working here for more than two months now, and the experience here is so good that I cannot express it in words. The work environment here is so amazing. We are all like a family. There are different challenges that we come across during our tutoring sessions, and the most interesting part is how we take up those challenges and overcome them together as a team.

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Helpful References

Balester, Valeria. (2012 November). International tutors make a difference. Writing Lab Newsletter, (37)1. Retrieved from http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/essays/89673098/international-tutors-make-difference

Kowalsky, R., & Fresko, B. (2010). Peer tutoring for college students with disabilities. Higher Education Research & Development, 21(3), Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0729436022000020760

Kunsch, C., Jitendra, A., & Sood, S. (2007). The effects of peer-mediated instruction in mathematics for students with learning problems: A research synthesis. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 22(1), 1-12.

Lassegard, James. (2008). The effects of peer tutoring between domestic and international students: the tutor system at Japanese universities. Higher Education Research and Development, 27(4). Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360802406825

Lipsky, S.A. (2011). A training guide for college tutors and peer educators. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Topping, K (2008). Peer-assisted learning: A practical guide for teachers. Newton, MA: Brookline Books.

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