Welcome to the
SASS Tutoring Orientation:
Fall 2015
An opening thought…
• Few will have the greatness to bend
history itself, but each of us can work to
change a small portion of events…Each
time a man stands up for an ideal, or
acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes
out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny
ripple of hope, and crossing each other
from a million different centers of energy
and daring those ripples build a current
which can sweep down the mightiest
walls of oppression and resistance.”
Robert Kennedy
A presentation in five
parts
• SASS Overview
• About the SASS Tutoring
Program
• Academic Tutoring
• Mentoring
• Conclusion
Thanks yous and
introductions!
• SASS Board members
• The tutors! Please introduce
yourself. Tell us…
• If you’re a new tutor, how you got
involved.
• If you’ve been tutoring, tell us a bit
about your experiences.
Part 1: SASS Overview
• The SASS mission statement
• Sequoia Adult School Scholars
provides financial support, tutoring
and other assistance to Sequoia
District Adult School ESL and GED
students—the vast majority of whom
have minimum wage jobs—so they
can enroll in community college to
continue their education and
expand their career options.
Part 1: SASS Overview
• We started in 2010 with 3 students; this
semester we’re supporting 179
students in community college,
primarily Cañada College.
• We are one-of-a-kind.
• Our budget is about $100,000. About
66 percent comes from individuals,
the rest from foundations. civic
organizations, and corporations.
SASS milestones:
May 2015: First two SASS recipients
earn AA degrees
SASS milestones:
May 2015: Six SASS recipients earn
certificates
Who are SASS recipients?
• Majority are from Mexico;
about 95 percent are from
Latin America
• Age range: 17 to 65
• About 2/3 have graduated
from high school, a few have
some college
How do students learn
about SASS?
ESL classes at
Sequoia
Adult School
A Cañada
ESL class
taught at
Sequoia
Adult School
Cañada ESL
classes at
Cañada
College
What SASS provides
• Books. bus passes, parking passes
• Advising (Paid for by a grant to
Sequoia Adult School from the
Silicon Valley Community
Foundation)
• Tutoring/mentoring
• Tablets (to a select group of
students)
For SASS recipients,
college is almost free!
• Tuition: Paid for through a
State of California program for
low-income students
• Books and transportation:
Paid for by SASS
Why are SASS recipients
going to college?
• Complete Cañada College ESL
sequence
• Earn a certificate (Early
childhood education, medical
assisting, bookkeeping)
• Earn an AA degree and
transfer to a four year college
What SASS recipients study
• The vast majority of SASS
recipients take ESL classes.
• While students take ESL
classes, they also can take
• Computer applications classes
• Career exploration classes
• Fitness/Salsa/Soccer, etc.
Barriers students face
• Poverty
• Multiple jobs, variable schedules
• Poor education in their native
country
• Lack of understanding of the US
education system
• Lack of resources (e.g. computers)
How immigration reform
affects students
• Federal laws
• Deferred Action
• New Executive Order
• California laws: Drivers
licenses for undocumented
residents starting January 1,
2015!
Questions? Comments?
Part 2: The SASS Tutoring
Program
Why a tutoring program?
• Capable students
BUT
• Poor grades
• Limited knowledge of the
American education system
We’re growing
• We had two tutors in spring,
2014
• This fall, we have 24 tutors:
• 6 new
• 18 returning
• And we need more!
Who are SASS tutors?
• Most are retired professionals.
• Other tutors…
• Working professionals (e.g.
attorney at Apple Computer,
software engineer)
• Stanford undergrads
• Recent college grads
• We need more tutors, so tell your
friends!
Subject matter of tutoring
sessions
• Most tutors focus on ESL
coursework.
• We also have tutors helping
students with computer
applications and calculus.
How are students
referred?
• Progress reports completed by
students’ professors
• Failed classes
• Self-referral
Your role
• Academic tutor
• Mentor/advocate
Tutor expectations
• Meet once a week at a location you and
your student agree to.
• Minimum one hour, can be more.
• If you need to miss more than a week, try
to find a sub or contact me and I’ll try to
find one for you.
• Complete a short form at the beginning
and end of the semester about your
experience as a tutor.
Timeline
• Students and tutors are
matched on an ongoing basis
You should expect your
student to
• Arrive on time
• Arrive with assignments
complete or at least started
• Inform you in advance if they
can’t attend
As a tutor, don’t accept
anything less!
Student limitations that
may affect tutoring’s
efficacy
• Changes in student’s
schedule.
• Student not adequately
prepared for current class.
• Life gets in the way…
Tutor limitations that may
affect tutoring’s efficacy
• Travel plans that require you
to miss tutoring sessions
• Call for substitutes!
• Challenges presenting the
material in a way that makes
sense to the student.
Measuring success
• Attending college even for one
semester is a “success”.
• Not all students will complete
the ESL sequence, much less
get a vocational certificate.
• As a tutor, you’re having an
impact nonetheless.
Takeaway #1
• You could transform a life.
• Students speaking about their
tutors at Back to School session
• My tutor made me more
confident to speak.
• My tutor always calls me to see
when we can meet.
• My tutor makes things clear for
me.
Takeaway #2
• There may be bumps along
the way.
Questions? Comments?
Photo!
Part 3: Being an academic
tutor
Focus of tutoring sessions
• Review past assignments
• Work on upcoming
assignments
• Other (conversation,
completing job applications,
recreational reading, etc.)
The Cañada College ESL
sequence
ESL course content
• Reading, Listening, and
Speaking classes
• Reading comprehension
• Presentations
• Grammar and writing classes
• Grammar exercises
• Essays
First, allaying your fears…
• You don’t need to be a
grammar expert to tutor ESL
• Example of an ESL 922
grammar assignment
Resources for tutors
• The SASS Web site:
SASSFoundation.net/tutors
• Recommended grammar
books
• On-line grammar resources
• Links to Cañada’s ESL text
book series
Resources for tutors
(cont.)
• The SASS Web site:
SASSFoundation.net/tutors
• News sites for ESL students
• Recommended fiction for
intermediate ESL students
Resources for tutors
(cont.)
• Grammar Summary Cards
• The Internet!
Tutoring tips (in no
particular order)
• Don’t be afraid to correct
students’ pronunciation.
• Check for understanding
again and again. Students
often say they understand
when they don’t.
Tutoring tips (in no
particular order, cont.)
• When teaching vocabulary, ask
your student to use the new
word in a sentence.
• Use Spanish when it
elucidates; avoid it other
times.
Tutoring tips (in no
particular order, cont.)
• Encourage your student to use
the Internet as a resource:
• If you have a laptop, bring it to
your session.
• If you student has a laptop,
encourage her to bring it to the
session.
Helping students become
better editors
• Ask your student to read their
essay to you.
• Read the essay out loud to
your student.
• Ask your student to read
backwards to check for
spelling errors.
Helping students become
better editors (cont.)
• Show a student an incorrect
sentence and ask him to find
the error.
• Give hints as opposed to
providing outright corrections.
Helping students become
better editors (cont.)
• Resist the urge to correct all
errors; make editing a
collaborative process.
• Group errors by type (e.g.
subject/verb agreement
errors, verb tense errors, etc.).
Helping students become
better readers
• Check out the handouts on
the SASS Tutoring Web page
A word about grades
• If a student receives a D or F
in an ESL class, he/she is
required to repeat the class.
• A student can receive a SASS
scholarship even if they fail a
class and need to repeat it.
Takeaway for today….
• Do your best with what
you have.
Questions?
Comments from tutors?
Part 4: Your role as
mentor and advocate
Help your student
advocate for herself
That means encouraging your
student to
• ask questions in class.
• ask questions after class.
• visit professors during office
hours.
• ask professors for feedback on
their performance.
Encourage your student to
communicate effectively
Use your tutoring sessions as a
reason to communicate via
• emails
• texts
• phone calls
Encourage your student to
take advantage of
available resources:
• Melissa, our Transition
Advisor
• Cañada counselors
• Cañada Learning Center
Enourage your student to
take advantage of
available resources (cont):
• Cañada Fitness Center/PE
classes
• Cañada Health Center
• Lowcost Internet ($10 a month
if a parent; see SASS Web site)
Encourage your student to
read!
• Both Redwood City and Menlo
Park have excellent libraries.
• All you need to get a library
card is proof of your address
(e.g. a bill).
• Help your student get a library
card and choose books.
Don’t be afraid to ask
leading questions:
• Why are you going to college?
• What do you want to be doing
in five years?
• What is your dream job?
Conclusion
• Please communicate with me,
both successes and questions.
• Please keep a rough count of
how many hours you tutor per
semester.
• Please answer SASS surveys
promptly.
• Please like Sequoia Adult School
Scholars on Facebook and visit
our page.
Questions?
Comments from tutors?
We need your help!
• A SASS donor agreed to
purchase Microsoft Surface
Tablets for 10 SASS recipients.
• 39 students applied.
• We’re asking Microsoft to match
any additional contributions that
are made toward the purchase
of more tablets.
We need your help!
• Here’s how recipients describe
how they get their homework
done without a computer
“I go to the Public Library with my
3 sons for homework. But is a
little difficult for my
concentration”.
We need your help!
• Another response…
I don't have a computer, I use my
roomate’s computer Sometimes,
but most of the time I run to Cañada
College after work to complete
homework, I had a laptop but I lost
my job and I had to sell many stuff
and one of those things was my
laptop.
We need your help!
• If you can donate to this
program, or know anyone who
can, please take an envelope.
• All donations received by Sept.
10 will go towards Microsoft
Surface Tablets.
Thank you for your time for
helping our students!