[Community-service] Tutoring ESL

[Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter]

Ashley,

 

Since your tutorees already know some English, I don’t think the communication barrier will be as great as you think. You certainly will be able to communicate with little visual gestures. And you will be able to explain that they need to communicate via language as opposed to gestures. I work with sighted children at times, little children, and one of the first we talk about is how they need to speak out loud with me. And when the kids forget, I simply remind them. My own three-year-old is learning this lesson too. At three, he already knows that with mommy and daddy, he has to communicate verbally. Very little is lacking in our exchanges because of this. So I think you are making this a bigger concern than it has to be. I think you should take the job. And if the person coordinating this doesn’t have any hesitations in placing you as a tutor, I say take a lead from them and go for it, smile.

 

Bridgit

 

From: Community-service [mailto:community-service-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ashley Bramlett via Community-service
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2015 1:35 AM
To: Community Service Discussion List <community-service at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
Subject: [Community-service] Tutoring ESL

 

Hi all,

 

So I have an opportunity to tutor ESL speaking skills at a nonprofit called Homestretch.

 

I really want to help people improve their english skills, but am not sure I can do it with the language barrier. I know I rely on oral communication a lot in the absence of seeing all body gestures. I’m concerned the lack of understanding them will hinder our progress unless we can find ways to communicate such as more hand over hand and them pointing to labeled pictures I might make up.

 

Here is the little I know. The clients know English. Their needs are in improving vocabulary in sentences, improving pronounciation skills, and other communication tasks.

I’d tutor for at least an hour per week if I go forward. I’m going to learn more when I do an orientation with the volunteer coordinator.

I told the coordinator about my low vision and she has not really said anything about it but treated me like a regular volunteer. She just told me their needs and requested a time to do my orientation.

I’m sure I can ask about any curriculum matterials they have in that meeting and hopefully figure out my accomodations. I’m fairly sure one accomodation will be bringing my laptop equipped with jaws

to do some activities. I might be able to use their cds for listening exercises if they have the teaching cds I need. I know that when learning spanish in high school, we had many listening exercises on cd so I’m sure their some for teaching english.

 

So, have any of you taught ESL with emphasis on oral communication?

If so, what adaptations did you make?

Did you have any accessible teaching resources?

I know if I use cds for listening exercises or computer streaming audio, this should be accessible as its purely auditorily.

 

Thanks.

Ashley

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