[nobe-l] Tutoring was Re: Teaching College Spanish

Sat Jun 15 17:48:23 UTC 2013

Hi Robert,
How is the tutoring coming? I also thought about tutoring english because 
its something I know well and am good at, but I'm not sure how I'd handle 
reading papers and seeing punctuation.
As a tutor, you have to see the student's work and assignments to help them.
Since you are blind, read it with them on a notetaker or get them to read it 
to you.
Verbal communication is important. Its obvious, but remind them you cannot 
see body language like confused looks, so they need to voice any questions 
or concerns.

I'd suggest that if you can get their material they need help with like a 
vocab  list or worksheet electronically, this would be helpful. View that 
ahead of time so you are prepared to explain concepts. Also, if you have a 
braille notetaker, I'd imagine this would be really helpful in reviewing 
material especially since it’s a foreign language.
Also, make note of what you covered after the session and any challenges the 
student still has so you can come back to that next time.
With multiple students, you'll probably forget what you did with each one, 
so notetaking should help.
Also, you are tutoring sighted students, so suggest study tips that may not 
work for you but may work for them. Many students are visual learners.
This may be hard to model since you cannot draw and create them but maybe 
you can show a website
with examples. I took spanish in high school.

Here are some study tools people used or that were used to learn english 
vocab but you can use them for foreign languages too.
1. Flashcards with pictures; for instance a picture of the word and the 
spanish word on back.
2. looking at pictures with parts labeled in the foreign language. For 
instance, a picture of a beach.
3. concept maps; these are those diagrams with boxes and circles where you 
draw lines to connect similar concepts
4. word maps or mind maps; mean the same thing
5. Creating charts of words with similar meanings
6. using colors to teach grammar; for instance putting nouns in one color 
and verbs in another.
7. other word charts

Also suggest other study tips to students which don't rely on visuals; for 
instance, my teacher recommended we study out loud and say words; also you 
can pick a verb and practice congegating it out loud.

At my school, tutors kept track of hours on paper. I would think a better 
way for you would be to keep an electronic time sheet of your hours.

Good luck.
Ashley

-----Original Message----- 
From: Robert Spangler
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2013 11:34 AM
To: National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List
Subject: [nobe-l] Tutoring was Re: Teaching College Spanish

Hello all,

Thanks for all of your responses.

I just got a request to do some tutoring.  Now I would imagine that
one-on-one tutoring would actually be easier than teaching a class but
if any of you have done this before, could you please share your
experiences and ideas?
Thanks,
Robert Spangler, B.A. in Urban Studies and Spanish
spangler.robert at gmail.com

On 5/22/2013 9:37 PM, Helen Stevens wrote:
> Hi Robert,
>
> I have a mix of experience in education and teaching. In terms of
> blindness I think adults are much easier to deal with. It is perfectly
> reasonable to require college students to submit assignments
> electronically, as many sighted instructors do. In terms of tests, many
> schools are switching to electronic tests, which can work well, or you
> will need a reader to access handwritten material. Depending on the size
> of your classes, oral exams are also totally accessible. For calling on
> students, the saying of names should work well with college students. At
> least in small and medium sized classes, this should not be a problem
> for them. Cold-calling is also an option if you want to make sure to
> cover everyone, though really if college students aren't paying
> attention that's there own problem. In language classes I feel like a
> lot of partner discussion can be helpful, which also engages everyone. I
> hope this is helpful.
>
> Helen
>
>> *From: *Robert Spangler <spangler.robert at gmail.com
>> <mailto:spangler.robert at gmail.com>>
>> *Subject: **Re: [nobe-l] Teaching College Spanish*
>> *Date: *May 21, 2013 9:55:23 AM CDT
>> *To: *National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List
>> <nobe-l at nfbnet.org <mailto:nobe-l at nfbnet.org>>
>> *Reply-To: *National Organization of Blind Educators Mailing List
>> <nobe-l at nfbnet.org <mailto:nobe-l at nfbnet.org>>
>>
>> Yeah, sorry my message was so brief.  I graduated last year with a
>> bachelors in Spanish.  I am very knowledgeable in my field but I have
>> never taught before.  I have tutored a little bit.  Also, I have taken
>> a class in second language acquisition where we learned specific
>> methods for teaching foreign language and how to make lesson plans but
>> of course nothing specific to my situation.  I really only wish to
>> teach college level/adults.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Robert Spangler, B.A. in Urban Studies and Spanish
>> spangler.robert at gmail.com <mailto:spangler.robert at gmail.com>
>>
>> On 5/21/2013 10:17 AM, Jewel wrote:
>>> Wow that is a loaded question. What sorts of things are you worried
>>> about? What is your teaching style? Do you have any prior experience
>>> teaching, even in an after-school program or Bible class? I think
>>> more information is needed before advice can be given, but that's
>>> just my two cents worth.
>>> -Jewel
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> On May 21, 2013, at 10:06 AM, Robert Spangler
>>> <spangler.robert at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>>
>>>> I will be starting to work on my Spanish Masters degree in the fall.
>>>>  In January, I will start my teaching assistantship.  I will be
>>>> teaching one class.  Although I have given it some thought, I am not
>>>> very familiar with how someone who is blind manages a classroom.
>>>>  So, I am looking for any tips or suggestions that anyone may be
>>>> able to provide.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Robert Spangler, B.A. in Urban Studies and Spanish
>>>> spangler.robert at gmail.com
>>>>
>>>>
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