Jenkins How old are we? Enhancing Tutor Training with Meaningful Games

23/Th 2:15 PM Hassler

Type_Presentation:         60-minute Concurrent Session

PresentationTitle:         How old are we?  Enhancing tutor training with meaningful games

ProgramStrand_Primary:     Peer Tutoring

ProgramStrand_Secondary:   None

Presentation_description:

Responsible for planning tutor training sessions?  Come experience how to incorporate a variety of games into tutor training to keep things engaging, enjoyable and educational.  With both overt and subtle implications for the tutoring relationship, ‘playing’ such games provides a wealth of learning experiences for all.

Session_summary:

The task of coordinating tutor training sessions each quarter can be a challenging one when the temptation to simply use the ‘same workshops from last quarter’ would prove so much easier.  In addition to our own drive to change things up each time, we realize that in order for tutors to truly become engaged in the sometimes lengthy training sessions, it is essential to include fun, interactive activities with messages that are relevant to the tutoring relationship.  Over the past several years, we have worked to include various activities and games that tutors play in small or large groups, by subject area, length of time spent tutoring etc, and have received very positive feedback from the tutors about how effective and enjoyable the games were.  After spending a considerable amount of time in the classroom listening to lectures and taking copious notes, the tutors will welcome this alternative approach to conveying your message.

The presentation will:

1) Discuss the benefits of using games in a tutor training session (5 minutes)

2) Highlight key components to share with tutors about learning ways to work most effectively with their tutees.  Participants will actually play a variety of games that demonstrate these concepts (40 minutes) (* I will be exploring what kind of permission, if any, I will need to get in order to play these games noted in parentheses below).  Components could include any/all of the following important concepts that we emphasize in training over the academic year:

a. Establishing a good relationship with your tutee (workshop attendees will participate in 1 or 2 icebreakers)

b. The importance of time management for both the tutor and tutee (workshop attendees will participate in “The Balloon Juggling” activity)

c. Abiding by unspoken rules/effective communication (workshop attendees will play a few rounds of the card game “Barnga”)

d. Awareness of different learning styles (workshop attendees will select and play several cards from the game “Cranium”)

e. Share ideas with tutees about how to make learning fun (workshop attendees will play “Jeopardy” by subject area)

f. Being patient with tutees of different skills levels (workshop attendees will play cards from the game “MindTrap”)

3) Debriefing with attendees (5 minutes)

4) Attendees share their own practices around incorporating games and interactive experiences into their own training (5 minutes)

5) Handouts with additional resources and websites for more fun games and activities (5 minutes)

Learning Outcomes for session attendees include:

1) Exposure to a variety of ideas for games that can be included in tutor training sessions, some underlying meanings and ways to debrief so that tutors can share what they learned by playing such games

2) Further appreciation for the notion that tutors can have fun while learning to be more effective in their roles

3) An additional approach for creating tutor training topics and activities

As an avid game player in my social life, I really felt like these activities could be very applicable in the realm of working with and training tutors around a variety of topics and so I begun to infuse the lessons into tutor trainings and our staff meetings.  We, as administrators, sometimes get so caught up in conveying information about theory and stages and don’t take advantage of everyday things that can relay very similar messages in a more memorable way.  Participants in this workshop should be prepared to ‘let their hair down’, get involved with the games and have a little fun.

PresenterBio:

BA from University of Notre Dame and M. Ed from Washington State University.  After years of working in the child care field as well as service learning, I have now settled at the Seattle University's Learning Center.  Since Summer 2005, my primary responsibility has been that of coordinating our CRLA certified tutoring program and supervising approximately 55 tutors and 4 Subject Specialists each quarter.   I am also responsible for coordinating our Facilitated Study Groups for various courses and Language Conversation Groups each quarter.