Literacy Program Volunteer Opportunities

What is The Adult Volunteer Literacy Program?

In 1986, the Adult Volunteer Literacy project was founded at John A. Logan College to help adults improve their basic literacy skills in reading, math, writing and language. With the help of trained volunteer tutors, the program is centered upon improving the literacy levels of each individual while understanding their unique needs and goals. We are the sole provider of the free volunteer-based adult literacy services in the John A. Logan College district.

What Do Volunteer Tutors Do?

Volunteer tutor with students in an ABE/GED classroom.

Some volunteers tutor one-on-one in the community; others help out in adult education classrooms; some work with small groups and others help students learn English as a second language. Some volunteers also enjoy helping with fund raisers and recruitment. Everyone is part of a team working to improve literacy in the JALC district.

What is Required of a Volunteer Tutor?

We ask that volunteer tutors participate in 12 hours of initial training and then take advantage of in–service training opportunities in specialized topics. After training and being matched with a learner, a volunteer will usually meet with an adult learner one to two times a week for a total of 2-3 hours. We ask that volunteers commit to the program for at least 6 months. We also require that volunteers keep track of their hours and their learner’s progress and submit the information for reporting purposes.

How is a Volunteer Tutor Matched With a Learner?

We take our time to insure good matches. We consider schedules, personal preferences, strengths and special needs, personalities, and our own intuition and experience. Sometimes it doesn’t work out on the first try. We learn from the experience and then try again. Patience and patience are “two” important qualities in this field.

What Do Tutors Learn During Tutor Training?

Tutors working in groups during tutor training.

Training is provided by the literacy staff. Specific strategies, methods, techniques and training delivery methods (lecture, home-study, and observation) have been developed to fit the specific needs of the learners and tutors. The following are some of the topics presented during training.

Introduction—orientation to the literacy efforts at the local, state and national levels.
The adult literacy volunteer—expectations, responsibilities and roles of volunteer tutors.
The adult learner—needs, goals, uniqueness; methods to establish rapport; initial goal-setting; self-esteem builders; spotting learning barriers.
The adult language learner—the language acquisition process and the reading process (definition of reading/comprehension).
Assessment techniques—informal ways to detect possible hearing, vision and learning difficulties; introduction to assessment tool(s) and other methods of evaluating student progress.
Instructional techniques—techniques for adult literacy learners at beginning, middle and advanced levels as appropriate. These include: vocabulary/word analysis, comprehension and writing skills for native English speakers. Techniques for teaching/tutoring basic math students.
Materials/Resources/Support—overview of commercial materials available to tutors for loan or on-site; tips on preparation of “real world” materials or use of newspapers, bus schedules and the like.
Goal setting and lesson plans—organizing instruction to meet individual needs.

Would You Like to Explore Tutor Training Lessons?

Volunteer tutors attending a session at the Spring Tutor Conference sponsored by the Literacy Council of Southern Illinois.

Click on the Illinois Secretary of State On-line Tutor Training Program at: http://literacy.kent.edu/illinois/onlinett/index.html.

When and Where Do Services Take Place?

The program is in operation year round. Tutoring is provided at a variety of community settings within the John A. Logan College district (JALC district includes: Williamson, Jackson and parts of Franklin, Perry and Randolph counties). The operating schedule is based on learner/tutor availability.

Are There Opportunities for Additional Training?

Two tutor conferences are offered through the Literacy Council of Southern Illinois in the spring and fall. These conferences are free to our tutors. Additional tutor workshops are scheduled on an as-needed basis.

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