People who are interested in the work of the Literacy Council and think they might like to tutor an adult learner are invited to a one hour information session. Attendance is a prerequisite to tutor training.

View our current schedule of Volunteer Information Sessions here

Before beginning to work with an adult learner, prospective tutors must complete about 6 hours of training.  These workshops are held about eight times a year on weekday evenings or Saturdays, currently on Zoom.

The workshop introduces a phonics-based, multi-sensory approach geared to students who can’t read well, and a comprehensive curriculum including listening, speaking, reading and writing for those who can speak little or no English or wish to improve their reading or language skills. It also presents instructional techniques and materials for more advanced students, and advice about tailoring lessons to particular student needs.

After completing the training, tutors complete their onboarding process (volunteer policies and procedures, and a background screening report).  Tutors are also asked to provide their availability and preferences, such as tutoring one-to-one or a small group, with a Basic Literacy student or an ESL student. A Literacy Council Volunteer Coordinator helps to match tutors with adult learners based on tutor and student preferences.

View our current schedule of Tutor Training Workshops here.

Support doesn’t end with the training workshop! In addition, our tutors have access to a wide range of free online and in-house materials that include comprehensive teacher guides with lesson plans. The Literacy Council’s program coordinators provide continuing guidance about where to begin with a particular student, what materials to use, or what to do if a certain approach isn’t succeeding.