Jamie TS#1

Date/Time: Monday, August 29th, 6:00pm.

Location: Tutee's home, West Pensacola Street

Topic/Skill: Introductory meeting and assessment (speaking, writing, listening, and reading).

Tiba abilities had been described as "some," and so the evaluations I'd planned were written under the assumption that Tiba spoke a little bit of communicative English. However, other than yes and no, this was not the case. Without the option of questioning her, we relied on physical signals. We identified which letters and numbers she could speak and write (some), and with what vocabulary she was familiar (mostly academic/family related).

Feedback provided to tutee: Relying on non-verbal signals, I let Tiba know her efforts were received well, and that she was doing a good job. When mistakes occurred, I simply said the correct answer, which she repeated. I mainly focused on encouragement, as Tiba seems shy and unsure about her abilities.

Lesson(s) about tutoring and/or the tutee you learned: I learned a great deal about preconceptions in tutoring, and how you must be able to quickly shift focus and cater your efforts to fit your student's abilities. This first meeting has shown me that we need to build some basic vocabulary in order to transmit ideas, and that additional focus should go into alphabet/numeral memorization to give Tiba a firmer foundation. Culturally, this first meeting opened my eyes to the family dynamic of Tiba's home. More specifically, that the entire family wanted to be involved in the learning process. With an audience of about 8 family members and young friends, Tiba and I went through the basics. After each of her answers, I was very pleased to hear it quietly echoed by her younger siblings. It drove home the realization that Tiba will be an example and a resource for her brothers and sisters, and that this should be something I keep in mind as we work together.