User's Guide

Information to help you successfully complete your online volunteer training.

instructional goal

By the end of the training, you will be able to set and reach meaningful language goals with students to improve their learning outcomes by:

1. Using and following a set routine

2. Following principles of goal setting

3. Filling out progress sheets

4. Choosing to attend class and arrive on time consistently

5. Communicating with the coordinator during or between each class session.

audience

This training is designed for community volunteers who may or may not have previous teaching or tutoring experience, ESL or otherwise. Many (if not all) of you are busy students or professionals in the downtown Salt Lake City area who have chosen to participate in English SLC. Some may have learned another language, some may have a native language other than English, but all of you have the basic skills you need to be successful volunteers: high proficiency in English, experience in online and in-person learning environments, and the ability to make friends with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

length

There are 6 online modules of 45 minutes each, 2 modules of 30 minutes each, and one in-person session that runs for 2.5 hours. The total training experience runs for 8 hours.

delivery

8 modules are completed online via this website. All the instructions you need to complete the activities and access the outside materials are found within each module. The content is delivered in the form of readings, videos, and audio clips, and learners are given in-text directions to guide them through the course. These pedagogies are similar to lecture/readings and guided practice, even without an instructor present.

A final module will be completed in-person and will be led by the site coordinator. At that time, the coordinator will provide physical copies of the documents you will access online during the modules.

instructional sequence

After you complete the 8 online modules, you will attend a 2.5-hour in-person practice session, in which you will have the opportunity to practice the skills you learned online, and in which live performance assessments will be given for each of the five primary objectives.

Each of the eight modules will follow the same lesson sequence: introduction, lesson, practice, and assessment. The modules are designed visually to follow a predictable overall pattern and to easily locate information, answers, links, and other applications. The in-person session will also follow this format, with a heavy emphasis on practice and assessment.

materials needed

Online Modules:

Computer or other device
Internet Access
Pen and paper OR word processor to do writing assignments
Adobe Flash Player, which can be installed for free here
Speakers and/or headphones, for video and audio content

All other required materials (PDF handouts, YouTube videos, audio clips, outside websites (including Objectives Builder), and readings) are embedded in the modules via blue links or PDF readers.

All required materials for the in-person training will be provided on-site (writing materials, physical copies of class documents, etc.).

unit overview

Each module contains an "Objectives" box to guide your learning experience.

The online modules cover the following content:

Module 1: Introduction and Daily Routine

Module 2: Filling out the Language Study Plan

Module 3: Principles of Goal Setting

Module 4: Goal Setting Practice

Module 5: Lesson Planning

Module 6: During the Lesson

Module 7: Working with the Coordinator

Module 8: Class Policies

The in-person module consists of practicing the above skills with other volunteers, and a final live performance assessment to determine your competency in performing volunteer responsibilities.

assessments

Each module also contains an assessment, to test your ability to perform the module objectives. These assessments are brief. You will perform the task, and then check your response against an answer key located beneath the assessment. It is your responsibility to perform the assessment honestly, as the skills will later be tested in person with no assistance besides the handouts. The live assessment will be scored on a yes/no checklist, to indicate whether or not you perform the basic responsibilities of a volunteer. You need to score at least 80% "yes" to be able to take on your own students as a volunteer. All content required to succeed in the final assessment is covered in the online modules.

MODULE 1