Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County

Training opportunities for volunteer tutors

Thu, 12/18/2014 - 8:45am

BELFAST — Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County will offer three learning opportunities early in the New Year for those interested in literacy, reading, and how to foster those interests in others. Workshops encompass information about becoming a literacy volunteer tutor as well as tips, ideas, and research for volunteers who are actively tutoring or for community members who simply want to learn more about literacy.

All workshops will feature Wendy Kasten, emerita professor of curriculum and instruction in literacy.

The workshops are primarily in January and in March, as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., at Belfast Adult Education, a workshop will provide an introduction to Literacy Volunteers as well as an interactive mini-workshop on selecting texts for sharing and meaningful engaged instruction. Strategies for building vocabulary and comprehension will be demonstrated. The workshop will also feature a visit from a former literacy student describing how he became more proficient in reading by working with a literacy tutor.

Later in the month, starting on January 15, "All About Language and Literacy" will be offered on four consecutive Thursday mornings in 2.5 hour classes. (January 15, 22, 29 and Feb 5) through the Hutchinson Center's Senior College Winterim session. This course is designed for people interested in the process of reading and writing, how people learn to read, factors that can make reading and writing more difficult for some people, and how to encourage and grow effective and enthusiastic readers.

Finally, a four-session class, "Tips and Techniques for Literacy Volunteers" will be offered through Belfast Adult Education on March 2, 9, 16, and 23, Mondays, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. This class is designed for individuals who tutor or who desire to tutor adults whose literacy skills are inadequate to meet their personal and career goals. Four two-hour sessions fill focus on foundations of literacy, learner-centered instruction, motivation and choice in reading and strategies for comprehension.

Wendy C. Kasten, professor emerita from Kent State University (Ohio, began her teaching career in Waldo County at Searsport Elementary School. She has also taught at the University of Maine, University of South Florida, and Deakin University in Australia.

She is the recipient of two teaching awards in higher education. She has co-authored eight books on literacy/literature topics, including two published in Turkish, and two translated into Mandarin Chinese. She has authored numerous articles, and been associate editor for the Reading and Writing Quarterly for 14 years.

She has taught courses in children's and young adult literature, educational research, teaching reading, teaching writing, and action research. She has traveled in 50 countries, worked with teachers in 12 countries, advised graduate students from 16 countries who are mostly English teachers from foreign countries. She resides in Belfast.

Literacy Volunteers provides free, confidential services to adults (ages 18 and older) who would like to improve their reading, writing, conversation, math, and/or computer skills. Trained volunteers work with adults on a one-to-one basis in a private setting, preferably in the adult learner's community and one-hour learning sessions are scheduled around work and other obligations. This system allows the specific needs of each learner to be addressed in an effective, convenient, and stress-free manner.

Assistance is available for native speakers as well as new English learners.

According to ProLiteracy, the national nonprofit sponsoring organization of Literacy Volunteers, more than 30 million adults in the United States cannot read, write, or do basic math above a third grade level and more than 10 million Americans have reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level. The U.S. DOE estimates of 2003 indicate that eight percent of Waldo County residents lack basic literacy skills, compared to seven percent statewide, according to a news release.

FMI or to register for a class, contact Literacy Volunteers coordinator at 207-338-3197 or Litvolwc@rsu20.org.

Belfast Adult Education is located on Waldo Avenue in front of Belfast Area High School. BAE is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.