University Students as Tutors for K12 Latinos: Una Experiencia Excelente

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University Students as Tutors for K-12 Latinos
Una Experiencia Excelente

• Paul H. Matthews, Ph.D.pmatthew_at_uga.edu
• Deans Council on Diversity CLASE Seminar
  Series
• January 30, 2007

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UGA Community Tutoring

• Various initiatives that involve UGA community
  with the Latino community
• Community-based tutoring initiatives at several
  local venues
• Library outreach branch at Latino trailer park
• Convent at same community
• Boys/Girls Club in Latino duplex community
• Extending to elementaryschool(s) in district as
  pilot

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Context of these Programs

• UGA students tutoring since 2003, with expansions
  each year
• Tutoring takes place after school
• Tutors attend 1 or more times/week
• Basic orientation, background checks

• Community program staff provide oversight, set
  local rules, provide location and some materials
• Undergraduate student worker at some venues for
  admin. support

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Context of these Programs

• Latino students (mostly elem. middle school)
  different levels of English proficiency
• Help with homework, literacy support (L1, L2),
  play games, etc.
• Mentoring, social skills, and role-modeling

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About the Tutors

• Mostly undergraduates
• White, Black, Asian, Latino
• 90/semester not uncommon
• Campus-wide draw

• Arts Sciences
• Education
• Business
• Engineering
• Journalism
• Pharmacy
• Public International Affairs

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What Might We Hope For?

• What kinds of outcomes could we desire for our
  university participants?
• What are the benefits to the kids receiving the
  services?
• Why should we devote resources to this sort of
  outreach?
• From CLASEs perspective (e.g., Portes 2005)
  reducing achievement gap and providing
  opportunities for future leaders and
  policy-makers to experience diversity
  meaningfully

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About the Courses

• Prior independent study format, since 2006
  taught as an ESOL service-learning tutoring
  course
• About 15-20 students/semester
• Class meetings focused on literacy instruction,
  teaching skills, tutoring theory, reflection on
  experiences
• Theoretical applied readings
• Written reflective journaling

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Service-Learning

• Has been shown to have a positive effect on
  university students growth, commitment to
  service, moral development, interpersonal
  development, communication skills, and other
  areas
• Has been shown to reduce stereotypes, enhance
  academic learning, and improve problem-solving
  skills, among other benefits
• (Eyler, Giles, Stenson, Gray, 2001)

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How Much Service?

• In Fall Semester 2006 alone
• 28 course participants provided over 900 hours of
  service at 3 venues (over 100 more hours than
  required)
• 1490 total tutor hours from 2 venues
• Raises the question of Impact
• On K-12 Students
• On University Students

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Impact on Tutees

• For the elementary and middle students and
  parents, qualitative feedback on program
  participation and evaluation (Spring 2006)
• Parents and students expressed
• Appreciation of availability of services
• Self-reported improved literacy, grades, and
  confidence
• Filling a need parents cant

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Tutee Impressions

• It helps me to get better grades. My teachers
  told me that my reading has gotten better. My mom
  and dad tell me to keep trying. They say that
  theyre proud of me. (OH)
• My parents are proud of me and my teacher is
  happy. (LF)
• The tutors really help me out a lot with my
  homework. My grades have gone up and I have
  gotten better at reading, so my mom is pretty
  happy. (LDH)

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Tutee Impressions

• Teachers noticed when my report card got
  better. (CJ)
• My grades have gotten a lot better. I think my
  mom and dad are happy that I do well in school.
  The tutors help me to learn the stuff in school
  that I dont really understand. I like that
  because it helps me with school later on. (AH)
• I am doing a lot better in school because the
  tutors help me to learn stuff. I like to read a
  lot too and before I didnt that much. (D)

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Parent Impressions Academic

• Their classes are going well. Their grades have
  gotten a lot better.
• They are both doing better in school. Ive seen
  it in their grades.
• Shes gotten a lot smarter and she gets her
  homework done.
• Her grades have gotten a lot better and she
  seems more excited about school. Im proud of
  her.
• His grades have gotten a lot better and he knows
  a lot more than before. I am really proud of
  him.
• They know a lot more and are much better
  students.

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Parent Impressions Attitudinal

• Both of my sons are a lot more laid back when it
  comes to school now. They behave better too.
• They like school more now. They understand
  things better and can do better work.
• I think she has more confidence now in her
  schoolwork.
• At first, my daughter cried a lot because she
  didnt understand the language, but now her
  father and I dont need to review her homework
  anymore. She has confidence now.
• He is excited about school and I like that a
  lot.
• I think that they like school a lot more now.

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Parent Impressions Filling Unmet Needs

• The best thing is the attention the tutors
  give to the students. I dont think that they get
  that at school.
• It helps get rid of her doubts because we
  parents cant do it.
• The tutors are good role models for him. All
  the knowledge they bring is something that I
  cant give to my son, so I appreciate that.
• The kids at the program learn a lot more. They
  get to learn what they didnt understand in
  school, and I think that is wonderful.
• Im really happy to have it because otherwise,
  my children would not get the help they need.

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Impact on University Students

• Data from written reflections from Fall 2005,
  Spring 2006, Fall 2006
• Journal prompts re meaningful events, program
  improvement, learning outcomes for tutors and
  tutees, impact of participation on tutors
• Several important themes
• students growth
• reduction of stereotypes
• commitment to service
• enhancement of academic learning

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Compassion and Personal Growth

• AND I feel that my time tutoring has not only
  helped many kids, but also truly helped me. I
  believe that this experience has taught me many
  valuable things, which will help me throughout my
  education and life.
• KS Tutoring has become something more than
  simple help with homework. I have really gotten
  to know the children on a more personal level and
  have come to form an attachment to them.

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Compassion and Growth

• BST I have gained so much appreciation for the
  Latino community and what they are trying to do
  for their children. They have also generally
  raised my level of compassion.
• KST The opportunity to go to the program
  every day has been humbling and has made me put
  my life in perspective and be thankful for the
  opportunities I have been given, politically,
  legally, and educationally.

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Compassion and Growth

• KST Ive had the opportunity to form close
  relationships with many of the kids.
• HP I cried on my last day of tutoring I am not
  quite sure how I am going to get through the
  summer without seeing them. These kids have
  become an important part of me, and I am greatly
  appreciative for this program for putting such
  beautiful people in my life.

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Impact on Stereotypes

• Evident that direct experience with the Latino
  community impacted tutors substantially
• Many cited with appreciation how the experience
  allowed them to move beyond stereotypes and
  prejudices towards these groups
• Growing realization both of similarities to
  mainstream, and of within-group differences

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Stereotype Reduction

• BST I have also learned to appreciate and
  respect the culture and values of the Latino
  community. This group of people is easy to
  stereotype, and I am so glad that I can now be
  one more person to stand up for them.
• KA The greatest impact that tutoring had on me
  was through the breaking down of stereotypes. In
  the area that I grew up in, immigrants
  (especially Hispanic/Latino) are heavily
  stereotyped and degraded. Tutoring has helped me
  to realize that immigrants are just like everyone
  else.

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Stereotype Reduction

• KS Before I began, I was one of those who
  stereotyped Hispanic students as ones who were
  not willing to learn and lack any future goals
  and ambitions. My attitude has changed, however
• SPR Previous to this class I really didnt have
  any experience with Latino people. Now my eyes
  are open to a whole different way of life, and
  this experience will help me to look at the world
  in a new light.

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Stereotype Reduction

• AL I went into this program with many
  preconceived notions about how this community
  would appear and operate. The stereotypes that
  Americans have about Mexican immigrants are
  mostly negative and very widespread. Being a part
  of this community, and seeing what positive
  things go on has really opened my eyes and taught
  me many things.
• KB I have to admit that I am (or was) one of
  those people who tend to believe the Hispanic
  population as a whole cares less about education
  than other cultural groups. I am not sure where
  this belief originally stemmed from, but feel
  confident that my work with the tutoring program
  has helped to change this idea in my mind.

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Stereotype Reduction

• BW Although these children may lack in areas
  because of the language barrier, I have realized
  that they are really just like other kids. Some
  are really smart and can do their math homework
  in a snap others have more trouble. This has
  changed my previous views that all these children
  had a lot of trouble and were not as smart

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Stereotype Reduction

• JL My attitude has changed in that it has
  become more positive. I no longer view kids who
  lag behind in school as being lazy, I now see
  them as struggling and needing help.
• MM My attitudes and beliefs have changed
  relating to the Latino community, as I have
  learned what kind of prejudices and difficulties
  they face living in America.

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Service Advocacy

• Many tutors expressed understanding of the value
  of such service to students placed at risk
• Also expressed increased desire to learn more
  about relevant issues, to work to improve
  conditions for these and other marginalized
  populations, and to put their learning to work in
  real-world contexts

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Service Advocacy

• AN It may sound cliché, but these children
  really are the future of America. If we help
  these children now, they will benefit our
  country, and themselves, even more in the years
  to come.

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Service Advocacy

• CW One result of my tutoring, is in terms
  of my new-found desire to participate in
  community service. This is undoubtedly the most
  pronounced, direct result of my tutoring. I
  guess I never actually stepped out of my little
  suburban Atlantan box and intimately known anyone
  dissimilar. Through the program I have gotten
  to know the kids, seen where some of them live
  and recognize the plights of some of the
  children, and it makes me want to help people

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Service Advocacy

• KA This experience has really affected how I
  feel about immigration reform. Many people back
  home want to send them back. Now I realize how
  ignorant that point of view really is. I would
  like for some of those people to look in the eyes
  of the kids I have tutored and tell them that
  they have to leave America, or tell them that
  their parents cannot buy them food because they
  are not allowed to get a job.

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Service Advocacy

• KST I have also attended events tied to the
  tutoring organizations but not directly related
  that have taught me so much about the Latino
  culture I also went to a couple of panels on
  immigration in Atlanta and in Athens, and my eyes
  were opened at the range of opinions and
  potential laws that relate to the very people
  that we work with.

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Pedagogical Knowledge Skills

• Tutors demonstrated that they were able to
  develop skills and knowledge related to being an
  effective tutor
• The experience allowed them to implement theory
  and apply course ideas in this real world
  context
• Many noted their increased appreciation for the
  field of teaching

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Pedagogical Knowledge Skills

• CS While I once thought that I could never be a
  teacher, my mind has definitely changed over this
  semester. I realize the struggles and have felt
  the frustrations, but I have also experienced the
  rewards.
• CW really, working with the kids has taught me
  to teach, and Ive learned how kids learn again.

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Pedagogical Knowledge Skills

• JB Tutoring has helped me realize how much of a
  help I can be towards young kids.
• KS from working with these older kids, Ive
  learned how to be patient and learned different
  skills to approach them.
• HS One of the most important things that I
  learned was how to teach someone else to read.
• CW Ive learned the difficulties faced by
  teachers I have seen, firsthand, how difficult
  it is

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Pedagogical Knowledge Skills

• CS The more I tried to help the children, the
  more I realized the benefits of having a
  background in education. For so many skills, I
  cant even remember how I learned to do themit
  just comes naturally. I cant explain the natural
  ability to a child who doesnt understand what
  Im doing.
• DAS It is hard to remember what it was like to
  not be able to read. To me, the easiest thing is
  to have them sound out the word, but there is
  much more than that.

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Pedagogical Knowledge Skills

• CW The language barrier Ive abstractly heard
  so much about has become an almost tangible
  issue Problems that were once hypothetical have
  come alive in front of my eyes.
• HS In fact, I even went home and did some
  research on autism so that I would better
  understand what L. goes through on a daily basis.

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Pedagogical Knowledge Skills

• AND I truly believe that there is no greater
  education than service learning experience such
  as this, is something you could never learn from
  text books or multiple choice exams. You are
  able to learn and grow as a student while doing
  some good in our community and helping make the
  future brighter for many students what more
  could you ask for?

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Next Steps

• Hope to increase student participation across
  college and university, plus course
• Provide appropriate research to demonstrate
  impact on student outcome data and achievement
  gap
• Encourage replication in other areas