In a few weeks I will be taking a tutoring course geared toward helping adults become better readers. I'm excited because as a former elementary school teacher I have never lost my desire to teach reading. So learning to become an adult tutor will be similar to teaching 5 year olds to read and yet very different.
Teaching anyone how to read is a step by step process. It begins with teaching the alphabetic principle or simply learning the names of the letters and sounds. Next is phonemic awareness which involves hearing the sounds that are being spoken. Clapping the syllables in words, pointing to words and word parts, and rhyming are all examples of phonemic awareness. The next step is learning the phonics rules involving the pronunciation of the letters and letter combinations. As students master the beginning skills they move on to vocabulary and comprehension instruction.
A reader is someone who is able to read fluently with speed and expression, understands what they are reading, which includes the vocabulary in the story, and is engaged and enjoying the reading process. Sounds like a daunting task! It can be a difficult challenge especially for adults who for some reason never learned how to read fluently.
I'm looking forward to the challenge of becoming a reading tutor.
