According to a studies cited in the article below, when seniors tutor students both sides benefit. Based on research at Washington University in St Louis: “Students with Experience Corps tutors made over 60% more progress with reading comprehension and sounding out new words than comparable students not in the program.†But the benefits don’t stop with the kids, because other studies show that “tutoring led to measurable improvements for the volunteers — compared to adults of similar age and demographics — in physical activity and mental health, (Washington University and Johns Hopkins) and seniors who tutor young children in reading and math could delay or even reverse brain aging†(Journal of Gerontology).
LifeBound has trained tutors for the National Tutoring Association (www.ntatutor.org) on coaching skills. Our academic coaches training classes can help tutors:
• Build communication skills and make an emotional connection with students; all learning is based on emotion and research shows that when students feel connected to a teacher, they do better in school.
• Learn to ask powerful questions to tap students’ internal motivation, which is central to helping students persist with whatever difficulty they may be having.
• Grasp that overcoming a current weakness puts them in the best possible position to tackle future challenges. This is a life skill that tutors can impart to students, and
In addition to fostering academics, many tutors also serve as mentors, and the supportive relationships are instrumental in helping students take more interest in school and gain clarity for their future college and career goals. Likewise, retired people who volunteer as tutors are sharpening their mental skills right along with the students. It’s truly a win-win situation.
For more information about our coaches training, please call our toll free # 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.
ARTICLE:
USAToday
April 4, 2010
Tutoring benefits seniors’ health, students’ skills
By David Crary, The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — For 73-year-old Rosetta Handy, and the second-graders who dote on her, it’s a 50/50 proposition, with winners all around.
“They help me as much as I help them,” said Handy of her volunteer work as a tutor at Belmont Elementary School in a low-income West Baltimore neighborhood. “They give you energy. You learn psychology all over again.”
‘SCIENCE OF LEARNING': Teaching techniques may be reinvented
Recent research indicates that Handy knows of what she speaks — documenting significant health benefits for the tutors.
To view this entire article visit www.usatoday.com
