Educators are increasingly turning to Skype to bring resources and instruction to their classrooms: it's free and easy to set up with classroom technology. Through Skype, students can ask meet and ask questions of experts and authors no matter where in the world they live. Skype is also a perfect platform for tutors. No need to drive hours for a specialized tutor: when you've both got computers and Skype, virtual tutoring is a great solution.
Orton-Gillingham tutoring is the gold standard for helping struggling readers, but in many areas, there are no teachers or tutors trained in O-G. Two years ago, Laurie Cousseau, an Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practioners and Educators Fellow and Director/Owner of the Green River Literacy and Learning Center, was presented with the opportunity to use Skype to reach a student she otherwise wouldn't have been able to help. Now she "meets" twice a week with a student in Istanbul. The sessions are a win-win for everyone: her student gets the O-G tutoring he needs throughout the school year and Laurie has learned new ways to deliver effective high-quality targeted remediation.
Having met with success, Laurie expanded this initiative through Green River Learning and Literacy. Now tutors she has worked with use Skype to reach students in under-served areas in the States such as the Adirondacks and Iowa, but her associates also have worked with students in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Jamaica and soon Dubai.
While she says that some tutors were initially hesitant to deliver multisensory instruction through a technological interface, the results have been remarkable. Skype tutoring allows both tutor and student “a closer look into one another’s worlds and share a remarkable bond,” says tutor Sara Quinn.
Laurie will be sharing what she's learned about Skype Tutoring at a workshop held at Camp Spring Creek this October 28.
In this session, you'll learn how to organize materials for Skype tutoring sessions and how to adapt your lessons for a distance-learning environment. You'll have an opportunity to design your own activities and to observe a Skype tutoring session.
This is a unique opportunity for Orton-Gillingham tutors to learn how to expand their tutoring practices and reach more students. Please contact Susie through our website or by phone at 828-688-1000 for more details and information!
