Does tutoring work?
Absolutely! Confidential 1:1 tutoring provides people with a unique opportunity to improve their literacy skills in a safe, low-risk environment, so they gain new confidence and are able to participate more fully in their home-life and at work.
By focussing on the needs of each adult learner and through using real-world materials and topics meaningful and relevant to each individual (in addition to main-stream tutoring resources of course), adults quickly begin to experience success at learning, sometimes for the first time in their lives.
Since volunteer community-tutoring began in 1977 in Western Australia, hundreds of literacy volunteers have helped thousands of adults to realise the unique opportunities for learning that 1:1 community-tutoring has given them.
In various externally–conducted assessments over the years, community-tutoring by Read Write Now! volunteers has consistently received exceptionally high satisfaction levels from its adult students.
supporting life-long learning… ♦
Is it too late to learn?
It’s never too late for adults to improve their literacy but the social isolation, shame and embarrassment felt by people with little or no reading or writing ability can make it hard for them to find out where to start.
Fear of failure and ridicule, especially in front of others, actually makes class or group-based learning impossible for many people.
Volunteer tutors build on the skills and life experience that each adult learner brings. Through mutual respect and trust, tutors help students to overcome their fears and learn new strategies, so they can take their first steps to improving their reading and writing and to support their independent development into the future.
The stories of some real adult learners
The following stories are of real adult learners, whose lives were changed for the better after they improved their reading and writing skills through volunteer community-tutoring. (*Names have been changed)
After 18 months of tutoring, building her literacy skills and gaining new confidence, Jess had learned how to cope with workplace challenges. She’d found a new job, started to enjoy interacting with customers and was soon promoted to a managerial role, with responsibility for stock-taking and ordering. New skills and confidence led to new job security and even meant Jess and her partner felt ready to buy their first home.