enrolled in and completed a tutor training course,
Starting employees begin as tutors. Before tutors can take students, they enroll in a tutor training course (GS 108B) to learn mentor techniques and curriculum. I started with 8-10 other tutors hired by the then Academic Learning Department*. Over the course of seven weeks, we learned textbook strategies like Bloom's Taxonomy of Questioning, Cornell note-taking, SQ3R Power Reading, and how to teach lessons on speed reading, time management, Latin and Greek word roots, and more.
worked with tutees during bi- and sometimes tri-weekly meetings,
Typical tutoring sessions last about 50 minutes with tutors and students working on a one-on-one basis. Often students chose to meet 2 or 3 times a week. Because each lesson had to be suited to a particular student, we worked hard to craft our curriculum to meet our peers' needs. Tutors worked to balance both a professional and friendly relationship during their sessions; many Reading Center patrons became my friends.
adapted lesson plans to my tutees' specific needs,
Part of the Reading Center's versatility is being able to adapt to meet each student's needs. Over a three-year tutoring experience, I read contemporary novels with my students to increase fluency (Including Harry Potter and The Christmas Box); created flashcards to aid in memorization (the most memorable set of vocabulary for me was the cow unit -- one of my students was enrolled in an agronomy class); learned mnemonic techniques by memorizing poetry and short prose (I specifically remember "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman); worked on pronunciation with ESL students by reading Doctor Seuss books; and researched bugogi, a Korean dish somewhat resembling beef stew, for culture study.
and certified through the College Reading and Learning Association.
I also earned my Master Tutor Certification III certificate from the National College Reading and Learning Association (NCRLA). In summary, the NCRLA certification program requires a certain amount of tutoring and training hours to receive tutor certification levels I, II, and III. More information is available on their website (linked above).