02/06 Interview with Julia

Works as a language tutor for GPLC- Greater Pittsburgh Literature Council

Role and responsibilities of GPLC & it’s tutors:

Julia talked about her role and responsibilities, how the GPLC works, tutoring at GPLC and her student. This entire interview was really helpful to understand the needs of students who take tutoring lessons and what can GPLC organizations offer to non native Americans.

Julia’s main role involved tutoring which she says is “not similar to teaching”. The main value of being a tutor she says, “is an opportunity for students seeking language help to interact with native speaker like herself and many more like her.” This way the students get to interact with native speakers and hear their point of view which is very beneficial and not easily accessible.

Learning Levels:

There are three level at GPLC — beginner, intermediate, advance and GPLC have tests that help determine these levels. GPLC provides their tutors some high level goals based on their students and some books based on those goals. This helps the tutors focus on specific things to work on and plan activities that will help achieve these goals.

Teaching/learning techniques:

Some of the techniques she uses are playing videos like ted talks or other students, activities based on songs and news, grammar activities etc.. Julia says that an advance student would one who can express his ideas and communicate even if it’s not extremely fluent. The tutors usually incorporate the lessons, vocabulary, grammar etc.. learnt in the previous lesson into the next to build on the knowledge and help practice the vocabulary which is the most difficult part in speaking a language. Julia usually starts her tutoring session by asking her student a question like, “Is there anything you want to talk about?” She believes the conversations that she has with her student prove to be most helpful in his learning process and listening to her speak helps in tuning the ears of the student.

Success factors:

Julia says the most important factor is that the student’s “ear needs to be tuned.” She talks about a student learning to express oneself is more important than learning to be as fluent as the native speakers.

Hardest part of teaching:

She talks about one of the hardest parts of being a tutor is the lesson planning that she needs to do each week which is not provide by GPLC, who only provide a learning plan and both are very different. Julia says, “grammar activities are the hardest, for eg:- auxiliary words etc..”

What’s in it for the tutor:

Julia talks about an important aspect in her tutoring session is that she provides knowledge but in exchange she receives more information about the culture that her student belongs to. There is an exchange between knowledge about the language and culture aspects. She told us about a time when her student expressed his feelings of being a Non-English speaking Spanish man and how his own Spanish community did not sympathize with him. Another cultural exchange example that she gave talked of her student and she compared political and cultural similarities and differences between the two cultures and countries they belonged to.

Motivation factors:

This exchange of cultural similarities/differences and discussions on common topics motivates students for more conversations and practice. She says, “getting to know the student , learning about his experiences is very helpful in the learning process.” They talk about politically accepted topics for small talk, polite, impolite topics to talk in public and what to avoid. Students find themselves being nervous about phrasing sentences while being politically correct. Julia says, “language is powerful and should be used carefully.”