We conducted a tutor training over the weekend and over 25 people attended! I have to give them credit as 23 were college students willing to get out of bed, arrive by 9:30a.m. and participate until 3:10p.m. Of course, Sharon and I love doing these trainings - to us, the information is interesting and useful - we hope to make it so for those who participate in our trainings, visit this blog, read our newsletters, etc.

One of the best resources we use in our trainings is the FAT City video with Rick Lavoie. If you have not seen this video, you are missing out on a true immersion experience. We only show about 10 minutes of this video, and our evaluations reflect it is one of the most valuable pieces of the training. Copies are available from our library (www.ouliteracycenter.org) and through Rick Lavoie's website, www.ricklavoie.com.

In fact, Mr. Lavoie is coming to spend the day with our Literacy Center on Friday, August 7, 2009. We are hosting a Summer Symposium at Hocking College Inn where Mr. Lavoie will present for two hours in the morning and some part of the afternoon. Registration for this event will open in April; we expect a nominal registration fee of $25.

The other part of the day will be break-out sesisons that focus on your needs in the classroom. When working with children or adults with learning disabilities, about what topics do you want more information? We'll select 3-4 topics for our facilitated break-out sesions. Ideally, each group will create 2-3 objectives to achieve in the 2009-2010 school year. A Day of Reflection is scheduled for the following June (2010) to reconvene and share your experiences and findings.

Send me an email with your thoughts (totten@ohio.edu) or post comments here on this blog.