One-to-one literacy instruction via web cam

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

I am a director of a university reading clinic that provides one-to-one literacy instruction for students K-10. Our reading clinic has been in operation since fall 2001; however, beginning fall 2004 I have implemented distance tutoring via web cam technology into our tutoring program. In other words the tutoring that has traditionally occurred face-to-face is now occurring with the use of a web cam.

Each school site is equipped with a laptop, web cam, headphones, and reading/writing materials provided at no charge for the duration of the tutoring by our university. Technology coordinators at each site are responsible for ensuring that a connection between the school and the university is established prior to the start of each tutoring session and upon completion of the session.

The tutors and tutees never meet face-to-face. Since the fall semester of 2004 we have tutored 126 children. Forty-four children (35%) have been tutored via web cam and they have ranged in ages 7-18. The elementary age children receive tutoring after school whereas the adolescents receive tutoring any time from 8:30-3:30 central time. This allows them to continue to work or participate in sports activities. Furthermore, this service allows children to utilize the tutoring services of the reading clinic who have not had this opportunity in the past due to the distance from their school to the reading clinic. For example, this past semester we were connected to the nine different schools that ranged from 220 miles away from our university to fifteen miles away.

My colleagues and I are interested in reaching out beyond our state borders to other states so as to demonstrate the effectiveness of tutoring across states and permit a tutor/tutee relationship that would promote exposing tutors and tutees to different cultures, ethnicities, etc. We’re hoping this will open the door to providing high-quality affordable tutoring to parents anywhere in the United States. Currently we have an approximate 88% success rate (advancing children at least one level per semester using an IRI assessment tool).

Does anyone know of a school that would be willing to partner with us or parents (we can tutor their child at home as well) who would be willing to make use of our services? Many people have approached this concept with reluctance but those who have witnessed it in progress are very pleased. If you know of anyone please have them contact me.

Thanks.

Submitted by houget on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 7:55 PM

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Thank you for your inquiry. It follows the tutoring curriculum you will find in research. Wasik (1998) research, and now more recent research by others, found that tutoring is successful if there are three things that occur (1) an opportunity for the training of tutors, (2) supervision of someone who is well versed in reading and reading instruction; and (3) some form of planning and structure while the tutoring sessions are occurring. The tutoring we provide incorporates all three of these.

The tutoring occurs twice a week for sixty minutes for a total of eighteen tutoring sessions. During each tutoring session there are five essential components that must be completed: fluency instruction, vocabulary instruction, guided oral reading, writing that incorporates editing and revising, and reading aloud to the tutee from a text that is too hard for them to read but easy enough for them to listen to and discuss.

All of our tutors are preservice elementary/secondary teachers that are taking this reading practicum as a requirement. In addition, they meet with me three times a week for fifty-minute periods for intense instruction of how to teach children to read. They are taught to teach in a speech-to-print format (Moats, 2000) and are tested on their knowledge of our 44 speech sounds, consonant blends and diagraphs, syllables, and morphemes throughout the semester.

I supervise all of the tutoring sessions and grade all of their lesson plans. Currently we are able to successfully operate five web cams at one time and are planning to purchase additional space on our web server in the future so as to operate more. Feasibly we hope to be able to have 25-30 tutoring session occurring simultaneously.

Our initial results have been very positive and the tutor/tutee relationship has not been hindered. We have authored a research article that is currently being reviewed by Reading Psychology journal and are in the process of authoring a second article.

I am excited about what we are doing. I have searched everything I can get my hands on to see if anyone is attempting to deliver tutoring in this fashion and I have not found anyone else doing this or ever suggesting it.

So anyway, I hope that answers your questions.

Again, thanks for inquiring.

Submitted by mmm on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 8:53 PM

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sounds like a parent’s dream come true. Many parent are unable to pay for such services. What time zone are you in?

May I suggest another ld parent website? schwablearning.com has a message board that is very active-http://schwablearning.org/message_boards/index.asp?pg=1&sortBy=dDate#q1

I can’t imagine that you won’t be stampeded. What particlur reading profile are you looking for?

Submitted by houget on Mon, 01/16/2006 - 9:47 PM

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Thank you for the website. The cost of the program is $60.00 for all 18 sessions. That is what I charge those parents who bring their child to our clinic to receive face-to-face tutoring. I want it to be affordable and remain that way. That is why we use web cams because it is very affordable.

Actually, we tutor any child who is reading below, at, or above their current grade placement. We have kept data since 2002 and have had equal numbers in all three of those categories. My reason for allowing those children reading at or above their grade level is because I feel they deserve good tutoring opportunities as well. I also wanted to make the connotation of our reading clinic positive and it has worked.

I hope some parent out of our state (South Dakota/Central Time Zone) will take advantage of the program so we can begin to demonstrate its effectiveness across state lines. If not I have those in South Dakota utilizing our services. It is exciting to be able to provide tutoring services for children who could not receive the services prior to the last few semesters because of their distance from our university. The parents are very appreciative. Of the 26 kids we tutored last semester via web cam only one of them received the tutoring at home. The other kids did their tutoring at the school. Initially the principals have been reluctant but have discovered it is not intrusive and a few of the teachers have chosen to sit in on a session so that they can see what we are doing.

Submitted by Angela in CA on Sun, 01/22/2006 - 12:10 AM

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Your distance tutoring sounds promising. I suggest you look at Read Right. While their premise and program are different, they do distance learning via the telephone. It worked very well for our son. www.readright.com

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