Volunteer Trainings

Literacy Source is committed to your success as a volunteer by providing training throughout your volunteer service.

All volunteers are asked to participate in approximately 10 hours of free online trainings in the first 2 months of volunteering. Ongoing training support is available and encouraged throughout your volunteer service.

Online Training

  • Volunteering in a Literacy Program (ProLiteracy)

    This training is a great introductory to volunteering in any literacy program. The course will help you learn about how low-literacy impacts lives across the U.S. You will hear from literacy students and volunteers, find out what it takes to become an effective literacy tutor, and learn how you can help to end low-literacy.

    Working with Adult Literacy Learners (Proliteracy)

    In this online course, you will identify characteristics of adult learners, find out how adults learn best, identify adult learning challenges, and learn how you can support adult learners.

    Note: to access the ProLiteracy trainings for free you will need to create a Membership Login. Please follow these step-by-step instructions for creating the login.

  • Basic Literacy Tutor Training(Proliteracy)

    Twelve self-paced modules for teaching adult emergent readers. Topics include: Working with Adult Literacy Learners/Introduction to Literacy Instruction/The Lesson Plan/Assessment, Goals Setting, & Evaluation/Alphabetics and Word Study/Fluency/Vocabulary/Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies/Writing Composition and Mechanics/The Language Experience Approach.

    ESOL Tutor Training (Proliteracy)

    Thirteen self-paced modules for tutoring ESOL adult learners. Topics include: Introduction to ESL/Working with Adult ESL Learners/Introduction to ESL Instruction/The Lesson Plan/Assessment, Goals Setting, & Evaluation/VocabularyConversations/Pronunciation/Grammar/Reading/Writing/The Language Experience Approach

    Note: to access the ProLiteracy trainings for free you will need to create a Membership Login. Please follow these step-by-step instructions for creating the login.

  • The Naturalization Interview and Test

    This 16 min. video covers the requirements for naturalization, the interview process and components, and shows part of a naturalization interview.

    Citizenship Tutor Training (Literacy Minnesota)

    This Literacy Minnesota training educates teachers and tutors to assist students in preparing for United States Citizenship through naturalization. Please note, to access this training you will need to create a personal login.

  • Volunteer in the Adult ESL Classroom (Literacy Minnesota)

    This training prepares new volunteers to work in an adult ESOL classroom and provides ongoing development for experienced classroom volunteers. Topics covered include volunteer roles, culture and cultural awareness, responding to errors, and effective floating in the ESOL classroom.

    Please note, to acess the training you will need to create a personal login.

  • Understanding the Reading Process (Proliteracy)

    This course introduces adult literacy and ESOL instructors to the reading process. In this course, you will learn about the research behind the components of reading instruction (alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension). You’ll identify teaching strategies you can use that help students develop their skills in these four component areas. Finally, you will understand how to talk with students about the reading process and how good readers approach reading.

    Before, During, and After: Reading Comprehension (Proliteracy)

    This course features the Before, During, and After reading technique. This is a technique tutors and teachers can use to help students interact with text and systematically apply reading strategies that will improve their comprehension. This course is highly recommended for class assistants.

    Overview of the Writing Process

    Participants will be provided with an overview of the components of the writing process: planning, drafting, revising, editing and publishing. Writing tools will be shared with participants that will assist and scaffold students as they engage in the writing process.

    Note: to access the ProLiteracy trainings for free you will need to create a Membership Login. Please follow these step-by-step instructions for creating the login.

To access class-specific resources, check out our Literacy Source Google Drive