The Tutor Learning Initiative (TLI) is helping Gleneagles Secondary College extend its well-established learning intervention model.
About 4100 teaching professionals are being engaged as tutors in Victorian schools this year, to support students whose learning was most affected by COVID-19 in 2020.
At Gleneagles Secondary College in Endeavour Hills, tutor teachers funded through the initiative will work with small groups of selected students and individually, if needed, on literacy and numeracy skills for one hour a day.
Leading Teacher for Inclusion Jess Mason, who is overseeing the initiative at Gleneagles, said the school's literacy and numeracy intervention teachers would guide tutors.
She said tutors would use evidence-based strategies to support students to work towards SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals they identify to support them in their learning.
'We have found this to be effective in the past as students have a clear understanding of their short-term goal and how the tutor will help them achieve this,' Jess said.
'Ongoing monitoring by both tutor and student will ensure engagement with the learning and a clear purpose for the support.'
Students will be chosen to participate in the Initiative based on assessments now underway and other evidence of each student's learning progress and needs, such as historic and 2020 assessment results and classroom-based observations.
Jess said the benefits of the Initiative would flow on to all classroom teachers and all students.
'By prioritising the development of students' core literacy and numeracy skills, teachers will see an improvement in engagement with and comprehension of their subject's content,' she said.
About half of Gleneagles' students speak English as an additional language (EAL). Gleneagles is one of 67 schools receiving funding to employ additional Multicultural Education Aides during 2021 to support EAL learners. Together with tutoring, these additional supports will accelerate learning, lift student outcomes and re-engage students.
TLI webinars
To support the implementation and delivery of the TLI, a series of free webinars for tutors, classroom teachers and school leaders is now available via the TLI Arc page. Further professional learning opportunities, including webinars, will be available in Term 2 and throughout the year.
This includes a 45-minute case study webinar on how the Initiative is being implemented at Gleneagles Secondary College. This webinar covers the school's student identification and assessment practices, intervention model and ongoing monitoring practices, as well as the broader school context.
The presentation is followed by a 15-minute question and answer with school staff.
All webinars will be recorded and uploaded to the TLI Arc page, generally within 48 hours, with a closed-captioned version available shortly afterwards. Some sessions will also be repeated throughout the term to maximise your opportunity to attend.
Tutors and classroom teachers can also now access the TLI Hub, an online learning management system that contains self-paced professional learning modules, with additional resources, guidance, on-demand webinars recordings and useful links relevant to the tutor role.
Users can access these support materials by logging into the TLI Hub(opens in a new window) using their @education.vic.gov.au email address, and opening the link in a browser other than Internet Explorer.
Supports are available for Multicultural Education Aides and other staff working with EAL learners during 2021, including professional learning workshops, resources and peer support networks.
Find out more
For more information on the TLI, refer to:
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