Testimonials KLEAR READING AND WRITING SCHEME By Alice It is probably true to say that almost all of us have heard about the very successful Reading & Writing scheme in KLEAR which is organised by Rose Brownen. Perhaps not so many know what it is like to be a student and tutor in this scheme, and perhaps even fewer know what it is like to be a numeracy tutor and student. I spoke to Linda and May who have only recently joined the scheme and asked how they are getting along together as a newly matched 1:1 numeracy student and tutor, and how their sessions are going. May said they are both learning together, and that it is very important to be totally honest. Their first session went very well, and they both felt comfortable from the beginning. Linda started off by saying 'she was hopeless at maths'. Her tutor May on the other hand, could see that Linda just lacked confidence, and that she was much better than she thought. They agreed to start on long division. Linda says she was afraid of it at first, but very soon they had moved on to fractions and they are now starting on decimals. They both agree that lots of revision is necessary in numeracy work, so it forms part of each session. They are both enjoying the sessions and having fun. Linda has discovered that once things are explained to her she has no problem grasping them, also her confidence in the tutor has been a great help. Linda is delighted that she can help her son with his homework She now has the confidence to tease out the problems with him. Normally she would say, 'leave it til your Dad comes in'. But not any more: she is now able to apply what May has taught her to the homework, Linda even makes up extra problems and enjoys explaining them to her son. Linda says that, once you get over the nervousness, being a numeracy student is very fulfilling, and she gets great enjoyment from doing her homework in front of the kids. They think it is absolutely brilliant and they are eager and willing to help. She thinks it is wonderful to have a 1:1 tutor; it makes a huge difference when the tutor has the time, unlike school where there are big classes and the teacher only has a few minutes for each student May is really excited about being a 1:1 numeracy tutor. She says it is wonderful to have the time to meet the individual needs of your student. Although, as she points out, it never feels like 'student and tutor'. It is two adults working together to increase the confidence in their own ability. A word of advice from May 'it is very important to be prepared, go through the work beforehand, do your own homework'. Don't pretend you know everything, show a bit of humility. Let the other person see you are just as fragile in some areas as they are. May acknowledges that she is lucky to have a highly motivated student who is interested in homework. 'I would say the tutor gets more out of it than the student'. There is such joy in passing on information. They have a nice arrangement for homework - Linda can ring May if she gets stuck. They both look forward to their sessions once a week.