SDLC Training

How to Become a Trainer

Local Councils will decide what kind of workshop they need to design to best suit the needs of their students. The local Councils will decide who is qualified to teach their local workshops. If the local council is a member of Laubach Literacy Action, trainees attending their workshops may be certified as LLA Tutors.

Please note that in 2002 Laubach Literacy merged with Literacy Volunteers of America to form ProLiteracy America and ProLiteracy Worldwide. New Standards for trainers may be developed in the near future. We will update our information as soon as possible after such standards are developed.

To Be a Local Council Trainer

- Tell your local Council president that you are interested in being a trainer.
- Work with your local Training Certification Team to decide how you can help with your Council's future training sessions.
- Assist with the portions of local training workshops which fit your area or expertise.
- Enjoy sharing your talents as a local trainer!

To Become a Certified Laubach Literacy Action Trainer

- The first step is to be a certified tutor. Complete a Laubach Way to Reading or Laubach Way to English Workshop.
- The next step is to be an active tutor. The minimum requirement is 40 volunteer hours as a tutor. (You need to have this experience to be credible as a trainer.)
- Work with your local Council to set up a Training Certification Team. It should include YOU, plus a member of your local Council, plus a supervising tutor trainer or an apprentice supervising tutor trainer. You may choose to include additional members on your team!
- With the help of your team, plan what you need to do to become certified as a trainer.
- Complete an LLA Apprentice Tutor Trainer Application Form. Mail it to LLA.
- Observe a complete workshop. Note what happens. What teaching techniques are being used? Do the trainees seem to understand what's being taught? How could the workshop be improved?
- Complete an LLA Apprentice Tutor Trainer Workshop.
- Study your training materials and design your presentations. Help present a few workshops.
- Be the lead trainer for at least one workshop. This means that YOU plan the whole workshop, assign jobs to other trainers, and do all the paperwork.
- Be a paper pusher! Save all of those fabulous evaluation forms and compile the results.
- When you and your team think you're ready to be certified as a trainer, collect all of the required paperwork and forward it to Laubach Literacy Action.
- Have Fun as you continue to tutor and as you introduce others to the joys of tutoring!

Certification as a South Dakota Literacy Council State Trainer

- This certification is for trainers who enjoy traveling, and would like to be a part of our SDLC network of approved trainers who are available to conduct workshops statewide.
- What does this involve? Just a little more time spent on paperwork! The SDLC Training Committee is going to put a file folder together for each of our trainers, which will include:
- Copies of any LLA or other forms, certificates and awards, such as an..
LWR or LWE Tutor Training Certificate
Senior/Master Tutor Certificate
LLA Tutor Trainer Certificate
LLA Supervising Trainer Certificate
LLA Master Tutor Trainer Certificate
Certificates from LVA or other national literacy organizations
- Accommodations from other trainers who have done workshops with you, and from your local Council.
- A current resume and/or Trainer Date Sheet.
- After every workshop, SDLC trainers will send in...
A Workshop Program & Schedule
Copies of raw evaluations
Compilation of all evaluations
A list of all of the new tutors who have been trained,
which includes their names, addresses, & phone numbers
Tutor Workshop Composite
Bills and Receipts
- SDLC Certified Trainers will be expected to participate in at least ten hours of continuing education per year, and
- They will be expected to continue to tutor a student (or be willing to tutor the next available student).
-Last but not least, SDLC trainers must be a member of their local Council, the South Dakota Literacy Council, and either Laubach Literacy Action or another national literacy organization which certifies tutor trainers.

Generic Standards for Trainers Who Present Specialized Workshops

1. Approval as a trainer from local council

2. Appointment of a local trainer certification team.

3. Experience as a tutor of adult learners in the area specified.

4. Completion of a state "Train the Trainer" workshop.

5. Formal academic degree in the area or evidence of strong interest and specialized training in the area (e.g. attendance at one or more workshops).

6. Recent attendance at continuing education workshops in the area of specialization.

7. Educational resume on file with the SDLC Training chair.

8. Proven ability to present up-to-date information to trainees.

9. Willingness to file required paperwork.

10. Approval of the state certification team.

If and when national standards for certification are developed by Laubach Literacy/Literacy Volunteers of America, we would encourage all of our trainers to become certified through their channels.

These training standards were voted upon and passed at the April 2002 quarterly board meeting of the South Dakota Literacy Council.