Keep in touch
It is important for the tutor and learner to keep a staff member up-to-date on the learner’s progress. When the learner-tutor match is arranged, a regular system of reporting should also be established. It is important for the volunteer and the staff to keep in regular contact so that the learner’s progress can be properly documented.

Encourage self-assessment
Ongoing assessment is the job of both the tutor and the learner. It is important that the learner be able to recognize her own progress and become a full partner in determining her progress. The tutor and the learner should work together to identify the skills learned and how the learner is using those new skills. The next chapter will look at self-assessment in more detail.

Encourage reflection
How does what the learner has learned relate to his goals? How do learning activities relate to the training plan? Which activities provide a good indicator of a skill learned? Reflecting on learning helps internalize learning.

Be flexible
Sometimes, things won’t go according to plan. If it is taking longer for a learner to grasp a new skill, the volunteer will need to adjust her lesson plans (provide extra practice, try a new teaching strategy). Teaching and learning are not exact sciences, there is no one way that works 100% of the time, and no two learners learn at exactly the same pace or in the same way. The volunteer must use her observations about the learner’s skills and learning preferences to help her develop and adapt lesson plans as necessary.

Provide feedback to the learner
The tutor should provide positive feedback on the learner’s work. Positive, constructive feedback can help a learner identify areas of difficulty that she can work on. It is important, however, to direct any criticism at the work, not at the person. Providing this type of feedback helps the student learn to assess her own work. Both of these skills (accepting feedback and self-assessment) are part of the Self-Management/Self-Direction domain and are an essential part of learning. It is also important that the learner understand that she is also criticizing her own work and not the individual tutor or the literacy program.