Federico R. Lastra 12731 SW 27" ST Miami, FL 33175 (786) 283-0356 federicosupertutor@gmail.com March 30, 2015 Dr. Jefirey Dean Swain, CASR Director Scholarship Committee Chairman Florida Memorial University Centers for Academic Support & Retention Sarah Blocker Hall, Room 209 RE: Tutor Training Intensive, March 18" & 20", 2015 Dr. Swain, As you requested, here is a brief synopsis of the tutor training intensive that I conducted at your center on March 18" and 20" of 2015, evenings. I found the group of tutors to be very ‘motivated to learn, and truly had a desire to develop further skills. The tutors had a strong, knowledge and confidence in their capacity to tutor their subjects. In the first session we covered the components of effective tutoring, assessed their knowledge and skills, and taught them the tutoring role and cycle. They were inquisitive and extremely involved in all the scenarios and eager to leam how to handle challenging tutoring situations, while adhering to tutoring ethics and methods in which to treat the tutes with respect. Moreover, how to motivate learning and create a warm tutoring environment within the center that should lead to more referrals, via recommendations and interactions with their professors. I found that the tutors could benefit from an annual training and additional study skills intensives, to teach tutees better reading comprehension and note-taking skills that could be applied to various subjects, as well as a workshop on test-taking strategies. On March 20" we focused on ways in which to handle difficult tutoring situations with tact and professionalism, patterns of behavior that would enhance the learning experience, and how to tutor interculturally, raising awareness so as to not offend members of different cultures of belief systems. I believe that additional content specific workshops would be extremely beneficial, as well as involvement or membership in a professional tutoring organization, such as ATP (Association for Tutoring Professionals). Sincerely, Federico R. Lastra “Super Tutor” Tutor Trainer