The Virtual Reading Room

Days of Quarantine

I imagine that many families are cooped up at home like kidney beans, sometimes rolling out of bed late in the morning to begin a long day of schooling with virtually no teacher interaction. Usually, the kids are off to school in the morning and not home until late in the afternoon. This current reality is adding a lot of pressure to working parents and disoriented kids who are trying to navigate through this new type of learning.     

We encourage all families to stay safe and take the necessary precautions to support social distancing. The challenge of adjusting to a viral pandemic is upon us. Although there is some uncertainty about the current situation we are committed to providing our services. We have shifted our tutoring sessions to remote learning via the Zoom Conference App to accommodate our students at the Reading Room. Ideally, each session is designed to replicate the quality of in-person sessions. Students will need access to a webcam, computer, and working microphone or headset. 

 At the Reading Room, our trained tutors have continued to provide educational sessions so that students can thrive while in quarantine. A student can roll out of bed and take part in a session in the comfort of their room and even while in their pajamas. One-on-one sessions are designed for each student and structured to go at each student’s pace. The evolution of the internet and other technologies have provided us with an expressway to continue our tutoring sessions. These technologies have challenged our tutors to evolve, adapt, and restructure our teaching methods. The ability to use media, software, and other devices has facilitated this transition to virtual teaching. For example, our tutors use the share the screen ability in Zoom, thereby allowing the students to see and even interact with items we show on our screens. 

At the Reading Room, our trained tutors use these technologies to provide quality tutoring sessions that contain guided instruction, collaborative learning, and independent practice. Each session begins with a 10-minute fluency activity, followed by a targeted reading lesson with a focus on oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, or comprehension. Interventions are specifically designed to target student’s identified areas for growth. Students are also given the opportunity to get connected by joining a book club for kids, engage in story time, and/or take part in fun learning activities and games online.  We are essentially teaching the same content but using a new tool for delivery.