CRLA Level 1 Topics

The College Reading and Learning Association, through which Highline’s Writing Center is certified, requires the following from tutors seeking Level 1 certification. More detailed information can be found here.

1. 25 hours of actual tutoring (we do this by quarter, but some tutors take a bit longer)
2. A minimum of 10 hours of training, with a minimum of 6 hours of live, interactive training
3. Training in a minimum of 8 of the following areas. Keep in mind that these requirements are written for multidisciplinary tutoring standards, and not every topic will directly apply to our work in the Writing Center.
   • Definition of tutoring and tutor responsibilities
   • Basic tutoring guidelines (do’s and don’ts)
   • Techniques for successfully beginning and ending a tutor session
   • Adult learners, learning theory, and/or learning styles
   • Assertiveness and/or handling difficult students
   • Role modeling
   • Setting goals and/or planning
   • Communication skills
   • Active listening and paraphrasing
   • Referral skills
   • Study skills
   • Critical thinking skills
   • Compliance with the ethics and philosophy of the tutor program, sexual harassment, and/or plagiarism
   • Modeling problem solving

What you can expect

Your lead staff and training staff will make sure that you have opportunities to meet the above qualifications during your first quarter working with us. We will cover most of the training areas at some point, in the form of reading, Canvas assignments, class discussions, and so on. During your first quarter, you’ll be responsible for creating a mini-workshop to teach your fellow tutors about your topic. The director will provide you with resources to help. You can also find information about many of these topics in this section and in the For New Tutors section of the left navigation bar.

This section is a work in progress. If you have any resources to add, please contact Shon.