Asylum Seeker's Centre of NSW

NOTE: the links on this page are still not properly set.

 

Before you begin, we will help familiarise you with the workings of the ASC or Hope Street. For the ASC, you will be required to fill a confidentiality form.

Tutors have the privilege and responsibility of being the rubber that hits the road at the end of all co-ordination and preparation. Each lesson goes from 1:30pm to 3:30pm on Thursday afternoons. However, tutors are requested to arrive 15 minutes early so that they can be familiarised with the material, and talk with the other tutors as to how they will co-ordinate the lesson. It also means that there is the possibility of mingling with students for a short time before the lesson properly starts.

Remember to introduce yourself, and other students before the lesson starts. After that, it is always useful to state the focus of the lesson and what students will aim to achieve by the end of the lesson. At the end of each lesson, students should be given the student survey, and you should be complete the tutor survey, so that the lessons can be improved in the future. The surveys can be downloaded from the Resources page.

You are not thrown into each lesson session on your own, and each week there will be an established lesson plan; which is expected to be loosely followed (they are designed to be interesting and instructive for students). Of course, if any particular student has no interest in following the lesson, feel free to answer questions, and to assist them, in whichever way they require. You can see the kind of lesson outline you can expect to be provided by reading the sections for Task Developers.

Beyond the lesson plans, what is more important however is that we are putting in our effort and enthusiasm to make the lesson fun, motivating and a good experience for our students.

Location:

38 Nobbs Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Australia
http://www.asylumseekerscentre.org.au/about-who-we-are-contact-us.html

Potential Difficulties

These points are written here not to scare you, but so that you will be prepared.

• Language barriers (for the Asylum Seekers Centre): Many of the students do not speak English particularly well, which may make it quite difficult to communicate effectively. For this reason, if you can speak a foreign language, and there is a student who speaks that language, perhaps it might be a good idea to work with them. Keep in mind too that our lessons provide them with an opportunity to learn English, and to familiarise themselves with our community.
• Experience and Understanding of Computers: There is a large distribution of computing ability and understanding in students. Some students learn quickly, and others find computers something of an unfathomable mystery. Some students remember everything they are taught from week to week, and others forget within a few minutes. By focusing on what is really important (our reaching out to them with support and encouragement), we can hopefully overcome any frustration that may arise; knowing that we ARE being successful.

No doubt there will be others; but you will not be alone. If something really bothers you, talk with the other tutors, or the project co-ordinator, and we will help each other!

Lesson Resources

Downloadable resources (such as the surveys to be filled out after every class) can be downloaded from the Resources page.