School on Wheels Tutor University
Welcome! Take some time to learn more about tutoring, student learning, behavior management, homelessness, and much more. Here you will find webinars, curated text resources, and our very own podcast for tutors!
Webinar Library
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth (CSEC) Training
Required for all tutors who will be working in a CSEC group home. Important information on Commercially Sexually Exploited Children, including the trauma they have experienced and how that may manifest during tutoring. Trauma-informed tutoring techniques are also presented in this training.
Tutoring at Domestic Violence Shelters
Required for all tutors who will be working at a domestic violence shelter. Experts share their extensive knowledge of the effects of domestic violence and how tutors can most effectively work with children who are victims of domestic violence.
Tutoring at Group Homes
Required for all tutors who will be working at a group home. Students living in group homes have varied circumstances affecting their lives. This training goes over these circumstances, what tutoring at a group home is like, and best practices for tutors at group home sites.
Group Tutoring
Required for all tutors who will be tutoring in a group setting. The ins and outs of group tutoring are explained during this short training.
Tutoring at A Digital Learning Center (DLC)
Required for all tutors who will be tutoring at a DLC. School on Wheels has developed organized procedures for tutoring at digital learning centers due to the large number of students that may be there at any time. This training orients tutors to these procedures.
General and Special Education Rights of Foster Youth and Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Learn about the education rights of foster youth and youth experiencing homelessness, and how to advocate for these rights during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in light of nationwide school closures.
A Positive Approach to Tutoring
An educational psychologist shares tips and strategies for encouraging positive student behavior during tutoring sessions.
Changing Attitudes and Behavior in Your Tutoring Sessions
Tips on managing student behavior and increasing motivation when tutoring feels tough.
Tutoring Students with Special Needs
Our students sometimes have special needs such as ADHD or trauma-related mental health concerns. This seminar provides tutors with techniques to make sessions more productive for everyone involved.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Program: 2019 Summer Roll-Out
Our new SEL Program is designed to give you tools that you can use to help your students combat stress by pausing, breathing, and getting in touch with their feelings before responding to an emotional situation. It also integrates lessons on valuable character traits that will help students in school and their daily lives. This webinar provides attendees with the rationale, context, and step-by-step instructions they need to begin this program with their students.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Program 2020
Learn about the most recent version of our SEL program.
The College Application Essay: A Guide for Tutors
Strategies for guiding your students through various types of college application essays.
College Planning: A Positive Future Within Reach
How to encourage your student (of any age) to pursue college, and ways you both can start thinking ahead.
Building College Knowledge For All Ages
Tips on nurturing college-related self-esteem in your student(s) and helping them plan and prepare for college.
Career Month Workshop
An overview of some tools and activities you can use to help your student explore their interests and prepare accordingly.
Resume and Cover Letter Writing 101
Applying for jobs can be intimidating for high school students with little to no work experience. This presenter suggests techniques for easing that anxiety and writing stellar resumes and cover letters.
Engaging Your Student with Digital Learning Programs
This webinar goes over how to use online programs to help your student learn math, reading, computer science, and more; how to implement our Digital Literacy curriculum; and extra special online learning opportunities for School on Wheels students.
Engaging Early Learners Virtually With PBS SoCal
An exploration of strategies and concepts to aid tutors working with young students online.
Literacy Strategies for Older Students Struggling to Read
Tips for working with students who may struggle to read proficiently for various reasons, including processing disorders, dyslexia, and language barriers.
Practical Advice for Working With English Language Learners and IEPs
This seminar focuses on tutoring students with special needs – specifically English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
General and Special Education Rights of Foster Youth and Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Learn about the education rights of foster youth and youth experiencing homelessness, and how to advocate for these rights during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in light of nationwide school closure
Taking the Struggle Out of Teaching Basic Math
A math teacher goes over basic strategies for helping students understand the concepts behind adding, subtracting, long division, multi-digit multiplication, and times tables.
Making Math Fun
How to deal with “math-phobia” and increase the fun level during math tutoring!
Demystifying K-7 Math Common Core Standards
An explanation of the rationale behind and implementation of common core standards for math.
An Introduction to Social and Emotional Learning
This webinar provides an introduction to SEL and the reasons why it is so important for children and teens experiencing homelessness. The presenter goes over basic SEL strategies and best practices that can be easily used during tutoring sessions.
The Importance of Building Resiliency
Tips on fostering personal resources for both tutors and students, and information on how those resources can help in the face of adversity.
Youth In Crisis: A Mental Health Webinar
Regional coordinators Jesse Pasquan and Angie Allmendinger discuss trauma-informed care for crisis intervention during tutoring sessions. This webinar will empower volunteers to address a variety of students’ emotional needs while maintaining healthy boundaries and sticking to School on Wheels policies.
Tutoring as a Safe Space: Creating Psychological Safety for Your Student
Literacy Leader Rebecca Glaser goes over what brain science tells us about safety and learning, short-term and long-term stress responses, and the power of tutoring. She also shares practical strategies to use with students and why they work, and tries a few of them out with attendees.
Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities
The presenter and several tutors discuss common problems like motivation and communication, as well as an overview of charter schools.
Back to School: A Tutor’s Guide
Topics include setting goals, getting organized, and communicating with teachers and parents.
Empowering Students Toward Success
An informal discussion between tutors about empowering and motivating students to set positive goals for themselves.
How to Motivate the Unmotivated
42 practical tips on motivating students who don’t want to do work.
Tools for Success: Lesson Planning and Session Management
Advice for planning and structuring tutoring sessions.
Making Common Sense of the Common Core
A brief overview of K-12 common core standards with a focus on math and English language arts (ELA).
Get Creative With the Arts!
Bringing art into tutoring sessions can increase your students’ interest and engagement. In this webinar, a music teacher explains how to bring various forms of art, from music, to visual art, to creative writing, to the tutoring table.
Group Tutoring Best Practices
Group tutoring can be overwhelming for tutors, especially regarding organization and behavior management. The presenters offer tips and best practices for group tutors.
What to Do When There’s Nothing to Do
This webinar details creative ways to shake up your tutoring routine for maximum fun and engagement.
Building Resiliency and Cross-Cultural Connections
Presenter Cody Reed presents strategies and methods to better equip tutors to work with our diverse student body and to effectively approach challenges they might occur.
Helping Students Build Consistency and Obtain Academic Success in Uncertain Times
Elementary School teacher Natalie Platon guides attendees through simple strategies to help your student succeed in the face of the challenges they may be facing.
Advice and Tips to Suit Your Student’s Needs #1
The first in a series of Q&A sessions between tutors and Ms. Allison Maldonado of the Skid Row Learning Center. Academic and behavioral needs are discussed, and strategies are brainstormed.
Advice and Tips to Suit Your Student’s Needs #2
Ms. Allison helps tutors brainstorm solutions to common roadblocks, tutoring best practices, and ways to make tutoring fun.
Advice and Tips to Suit Your Student’s Needs #3
Ms. Allison answers questions regarding grading systems, learning disabilities, IEPs, and accommodations that some students may have.
Advice and Tips to Suit Your Student’s Needs #4
Ms. Allison answers tutor questions, circling around the themes of motivating and connecting with students, hiding curriculum in activities, and adapting lesson plans for all ages.
Advice and Tips to Suit Your Student’s Needs #5
Ms. Allison covers highly requested topics including behavior issues, creative curriculum, the pressure to perform within schools’ grading periods, and special education strategies.
Advice and Tips to Suit Your Student’s Needs #6
Ms. Allison covers highly requested topics including group tutoring, student frustration, creative curriculum, motivation, and developing a growth mindset in your students.
Advice and Tips to Suit Your Student’s Needs #7
Ms. Allison covers highly requested topics including getting ahead of behavior issues, learning disabilities, and hidden curriculum.
Building Connections With Group Foster Home and Runaway Teens
Advice on relationship building, managing boundaries, dealing with disappointments, and advocating for your teenage students.
Tackling Teens: Working With Students in Group Homes
Four experienced group home tutors offer suggestions on how to navigate common challenges and make the most of your time with your students.
Mentoring Teens
A panel of three tutors discuss the building blocks for establishing a successful, impactful relationship with older students.
Tutoring Commercially Sexually Exploited Children – CSEC 101
Experts present important information for tutors regarding how to successfully tutor children and youth who have been rescued from CSEC scenarios.
If you are interested in presenting a webinar yourself, please tell us more here.
Other Resources
Communicating with your Student’s Teacher – Tips for effective tutor-teacher communication, including questions to ask.
Learning Style Quiz – Identify your student’s learning style and read about the different ways you can help them learn best.
Your Student’s/Child’s Special Education Rights (Hope4Families)
Your Student’s/Child’s Enrollment Rights (PDF – Mckinney-Vento Act)
Foster Youth Education Toolkit (Alliance for Children’s Rights)
Steps to Take Before Calling A Lawyer (Hope4Families)
Your Student’s Educational Rights: Community and Legal Resources