Orientation and Training

Objectives

As you plan orientation and training for your organization, consider the following objectives and how your organization can best accomplish them. A SMARTIE goals worksheet is available to provide you with a document to identify goals for each objective and assist in maintaining accountability for accomplishing them.

• All members enter into the K-12 community with a similar baseline of knowledge about the community they will be working with and best practices for their program

• Select and schedule monthly training sessions for learning opportunities which will build on the knowledge and experience of members

• Members understand the mission and logistics of the student organization and the host site

• Members are able to identify the strengths they bring to the program

• Volunteers have a deep understanding of the principles of community engagement

• Trainings include opportunities for reflection and discussion

• Complete the U-M Children on Campus required training

• Complete required training and orientation from your host site

  • AAPS volunteers

  • DPSCD volunteers

Key Concepts and Guiding Questions

The following key concepts are intended to help you assess how your organization is addressing the guiding principles of K-12 partnerships and community engagement.

Relationships

Fostering Long Term Partnerships

• Do volunteers feel prepared and confident about working within the host site?

Moving From Individual To Collective Action

• Is your organization connected to the K-12 community for training opportunities and resource sharing?

Equity

Starting With Community

• Is your organization focusing training around the needs of the community?

Centering On Equity

• Does your organization offer training, discussion, and reflection opportunities on education equity and systemic issues in education?

Compliance

• Have your volunteers completed the U-M Children on Campus required training?

• Have your volunteers completed required training and orientation from your host site?

  • AAPS Volunteers

  • DPSCD Volunteers

Awareness

Connecting Civic Learning Across Contexts

• Does your organization have training and orientation options to meet the needs of each volunteer?

  • For example, seniors in an education field may require less training or more advanced training than a first year student in an unrelated field.

Power

Acknowledging Power

• Do your training and orientations acknowledge the power difference between U-M students and community organizations / k-12 students / teachers and staff?

Research

Research on orientation and training identifies some select practices which assist in developing prepared and engaged volunteers (Aldredge et al., Arendale, Holland et al., Lindo et al., Melzer, Robinson et al., National Student Support Accelerator).

• Orientations are most effective when they submerge members into the mission of the organization and allow them to identify their strengths which could benefit the organization

• Engaging training will connect topics to specific activities and tasks members are doing within the program

• A minimum of 4 hours of training per semester is recommended for non professionals

• More training leads to more effective volunteers

• Each training session should be integrated with opportunities for members to reflect on self awareness and cultural humility through self reflection and/or discussion

• Training videos are effective in complementing lectures and discussions, illustrating how to solve problems, and providing clarification.

  • They however are not as effective on their own.

Offerings

Below are a few extra resources to assist in planning orientation and training.

• Ensure your organization is offering recommended and required trainings from U-M for K-12 tutoring and academic support programs to your members

• Learn how to set expectations with tutors to create equity in tutors’ experiences and safeguard all stakeholders

• Below are a few extra resources to assist in planning orientation and training

• Deepen your work with youth with these Relationship Building Strategies