Virtual Volunteering: Online Tutoring for Refugee/Migrant Children or Adults
Mentors: Katharina Kurzmann, Tamara Mijatovic (Station Wien)
Description: Participants will be paired with child or adult learner(s) seeking extra learning help / support in a particular field. Fields in especially high demand are English and German. The student’s engagement in the project serves the following questions:
Which teaching theories and principles lend themselves to online teaching?
How can distance learning and teaching be enabled in productive manner both for the teacher and learner?
Specific foci may also be set by the student him/herself. (Example: Which benefits and challenges arise through teaching in the context of social engagement / social work with underrepresented and/or marginalized groups?
The Work includes weekly tutoring sessions, as well as occasional meetings with staff of Station Wien and the Illinois in Vienna Programs to discuss teaching methods, goals, and challenges. The project ends with the submission of a short portfolio, in which students reflect on their tutoring experience, their teaching methods, and a critical reflection on the project in general. Please see the following report from a previous UIUC student who has completed a virtual project at Station Wien here.