What are the Tutoring Centres about?

At the meeting in November, we discussed the possibility of opening one or more tutoring centres in the Coventry and Warwickshire area. Such a centre would be a space within a particular area and community where University staff could go to work (equipped with wifi, facilities to make tea and coffee etc). At certain points during the day (largely after school, but also possibly by arrangement with a local school), school children could come in and do their homework and/or other schoolwork. The space would create an opportunity for the kids and the ‘grown-ups’ to spend time working in the same space and discussing things they are working on. The role of the grown-ups is not to teach, but to provide support and encouragement and help the young people to find answers and solve problems with their schoolwork. The Dave Eggers TED Talk here explains it better than I can, and is required viewing for new recruits to the cause (yes, there is a test at the end).

Why now?

Through Think Higher, we have a remit to work collaboratively with other partners in the Coventry and Warwickshire area (universities, colleges, local authorities, community groups, business etc). The benefits of collaborating with these groups will likely be realised in projects that can be delivered by working together, which would be hard to deliver working as a single organisation, I think this idea falls into that category.

What do we need from WP Forum members?

I would like to form a small group of enthusiastic volunteers who can help shape the idea and work to turn it into a reality. Issues which I see as needing to be addressed (which I am happy to add to!) are:

• Engaging with communities – in particular the tone of our engagement. It is important to work to do things with communities, rather than to them, and to work with and value the knowledge that exists in those communities already.
• Funding.
• Space.
• Identifying staff groups who can support this way of working and building support within institutions for that model.
• Safety and security.
• Engaging schools.

If you would like to form part of this working group, please contact Martin Price (e-mail preferred: m dot r dot price at warwick dot ac dot uk).