College Students as Tutors: Learning from the Latino Community of Adams County

During the spring 2005 semester, Gettysburg College Spanish 305 students visited local Latino migrant families on a weekly basis to provide basic computer training and ESL classes as part of a study on how computer training of Latino migrant parents affects K-2 Children's reading skills. In this descriptive, interpretative and theoretical case study, Gettysburg College students acted as tutors and visited Latino migrant homes to deliver IMPACCT (Integrated Migrant Parent and Child Computer Training) to eight limited-English-proficient Latino migrant families. This paper shows the many academic, social, and cultural benefits that teaching Latino/migrant parents brought to Gettysburg College students. Students developed strong relationships with families and improved their Spanish skills and cultural awareness while helping the families to support their children's use of computers to increase their reading skills.