The online Minnesota Adult Education PD Catalog provides an overview of all MN Adult Ed professional development (PD) activities in one convenient, searchable place. Here you will find brief descriptions of all PD offerings currently provided by the Minnesota Adult Education Support Network.

Note: Not all activities listed here have been scheduled yet, and many can be provided to you by request. Others are available on an ongoing basis.

  • Scheduled activities are linked to the MN Adult Ed Events Calendar or other sites, where you can find registration and more details.
  • For an overview of upcoming PD activities for the year, see FY23 MN Adult Ed PD Dates.

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By Request, Workshop

10 Tips for Tutoring Adult ESL Students

Literacy Minnesota

Whether you tutor one-to-one, help a teacher or lead a class, you can benefit from understanding some of the theory of how adults learn languages. In this workshop, explore ten tips that come out of the theories and try out some hands-on activities that put these tips into practice. Read More

Content Areas:

  • ESL

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer
By Request, Workshop

Effective Error Correction and Feedback

Literacy Minnesota

How do you decide which errors to correct? What are the best ways to give feedback to learners? During this workshop, learn techniques for correcting errors that occur in the ESL classroom, and how to give feedback that has a positive impact. Read More

Content Areas:

  • ESL

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer
By Request, Workshop

Checking In So Learners Don’t Check Out

Literacy Minnesota

Do your learners “get it”? How do you know if they understand the directions you just explained or the reading passage they just read? Or the new vocabulary they are supposed to have learned this week? During this workshop we will explore a variety of ways that… Read More

Content Areas:

  • ESL

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer
By Request, Workshop

Listening and Speaking in the ESL Classroom

Literacy Minnesota

Adult learners at all levels benefit from listening and speaking instruction, yet many ESL classes focus a majority of their time on building literacy. This workshop will explore the reasons that literacy is built on a foundation of strong verbal skills, and offer suggestions for specific activities to integrate speaking… Read More

Content Areas:

  • ESL

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer
By Request, Workshop

Teaching Reading Vocabulary

Literacy Minnesota

Vocabulary is one of the four key components of reading instruction (and usually the favorite of students). Come learn how to choose vocabulary words, teach them explicitly, and practice them to mastery. Read More

Content Areas:

  • ESL
  • HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
  • Reading

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer
By Request, Workshop

The Role of Culture in Tutoring Adult Learners

Literacy Minnesota

As adult teachers and tutors, we know that culture plays a tremendous role in our day-to-day interactions with learners. Many of us become experts on the cultures of the people that we work with, without ever pausing to think about how each of our actions, expectations, and decisions are influenced… Read More

Content Areas:

  • Diversity / Equity / Inclusion
  • ESL

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer
By Request, Workshop

Activities for Building Reading Fluency

Literacy Minnesota

Limited reading fluency often holds students back from comprehending what they are reading. Learn about the key aspects of reading fluency (accuracy, rate, prosody) and practice a variety of strategies you can use to help learners build this important literacy skill. Read More

Content Areas:

  • ESL
  • Reading

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer
Workshop

Volunteer Navigation Training

Literacy Minnesota

Navigators are a mix of mentor, coach, cheerleader and guidance counselor. As a navigator, you’ll help students one-on-one in a variety of ways, from helping them increase their confidence and persist in school to assisting them in identifying and attaining their goals. Depending on the program, volunteers may provide navigation… Read More

Content Areas:

  • ACES / Transitions
  • ESL
  • HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
  • Reading

Audiences:

  • Support Staff
  • Volunteer
By Request, Workshop

Integrating Pronunciation into Adult ESL Lessons

Literacy Minnesota

English language learners are hungry for pronunciation instruction, but it is challenging for ESL teachers to find a teaching method that is effective without being too technical and confusing. As a result, teachers often leave it out altogether. During this workshop we will look at areas of pronunciation that will… Read More

Content Areas:

  • ESL

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer
By Request, Workshop

Why Don’t They Try to Understand My English?

Literacy Minnesota

Teachers of adult ESL learners often hear stories of learners trying out their new English skills in the community, and being ignored or rebuffed because of their accent. In this workshop, learn about the politics of accent in the United States. Participants will leave with ideas for how to help… Read More

Content Areas:

  • Diversity / Equity / Inclusion
  • ESL

Audiences:

  • Instructor
  • Volunteer