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 a list of upcoming PD activities for the year, see FY26 MN Adult Ed PD Dates.
Refine Your Search
Northstar Digital Literacy Foundations
Literacy MinnesotaThis course provides an introduction to the Northstar Digital Literacy Standards and how they can be integrated into any adult education course. Northstar is one of the three required sets of content standards (along with the CCRS and ACES-TIF). This course is… Read More
Content Areas:
- Digital Literacy / Northstar
- Distance Learning
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
- Technology
Audiences:
- Administrator
- Instructor
- Support Staff
- Volunteer
Teaching Reading Vocabulary
Literacy MinnesotaVocabulary is everyone’s favorite reading component! And helping students master reading vocabulary is a key to helping them master comprehension. But how many words should you teach? And which words are the most important? What strategies are best for helping students learn new words? How do you get students to… Read More
Content Areas:
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
- Reading
Audiences:
- Instructor
- Volunteer
Comprehension Strategies for Intermediate-Level Readers
Literacy MinnesotaResearch shows that explicitly teaching a set of comprehension strategies is a great way to help intermediate-level readers maximize their understanding of texts. Come learn a handful of great comprehension tools that will help students develop critical thinking skills and comprehension skills. Read More
Content Areas:
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
- Reading
Audiences:
- Instructor
- Volunteer
Teaching Intermediate Alphabetics
Literacy MinnesotaTeaching intermediate alphabetics (syllables, prefixes, suffixes, root words) is a great way to help students build their decoding and comprehension skills. Come learn a variety of fun and easy-to-use routines and activities for helping intermediate-level readers develop these important tools. Read More
Content Areas:
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
- Reading
Audiences:
- Instructor
- Volunteer
Developing and Practicing Reading Fluency
Literacy MinnesotaCome and review the important role of fluency in reading instruction. We will discuss the three key components of reading fluency and look at a variety of activities tutors and teachers can try. We will talk about the mechanics of doing fluency practice via Zoom, Google Meet, Teams or any… Read More
Content Areas:
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
- Reading
Audiences:
- Instructor
- Volunteer
Remote Instruction: Realities, Recommendations and Essential Zoom Skills
Literacy MinnesotaDuring the early days of the pandemic, remote instruction was a necessary evil that many begrudgingly endured. But as the options for in-person instruction open up, many learners have chosen to continue to learn in an online environment. Join this session to prepare yourself for the basics of online tutoring… Read More
Content Areas:
- Digital Literacy / Northstar
- Distance Learning
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
- Technology
Audiences:
- Instructor
- Volunteer
Volunteer Core Training Module 4: Instructional Best Practices: Working with Materials
Literacy MinnesotaParticipants will engage in a couple of classroom activities to experience scaffolding, checking comprehension and the gradual release of responsibility. These aspects of teaching and tutoring are then defined, explained further and participants get opportunities to practice them. Read More
Content Areas:
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
Audiences:
- Instructor
- Volunteer
Volunteer Core Training Module 3: Instructional Best Practices: Working with Learners
Literacy MinnesotaParticipants learn how to apply teaching practices that support language and skill development for all learners. These practices include ensuring that instruction is learner centered, using an appropriate level of teacher talk and delivering error correction. Read More
Content Areas:
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
Audiences:
- Instructor
- Volunteer
Volunteer Core Training Module 2: Understanding Adult Learners
Literacy MinnesotaParticipants develop their personal cultural awareness and learn how expectations around school culture shape how people teach and learn. Guiding principles for effectively delivering instruction to adults are also covered. Finally, participants increase their sensitivity to the challenges of learning English and developing literacy as an adult. Read More
Content Areas:
- Diversity / Equity / Inclusion
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
Audiences:
- Administrator
- Instructor
- Support Staff
- Volunteer
Volunteer Core Training Module 1: Overview of Minnesota Adult Education and Program Accountability
Literacy MinnesotaParticipants learn about Adult Basic Education programming in Minnesota, demographics of learners, instructional content standards as well as initial and on-going assessment. This session wraps up with learner motivations, barriers and persistence. Read More
Content Areas:
- ABE Policy
- ACES / Transitions
- Assessment
- CCR Standards
- Digital Literacy / Northstar
- ESL
- HSE / GED / Adult Diploma
Audiences:
- Administrator
- Instructor
- Support Staff
- Volunteer