VALRC

EdTech: Maker CampGPT (Session 1)
2023-07-21 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
CampGPT is an engaging opportunity to learn more about generative AI tools. While collaborating with other educators, campers will have the chance to engage in a variety of activities that offer practice with new tools and targeted exploration to see how generative AI can be applied to support teaching and learning. Following the summer camp theme, EdTech will embark on an adventure to see how generative AI can boost creativity (arts & crafts!), save teachers time (show & tell!), and assist in content creation (cooking class!) – all while keeping responsible use of AI in focus (mindfulness!).
Register Here

DARS Windmills: Disability Fact or Fiction
2023-07-27 14:00 - 15:30 | Virtual
This diversity disability inclusion module is an exercise wherein participants complete a questionnaire and review their knowledge about disabilities. The goal is to become more comfortable and effective in our workplace interactions with people with disabilities. Participants become aware of respectful etiquette and language for creating a comfortable work environment and they learn the basics of disability employment law.
Register Here

EdTech: Maker CampGPT (Session 2)
2023-07-28 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual

Summer 2023 Spanish HSE Open Discussion (Session 1)
2023-08-09 12:00 - 13:30 | Virtual
This discussion series is a space for discussion and sharing of best practices for supporting Spanish-language HSE preparation.
Register Here

Career Pathways Virtual Meeting
2023-08-15 09:00 - 11:30, 2023-08-17 09:00 - 11:30 | Virtual
The VDOE and VALRC will offer sessions to review and discuss the PY2022-23 data for indicators of IET quality. There will be breakout sessions for networking and sharing of ideas based on industry-specific groups including the topics of credentials; workplace literacy; Types 3, 4 and 5 MSGs; and career coaching.
*Representation from each funded program is mandatory, but not each position is required to attend. We ask that the representatives that can attend take the information back and present to the rest of your IET team.

Summer 2023 Spanish HSE Open Discussion (Session 2)
2023-08-29 15:00 - 16:30 | Virtual

Canvas Countdown for Virtual Virginia
2023-09-01 08:00 - 2023-09-29 17:00
The Virginia Department of Education has partnered with Virtual Virginia to develop 9 online courses for adult learners in 3 content areas:

English Language Arts
Mathematics
English Language Acquisition

For each content area, there are 3 courses targeted toward beginning, intermediate, and advanced level learners.
JOIN US for a 4-week lightly facilitated online course to learn all about accessing the virtual courses, building and adapting the courses in Canvas, and providing feedback.
This is a special adult education teachers’ cohort that I (Steven Sproles, Virtual Va) will be facilitating.
The course moves from setting individual user preferences, managing files, and adjusting course settings to help educators manage the course.
Participants will gain knowledge of customizing course homepages, utilizing the rich content editor to enhance assignments, discussions, and quizzes.
Additional resources will be provided to allow the self-paced course to meet the needs of all levels of learners.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the four-week course, teachers will be able to:

Login to their Canvas account
Update their profile/notification settings
Create and edit instructional content (including VVA-authored adult education resource courses)
Create and edit assessments

ProLiteracy: Where Do I Start? Planning the First Month of Lessons with a Low-level ELL Student
2023-09-13 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
For a new tutor or teacher, getting started with a low-level English language learners can seem overwhelming. They may worry about the first few weeks of lessons when the students speak almost no English. In this webinar, learn what your very first lesson should look like and how to build from there to make your first month of lessons a success for you and your student(s).
Register
This webinar is part of the ProLiteracy Teacher Training Plus Series

VALRC: Reading, Writing, and Relevance: Teaching with Adult Learners’ Published Writing
2023-09-13 15:30 - 16:30
In this webinar, find out how to access SPOTLIGHT, Virginia’s annual publication for writing by adult learners, and The Change Agent adult education magazine for social justice. Gain ideas for using writing by adult learners to teach reading and language skills at multiple levels, as models to guide learners through the writing process, to combat learners’ writing anxieties, and to amplify student voice.
Register here.

LINCS AEFLA Week Virtual Celebration
2023-09-18 15:00 - 16:00
Live Session: AEFL Week Virtual Celebration
Description: Join us to celebrate Adult and Family Literacy Week by sharing your student success stories and positive changes in your program from the past year.
Presenter: Erin Vobornik, LINCS Teaching and Learning Group Moderator; Lizelena Iglesias, LINCS Science Group Moderator
Date/Time: Monday, September 18, 2023, 3:00 PM ET (live session)
LINCS Community Group: Teaching and Learning
Online registration is required to participate in the LINCS Event for AEFL Week Virtual Celebration.

VALRC: Digital Literacy for Multilingual Learners Webinar Series, Session 1: Introduction and Integration of the Digital Access and Resilience in Texas (DART) Curriculum
2023-09-19 15:00 - 16:30 | Virtual
Have you struggled to find free resources to teach basic computer skills to multilingual learners? Are you overwhelmed by the idea of pulling together a variety of activities from different sources into a cohesive curriculum for learners who are new to using technology?
This webinar is designed to demonstrate an overview, as well as tips and techniques for using the free and adaptable DART curriculum. Using the 5E Lesson Plan from the DART curriculum, instructors and staff will be guided through Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation of this resource. Participants will have the opportunity to explore and discuss in small groups as they consider how to integrate the curriculum into their own teaching contexts.
This webinar is meant for anyone teaching Digital Literacy skills at the same time as Beginning English skills. Participants will receive links to the curriculum, ideas for integrating all or part of the curriculum into a course, and discuss strategies for program adaptation.
Objectives:

Understand the original purpose of the DART curriculum
Notice the 5E lesson plan as a structure for the webinar and reflect on its use to structure a lesson
Consider adoption of the curriculum in whole or part and discuss local adaptations

Register Here

ProLiteracy: What’s So Smart About SMART Goals? Using Them to Energize Students and Increase Retention
2023-09-20 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Integrating SMART goals into class increases student satisfaction and involvement. Students that work toward SMART goals also have better attendance. Learn what SMART goals are, how to set them, and how to use them in class. SMART goals can be applied to any learning environment to make them more relevant and engaging for students.
Register
This webinar is part of the ProLiteracy Teacher Training Plus Series

EARN Training on Promoting Civic Readiness, LINCS
2023-09-20 15:00 - 16:30
Ever wonder what it means to provide instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and civic participation?
The Enhancing Access for Refugees and New Americans project is offering a virtual training to help adult educators, especially those teaching Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE), think about civics activities that promote English learners and immigrants’ civic readiness. This may include supporting eligible students as they move forward on their path to citizenship. The training will include information on the citizenship process and learning more about how adult education and citizenship instruction program providers can work together.
The training, Using IELCE Activities to Promote Civic Readiness and Connections to Citizenship, will be held on September 20th at 3-4:15pm ET/12-1:15pm PT. Register now!

VALRC: Teaching Writing: Evidence-based Practices and Strategy Instruction
2023-09-20 15:30 - 16:30
What does the research say about effective instruction that helps learners improve the quality of their writing? How can teachers can leverage strategy-based instruction to support learners in developing as writers? This webinar will review 11 evidence-based instructional practices and explore specific strategies that learners and teachers can use.
Register here.

ESOL Basics: Instructional Strategies Online Course
2023-09-21 - 2023-10-18
This course is designed for adult educators who are new to teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) either in the classroom or through one-to-one tutoring sessions. ESOL is a term often used synonymously with ESL, or ELA (English language acquisition). For consistency, we use the term ESOL in this course but recognize that some programs may use other terms.

Foundations of Reading: Print Skills Online Course
2023-09-21 - 2023-11-01
Did you know many adult learners, even those who can read and comprehend at higher levels, struggle with alphabetic skills and fluency? No matter what level learner you work with, this course will provide you with information about and strategies to help you incorporate alphabetic skills and fluency into your lessons. Participants in this course will leave with useful resources, a deeper understanding of how alphabetic skills and fluency affect comprehension, and experience contextualizing these skills into lessons. This course complements Foundations of Reading: Meaning Skills.

Quality Teaching Online Overview Webinar
2023-09-21 13:00 - 14:30
This webinar will cover best practices for designing coherent and effective online courses. Additionally, we will focus on student engagement, building community, and applying Universal Design for Learning and accessibility standards to selecting and implementing instructional materials. Participants will learn to:

apply Universal Design for Learning and accessibility standards to instructional materials;
apply community building strategies in a virtual environment;
design interactive and meaningful activities for online courses; and,
identify best practices for designing an online course.

LINCS: Introducing the LINCS Universal Design for Learning Modules
2023-09-22 15:45 - 17:00
Description: Join us to learn about the new LINCS UDL modules focused on practices and strategies for supporting adults with learning challenges. We’ll also share resources and ideas for programs to create opportunities for learners to disclose their challenges during the intake and assessment processes. Please bring your questions, challenges, and ideas!
Presenter: Mike Cruse, LINCS Learners with Disabilities Group Moderator and Amanda Bastoni, CAST, Inc.
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 22, 2023, 3:45 PM ET (live session)
LINCS Community Group: Learners with Disabilities
Online registration is required to participate in the LINCS Event for Introducing the LINCS Universal Design for Learning Modules.

VALRC: Disabilities and the Adult Learner Webinar Series, Session 1: Introduction to working with adult learners who have disabilities
2023-09-26 13:00 - 14:30
It is important to keep in mind that learning disabilities are life-long. Children with disabilities grow-up to be adults with disabilities. Although, many adult learners go undiagnosed. Learning disabilities affect the ability to understand or use spoken or written language, do mathematical calculations, coordinate movements, or direct attention. This session focuses on how adult educators can help their learners by better understanding the different characteristics of learning disabilities, implementing universal designing for learning (UDL), and utilizing partnerships.
Register

VALRC: Multilevel ESOL Classes Webinar Series, Session 1
2023-09-28 15:30 - 17:00 | Virtual
Do you want to tackle the challenges of teaching multilevel ESOL classes? Are you looking to address the varied learning needs of individual students within one classroom and become an effective multi-level teacher?
This 3 part webinar series will present strategies for effective multi-level instruction and planning for ESOL classes or multi-level classrooms. We will discuss the characteristics of a multilevel class, planning for differentiated instruction and implementing different classroom management strategies for effective instruction. Participants will leave the webinar with an understanding of what multilevel classroom needs consist of, how to prepare and plan for individual students needs, and strategies for implementing differentiated instruction in the adult ESOL multi-level classroom. The resources will include articles, videos and supplemental materials.
Objectives:

Understand the factors of a multilevel classroom and how to identify the needs of all students.
Identify strategies to effectively differentiate instruction in both multi level classrooms as well as leveled ESOL classes while accommodating literacy learners and more advanced students.
Discuss next steps for implementation, including adaptation of materials and strategies with a specific group of learners.

Session 1 will focus on an overview of the multilevel classroom & differentiation strategies.
Register Here

VATESOL
2023-09-29 - 2023-10-01 | Richmond Marriot, 500 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
The 2023 VATESOL Conference, Stronger Together: Building Partnerships for Language, Content, and Community, will be held in Richmond, Va on September 29 and 30.

Career Pathways Open Conversation
2023-10-02 12:00 - 13:30
Join us for important networking, updates, and sharing for career pathways planning and programming. This three-part open conversation series focuses on connecting career pathways practitioners with resources, colleagues, and policy updates to support the growth of their programming to connect learners to training, higher education, and careers. Come and learn what your colleagues are doing across the state and share your best and promising practices with us!
ALL adult education practitioners who are interested in learning more about planning and implementing career pathways programming, including integrated education and training (IET), PluggedInVA, workplace learning, etc., are welcome to attend! Please consider inviting multiple members of your teams to attend (e.g., instructors, data specialists, regional specialists, program managers, occupational training partners). All perspectives are welcome and are important to the conversation!
These conversations will occur on Mondays from 12p to 1:30p. We will record and archive the presentation portions of each session and will share notes from the breakout and whole-group discussions.
Fall dates are October 2, October 30, and November 27.
Register for one or all sessions with this link.

VDOE 2023 Data Office Hours
2023-10-03 14:00 - 15:00

VALRC: Lessons from the Field with Steven Reid: ESOL Basics with Preliterate Adult Learners
2023-10-05 15:00 - 16:30
English language learners who come to the U.S. with no literacy in their first language have unique struggles in learning English. This webinar helps educators understand what these learners are going through and provides tips and ideas for creating lessons for students who speak no English and are not literate in any other language.
Facilitator Steven Reid says, “The limited research that exists on preliterate English language learners primarily focuses on youth under the age of 15. My work recently has focused on how to support teachers and tutors working with adults with little-to-no literacy in their first language (L1). Through academic research and observation of our students and tutors’ successes and struggles, I have compiled strategies and activities to help educators working with preliterate adults trying to learn to speak, read, and write in English. I will also discuss the causes of low L1 literacy and how this impacts L2 acquisition.”
Register Here

LINCS: Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month with the Job Accommodations Network (JAN)
2023-10-09 16:00 - 17:00
Join the LINCS Learners with Disabilities community to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This event will include an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and workplace accommodations. You will learn about the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) service, and practical tips for supporting learners to use JAN resources to request and negotiate workplace accommodations.
Register here.

Literacy Minnesota: Tips and Strategies for Adult Education Math Tutors
2023-10-09 19:30 - 21:30
Join Literacy Minnesota for this interactive session and pick up some ideas that will maximize your impact as a math tutor. This webinar will be appropriate for volunteers assisting a teacher in a math classroom as well as those leading their own classes, small groups or one-to-one sessions. Topics covered will include:

Levels of Math Knowing
Procedural vs Conceptual Understanding
Strategies for Fostering Independent Learning
Asking Facilitating Questions
Productive Struggle

Register here.

VALRC: Disabilities and the Adult Learner Webinar Series, Session 2: Instructional strategies for working with adults with disabilities
2023-10-10 13:00 - 14:30
Disabilities can occur across the lifespan, affecting academic performance, work, and daily living. Individuals with disabilities can have challenges with learning but can exhibit strengths in some areas. This session will provide instructional strategies for working with adults with disabilities, with a focus on incorporating evidence-based strategies into reading instruction.
Register

LINCS Coffee Talk: EL/Civics Resources about Indigenous Peoples
2023-10-10 16:00 - 17:00 | Virtual
Join us the LINCS Civics Education and Citizenship Group to share promising practices to foster cultural awareness through student discussions about the indigenous people in their country of origin and local Native American communities.
Register here.

LINCS: Engagement in the Hyflex Classroom
2023-10-13 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Engagement in any classroom modality is essential for a students’ learning outcomes. With an increase in technology in classrooms and the popularity of Hyflex, many instructors are seeking ideas and resources to make Hyflex integration easier and help students be more actively engaged. Join the LINCS English Language Acquisition community group to learn practical techniques, methods, and activities that successfully engage learners in a Hyflex classroom, both online and face-to-face. Presented by Vi Hawes, Pima Community College
Register here.
