Events

Registration Deadline: FRI. 9/23/22

(NOTE: Registrations after 5:00 PM on 9/23/22 will incur a $15 late fee)

If you require ASL interpretation, contact Gail Rutan at [email protected].

8:45-10:00 AM – Welcome & General Session:

• Adult Career Pathways Are Everyone’s Business
  This presentation is an overview of where every ABE staff, instructor, administrator, or supporting service agency fits into Adult Career Pathways. Our ABE State Director will share Federal and State direction in Adult Career Pathways (ACP), Integrated Education and Training (IET), Online Statewide Training Courses, and more!
  

10:15-11:45 AM – Concurrent Session #1

• Teaching and Practicing Reading Fluency
  Come and review the important role of fluency in reading instruction. We will discuss the three key components of reading fluency, talk about fluency assessment and review fluency texts. Best of all we will look at (and practice) a variety of fluency activities teachers (and tutors) can try. Participants will have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and share ideas.
• Mental Wellness!  It Matters! Mental Health Tips in the ABE Classroom
  Many people are well aware of methods to stay physically healthy, but few are educated about what it means to stay mentally healthy.  Mental and physical health are closely intertwined, and both should be priorities in our lives.  Come to this session to learn how to teach mental health strategies to ABE students using PANDA’s new mental health tip sheet.  Discover its benefits for your students and how it can be used for teachers’ self-care. The session will share concrete examples of how the tips can be incorporated into lessons to help your students get on the road to mental wellness.  This workshop is intended to address the re-licensure areas of key warning signs of early-onset mental illness or English Language Learners.
• So Nice to See You Again: Getting Reacquainted with the ACES/TIF Sample Lesson Plans
  In this interactive session, participants will have a chance to preview the newly updated ACES/TIF lesson planning template and two sample lesson plans and provide input. The presenter will discuss some current trends in education and how they are being incorporated into these lessons. Participants will have an opportunity to work in small groups and discuss ways to make these materials work at a variety of levels. Participants will then leave with two lesson plans that can be implemented in a future class. For practitioners who are new to ABE in Minnesota, this workshop session will be an opportunity to learn more about ACES/TIF and why it is one of the three sets of content standards for MN ABE.
•  Northstar Digital Literacy Foundations
  What is digital literacy, why does it matter in ABE, and how can teachers include it in their existing classes (with minimal headaches)? Come to this session to find out! We’ll look at some examples of integrating digital literacy into ELL and ELA courses, practice modifying a sample lesson to include Northstar standards, and discuss why all this “technology stuff” is worth the time and effort, even for in-person classes. You’ll also get a preview of the new Northstar Digital Literacy Foundations course for ABE teachers and learn where to find resources to support you as you teach digital literacy.

12:30-1:30 PM – Roundtable Discussions

• Student Recruitment & Outreach
  Presenters will provide a brief overview of the new LAN Outreach Toolkit, followed by a facilitated discussion about how participants could use the toolkit and other recruitment strategies and materials.
• HyFlex instruction and logistics
  This will be a facilitated conversation about HyFlex instruction in 2022-23. What’s working, and what’s not? Come share your triumphs, challenges, and questions!
• HiSET Practice Test debrief
  Minnesota is now a HiSET state, along with the GED, so our students will have options for earning a High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma. Join your facilitators from ATLAS and MDE to look at trends in initial feedback we’ve received from colleagues taking the practice tests, share your own impressions if you’ve taken them, and discuss what HSE instruction may look like moving forward. Your participation and feedback in this roundtable is important to helping us plan future professional development and support for the HiSET exam.
• Pandemic Teaching: Lessons Learned
  What have you learned from the past 2 years of teaching during the pandemic? What has changed in your teaching? What practices and resources will you keep? Join us to share and learn from your colleagues as we process the impact of the pandemic on our field and current work.

1:45-3:15 PM – Concurrent Session #2

• Interactive Lessons using Google Slides
  Google Slides is a robust, interactive, and flexible presentation tool that can also be interactive and fun for students. This session will walk participants through creating interactive lessons they can use virtually and in their classroom.
• Avoid the Churn with Spiralized Curriculum
  Do you struggle with a constantly churning class roster that results in reteaching the same lesson over and over? In this workshop, Adam Kuehnel (MN DOC) will present on his use of the spiral model of instruction in a low-level mathematics classroom. Through the spiral model, students develop a deeper understanding of the relationships between math concepts and become confident in their explorations of the same mathematics they used to dread. Participants can expect to work independently and in small groups. A sample of spiralized curriculum will be provided. Bring your CCRS books!
• Beyond the Box: Supplementing the ESL Textbook for Reading Instruction
  Yellow cake baked from a box mix might be pretty good on its own, but we can make that cake a more delectable experience by adding layers, putting fresh fruit between them, zipping up the frosting, and sprinkling the top with coconut. Starting with an ESL textbook, we’ll engage in some relatively low-prep literacy routines that can support and expand student understanding of text and enrich the experience of both teaching and learning reading.
• What’s Up with the HiSET Language Arts-Writing Test?
  Curious about the HiSET Language Arts-Writing test? Join Kristine Kelly from ATLAS and Heather Anderson from Mankato Adult Education as they compare some basics of the GED & HiSET language and writing tests and share their impressions based on the official practice test, along with feedback trends from colleagues taking the practice tests statewide. Participants will have an opportunity to work with some practice HiSET language questions and an essay prompt and then engage in discussion about can stay the same about high school equivalency writing instruction and what may need to change. 
  

Registration Cancellation Policy:

Due to non-refundable costs incurred for venue bookings and catering, registrations cancelled less than 5 business days prior to an ATLAS-sponsored event will not be eligible for reimbursement and will be billed at the normal rate. If you must cancel after this time, you are encouraged to send a substitute if possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Participant Expectations and Logistics:

• COVID GUIDELINES (per Hamline University and the CDC): Current masking policy does not require masks to be worn indoors. However, you are encouraged to do so; ATLAS will have masks on site if you would like one. Additionally, please stay home if:
  • You have a temperature over 100.4 degrees
  • You have COVID-19 or any symptoms related to COVID-19
  • You live with or care for anyone who has COVID-19 or COVID-19 related symptoms
• For the comfort of all program participants, and due to scent sensitivities and allergies, please refrain from wearing any fragrant lotions, cologne, and/or perfume in meeting rooms.
• Temperature levels can vary in conference centers. Please be sure to dress in layers so you are comfortable throughout the day.