ACES/Transitions
Recent Newsletter Articles
Teaching the Whys and Hows of Emergency Funds
Everyone experiences emergencies, typically about once a year or so. Yet many of us continue to be surprised when emergencies crop up. Any emergency is a lot less painful if it isn’t made worse by unnecessary financial stress. Teaching about emergency funds is a great way to open up conversations about money and financial literacy. Read More
Throwback Thursdays and Other Life-Changing Routines
Here's a riddle for you. What can make bedtime easier, skin dewier, and bodies fitter? Here’s a hint. It can also make your classroom easier to manage, your students more relaxed, and your lesson planning simpler. Do you know what it is yet? Read on to find out! Read More
Bringing Financial Literacy into the ABE Classroom
Financial literacy is too often overlooked. People of all stripes may have a level of financial literacy that hinders their ability to function day to day, much less build life plans or get ahead. Our primary constituency here at the International Institute of Minnesota ─ new Minnesotans who were born outside the country ─ are especially vulnerable. Read More
COMING SOON! Dev Ed/ABE Virtual Symposium on February 16
Mark your calendar for the first-ever FREE, virtual Dev Ed/ABE Symposium coming up on February 16 from 8:45am-12:30pm! Registration for "Improving Student Dev Ed Outcomes Through Highly Effective Partnerships with Adult Basic Education" opens on January 23, so watch for more information. Read More
A Not So BASE-ic Resource
I have recently spent some time exploring the BAES Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) courses that are now available for Distance Learning. After looking at them through an ACES/TIF lens, I have come to the conclusion that they make up a rich resource collection that would be useful for anyone who wants to learn more about Transitions skills, such as Resilience, Motivation, and Future Goals. Read More
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work for TIF 2.0
The Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) – a component of our MN Adult Education content standards – was first published in 2013 and revised in 2016. A dream team comprising dedicated ABE teachers and administrators from programs around Minnesota is now working on exciting and timely updates to the TIF! Read More
A Walk in My Shoes: Videos to Help Everyone Have a Place at the Table
This documentary video series features stories from first-generation college students and aims “to create awareness about the diversity, the challenges, the opportunities and the benefits each student brings to campus.” Watching the videos would be an excellent way to begin a conversation about a number of important topics, such as the barriers that first-generation college students face, the value of persistence, and the importance of “making room at the table” for diverse voices in educational spaces. Read More
TIF 2.0: Transitioning Into the Future
Over the past 10 years, the ACES (Academic, Career & Employability Skills) project has grown into a nationally recognized transitions framework that has influenced work being done around Minnesota and across the country. Now we're excited to announce some upcoming changes to the ACES TIF on the horizon! Read More
Project-Based Learning in Action: How to Be a Successful Online Student – Part 2
Instructor Dan Bruski describes how he led his low-intermediate ESL students through a project-based learning activity around composing a list of rules and expectations for their online class. The culmination of the lesson was the creation of a video on "How to be a successful online student," which has an authentic use for orienting new students. Read More
Project-Based Learning in Action: How to Be a Successful Online Student – Part 1
Instructor Dan Bruski describes how he led his low-intermediate ESL students through a project-based learning activity around composing a list of rules and expectations for their online class. The culmination of the lesson was the creation of a video on "How to be a successful online student," which has an authentic use for orienting new students. Read More