Resources
Results
Starting Small with Project-Based Learning
This article from Edutopia gives teachers three tips for starting to implement Project-Based Learning (PBL) in their classrooms.
Seven Essentials for Project-Based Learning
This article from Educational Leadership describes seven elements the authors have found every meaningful project needs to have: (1) A "need to know," (2) a driving question, (3) student voice and choice, (4) 21st century skills, (5) inquiry and innovation, (6) feedback and revision, and (7) a publicly presented product.
Getting Started with Effective Math Talk in the Classroom
Using mathematical discussions in the classroom is a powerful way to increase our students’ critical thinking and communication skills. This article explores ways to get your students thinking and communicating mathematically from the very first days of school. The article is written for K-12 teachers, but the language and strategies work well with adult learners.
Translating Word Problems: Keywords
This article offers recommendations for how students should approach word problems, as well as a list of mathematical terms that indicate specific operations.
6 Great Ways to Help ESL Students Achieve Self-Correction
This article from Busy Teacher offers suggestions for ways that teachers can promote self-correction for their ESL learners during classes.
Teaching the Skill of Self-Correction
This article offers several suggestions on how teachers can help students to take ownership of their reading, monitor themselves while they are reading, self-correct when they need to.
Differentiated Comprehension Checks
This article explains how using differentiated comprehension checks is a way to reach all students in your classroom. It helps students understand grammatical features by asking a quick series of tiered questions during a story or conversation. This is a meaning-based technique that promotes comprehension.
The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners
TESOL International Association has defined a core set of principles for the exemplary teaching of English learners. The 6 Principles are universal guidelines drawn from decades of research in language pedagogy and language acquisition theory and are applicable across different educational contexts.
Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning
This resource repository contains videos, articles, and handouts on the topic of culturally responsive teaching. The executive director of CCRTL, Dr. Sharroky Hollie, is a nationally recognized leader in the field of culturally responsive education.
Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
In this video, education experts Jackie Jordan Irvine, Geneva Gay and Kris Gutierrez explain how to make culturally relevant pedagogy a reality in your classroom.
Curriculum as Encounter: Selves and Shelves
In this article by Emily Jane Style, "a veteran teacher expresses the importance of drawing on the life-texts of students and recognizing the ways that personal experience influences a student’s perception of the world."
Global Oneness Project
According to their website, “We aim to connect, through stories, the local human experience to global meta-level issues, such as climate change, water scarcity, food insecurity, poverty, endangered cultures, migration, and sustainability. Through featuring individuals and communities impacted by these issues, our stories and lessons provide opportunities to examine universal themes that emphasize our common humanity... Our lessons facilitate the development of students' critical thinking, inquiry, empathy, and listening skills."
10-step guide to Teaching Effective Conversation Classes
Learn suggestions for incorporating conversation into the classroom, or beginning a stand-alone conversation class or a conversation circle. The article includes a link to a guide with 30 speaking activities.
Paying for College Guide
According to the website, "For many people, how to pay for a college education is one of the first major financial decisions they'll make. These guides cover some of the big decisions you’ll face and will help you understand your options for financing your college education."
New American Horizons: Adult ESL Teacher Training Videos – Low Literacy
This collection of 12 teacher training videos were filmed in adult ESL classes and feature a variety of teaching strategies and activities. For teachers interested in learning more about working with low-literacy learners, there are three videos that address this level.
CCRS in the ABE Classroom: Low Beginning ESL
This lesson focuses on CCR Standard Reading Anchor 1, Level A, Speaking and Listening Anchor 1 and 6, and Language Anchor 1. The learners: 1) Ask and answer questions about key details in a text, 2) Speak audibly, express thoughts clearly and succinctly, 3) Follow rules for discussions & responding to comments/questions in an exchange, and 4) Understand and use question words.
CCRS in the ABE Classroom: Intermediate ESL
This lesson focuses on CCR standard Reading Anchor 1, Level C. The learners: 1) Identify and highlight evidence that supports their answers to text-dependent inference questions as evidenced by their responses to the questions and highlighting marks in the text, and 2) Accurately quote or paraphrase specific evidence from the text as evidenced by small group and whole class discussions.
Observing Standards-in-Action: ESL Classroom Lesson
Bell-to-bell video of ELA ESL lesson focused on the writing process and components of effective paragraphs (1 hour 2 minutes; Intermediate/advanced ESL students).
Observing Standards-in-Action: ELA Classroom Lesson
Bell-to-bell video of an ELA lesson focused on identifying a claim and evidence (52 minutes; ELA High-intermediate/low secondary ABE students).
The Problem with Math is English
Molina explores the relationship between mathematical instruction and language. "The Problem with Math Is English explains how language-focused conceptual instruction leads students to a deeper understanding than traditional procedural-based teaching methods."
New Resources
CCRS for Adult Education
The College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS) is the document that lays out the standards for English Language Arts/Literacy, Math, and Foundational Reading Skills. CCRS is one of the three components - along with the Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) and the Northstar Digital Literacy Standards - of the Minnesota ABE content standards.
Success Skills Library (NCTN)
The Personal & Workplace Success Skills Library is a curated collection of resources to guide the integration of personal and workplace success skills into curriculum and instruction, advising and coaching, assessment, and program design. The library is fully searchable and is an excellent resource for those who want to embed more transferable skills into their ABE instruction. This resource touches on all 6 of the TIF categories.
Levels of Learning Mathematics
Developed by Appalachian State University, this resource outlines the levels of learning math proposed by Mahesh C. Sharma: intuitive, concrete/experiential, pictorial/representational, abstract, applications, and communication. The chart explains each level and gives an example of what that level would look like in the classroom.
Presenter Information
Get information about stipends, reimbursements, and other instructions for presenters.
MN ABE YouTube Channel
The MN ABE YouTube Channel is a free online PD resource that you can use to explore teaching techniques and classroom ideas in action! Find out more in this MN ABE Connect newsletter article.
Upcoming ABE Events
May 12, 2021
6:30 pm–8:00 pm
Online
I Hear You! Effective Listening Instruction for English Language Learners
Online
Registration Deadline: WED. 5/12/21 Come learn how explicit listening instruction builds a foundation for literacy skills and fosters independence for language learners. This workshop will identify authentic learning tasks that English learners encounter daily, try out a variety of listening activities across multiple levels, and discuss which… Learn More
Online
May 13, 2021
10:00 am–11:30 am
Online
Remote Tutoring 101
Online
Registration Deadline: THU. 5/13/21 Join Literacy Minnesota Adult Basic Education and ESL trainers for a virtual workshop on how to be an effective tutor from a distance! Learn best practices for connecting and communicating one-on-one with adult learners on the phone or online, get suggestions for correcting errors… Learn More
Online
May 13, 2021
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
Online
Integrated Education and Training (IET) 101
Online
Registration Deadline: THU. 5/13/21 Join us to learn more about the basic components of IETs! This webinar will focus on the key components of IETs, articulate the value of an IET delivery model, discuss resources to support the development of an IET, and outline the process for IET… Learn More
Online