FREE!
Adult Education Professional Development Opportunities for
April 2025
VALRC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS MONTH
The following professional development opportunities are offered to Virginia adult education practitioners as well as adult education partner organizations.
APRIL
7
12:30 –1:30 p.m. EST
Reflecting on Your Practice: Universal Design for Learning
This one-hour webinar and open conversation will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss their experience with implementing what they learned from the UDL course(s) and webinars, sharing success and challenges around implementation and supporting others’ implementation, and ask about and brainstorm solutions to any questions they have based on their work.
We’ll also open up the webinar for conversation around how we want to continue as a learning community to strengthen UDL practices across the board, from intake to instruction to transitions. We look forward to seeing you all there!
APRIL
17
3 p.m.–5 p.m. EST
The Science of Reading: Utilizing Learner-Centered Strategies
This webinar will present strategies to develop reading instruction through the use of learner-centered strategies.
Participants will engage in a practical workshop designed to provide adult education instructors with effective reading instruction strategies. This webinar provides strategies to enhance your your teaching with evidence-based strategies that:
- Support learner engagement
- Incorporate personal experiences into literacy development
- Improve reading comprehension and skill acquisition
APRIL
22
2 p.m.–3:30 p.m. EST
LACES data analysis session
Join a group of Virginia practitioners for a hands-on experience working with data in the LACES system.
APRIL
23
3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. EST
Spanish GED® Open Discussion
Join the discussion to talk with colleagues around the state about challenges, successes, promising practices, and problem solving to support Spanish-language GED® programming.
APRIL
24
3:30 p.m.–5 p.m. EST
Trauma-Informed Practice Part 2: Strategies for Adult Education Instruction
This webinar will focus on practical classroom and instructional strategies that adult education instructors can use to implement trauma-informed practices in the classroom.
APRIL
25
1 p.m.–2:30 p.m. EST
Digital Resilience in the American Workforce (DRAW) PLC
These interactive sessions will define digital resilience and focus on its importance for both instructors and students. Participants will gain insight and discover practical ways to begin implementing EdTech routines in the classroom, as well as participate in guided learning circles to share ideas and challenges.
VALRC's 2025 Professional Development Survey
While we all begin planning for our next academic year, let us know what you'd like to focus on for fall of 2025, winter 2026, and spring 2026. We'll use your input to plan out our offerings for the 2025-2026 year.
This survey has 3 brief sections of multiple choice questions with several open-answer spaces for additional information, ideas, and suggestions. It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete!
Now accepting PROGRESS submissions!
PROGRESS is Virginia’s adult education and literacy news journal. Articles provide program managers, instructors, staff, practitioners, and the public-at-large with strong evidence-based articles that can help improve practice and promote transformation.
We’re planning our next issue of PROGRESS and need your input!
We are looking for both learner and program success stories from around the state to build up a collection of evidence that demonstrates the importance and the quality of the work that adult education does in the state.
For this issue, we are open to all forms of stories, data, images, communications, and any messaging that tells stories of success and communicates the value of the amazing work that we do! Please submit your contributions using the following Google Form or by sending an email to vdesk@vcu.edu.
In this one-hour, self-paced tutorial, you will learn about the five main components of accessibility. These components include: color-contrast, hyperlinks, alt-text, tables, and headings.
This one-hour, self-paced tutorial introduces a working overview of this topic to begin incorporating trauma-informed teaching into classroom instruction. Participants will also gain a better sense of what is happening to a learner’s brain when they experience stress and trauma.
Disabilities and the Adult Learner Recorded Webinar Series:
This three part webinar series includes the following topics (click on the topic to access the webinar recording): a) an introduction to working with adults with {dis}abilities; b) instructional strategies for working with adults with {dis}abilities; and c) making content accessible. (Duration: each webinar recording is 1 hour & 30 minutes)
This 90-minute, webinar recording presents part basic overview of the science of reading and effective reading instruction, including alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. During the webinar, we discuss strategies for each component of reading and how to use them in the classroom.
See this announcement with more information about registering for and accessing VALRC's on-demand and self-paced learning opportunities using the Reach 360 platform.
VALRC's Resource Highlight
The information and resources on these resources can be used to support newly arrived refugees, immigrants, and new Americans with accessing English language learning opportunities through federally-funded adult education programs, community-based organizations, or other educational materials as well as accessing additional services that may be needed by the immigrant and refugee population.
The Lessons from the Field webinar series showcases the expertise of adult education and literacy practitioners from across the state. This playlist will grow as more recordings are added. It launches with 2024 Lessons from the Field webinars, with topics including digital literacy, generative AI, and English language learning.
This resource provides tutorial videos and important information about the state’s new data system.
This google folder contains curated resources for the science of reading, including assessments and each component of reading (alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension). Many of these resources are open-source from other agencies. VALRC staff are continually adding new resources to the folder, so check back often!
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THIS MONTH
The following webinars are offered by various adult education organizations and are all FREE to attend. Click the Register button below the event description to sign up for any webinars of interest.
APRIL
7
7:30–9:30 p.m. EST
Literacy Minnesota: Teaching Reading Vocabulary
Vocabulary 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 make new words part of their receptive and productive vocabularies? This webinar will focus on the theory and best practice behind choosing, teaching and reviewing reading vocabulary. You’ll get a chance to learn about (and practice) a variety of activities that can be done remotely or in person. Links to great online resources will also be provided.
This workshop will be most useful for instructors working with low-intermediate to advanced readers.
APRIL
8
1 p.m.–2 p.m. EST
ProLiteracy: Beyond Academics: Empowering Learners with Critical Social-Emotional Workplace Competencies
Webinar attendees will discover how fostering abilities such as a positive attitude, time-management, conflict resolution, openness to feedback, and more can significantly enhance adult learners’ achievements in the classroom and workplace.
The session will showcase practical resources and activities that instructors can integrate into their existing curriculum, regardless of subject matter. Participants will leave with a toolkit of strategies to help their learners develop the essential interpersonal and self-management competencies needed to navigate challenges, be productive, and thrive in the workplace.
APRIL
9
2 p.m.–3 p.m. EST
COABE: Building Financial Knowledge with MoneySKILL®: Free Resources for Your Classroom
Empower your students with the knowledge they need to make smart financial decisions, whether it’s buying a car, financing college, purchasing a home, starting a business, and more. MoneySKILL® is a free, online curriculum to support financial education in your classroom.
Join us for an interactive session to explore the platform, see key features in action, and discover how MoneySKILL® can enhance your teaching while benefiting your students. Don’t miss this opportunity to bring engaging, no-cost financial education to your learners!
APRIL
14
1 p.m.–1:45 p.m. EST
Data Recognition Corporation: TABE 13/14 & CLAS-E C/D updates with Q&A
All are welcome! Join DRC to learn more about their new, NRS-approved forms of TABE, Workforce Portal, and CLAS-E.
Some exciting highlights from this session will include:
- SHORTER READING load on TABE 13/14!
- Workforce Portal tied to O*Net database of careers for success!
- Scan TABE or CLAS-E (paper versions) into our portal for fast and FREE Scoring and get our Individual Profile Report to support instruction.
Meeting ID: 243 337 643 902
Passcode: VH9FT9BK
APRIL
15
1 p.m.–2. p.m. EST
ProLiteracy: Building Conversation Skills: Strategies for Adult English Learners
Join us for an engaging webinar focused on building effective conversation skills for adult English language learners. Steven will lead participants through practical techniques for fostering natural dialogue, including strategies for improving fluency, expanding vocabulary, and building confidence in real-life conversations. Discover methods for creating activities, addressing common speaking challenges, and meeting diverse needs.
This session is perfect for educators who want to enhance their students’ conversational abilities and boost their overall language proficiency and confidence.
APRIL
18
2 p.m.–4 p.m. EST
Literacy Minnesota: Writing Activities for Beginning Literacy and Beginning English Language Learners
While most in our society take the ability to write for granted, it can be laborious for ESL learners with little experience with this skill. Attend this webinar to learn about and try out engaging, interactive activities for English Language Learners in Beginning Literacy and Beginning level classes. Ideas for in-person, remote, one-on-one, all-class, as well as low-tech and no-tech options will be covered.
APRIL
22
2 p.m.–4 p.m. EST
Literacy Minnesota: Teaching Intermediate Alphabetics
Teaching 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.
APRIL
29
7:30–9:30 p.m. EST
Literacy Minnesota: Developing 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 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 other remote tutoring tool (including the phone!). Participants will have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and share resources.
This workshop will be most useful for instructors working with low-intermediate to advanced readers.
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"Equipping the field of adult education and literacy with essential skills and resources to expand access to high-quality instruction and workforce preparation."