2026 Iowa Adult Education & Literacy Conference

Burnout isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a bonafide epidemic, especially among those juggling too many balls (and probably forgot where they put the one labeled “self-care”). In this refreshingly honest and practical session, we’ll explore what burnout really looks like, why it hits educators especially hard, and how to spot the signs before you're fully crispy. Through personal stories, laughter, and practical strategies, we’ll name what’s exhausting us—and reclaim some hope, boundaries, and breathing room.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Recognize common signs and symptoms of burnout, particularly as they show up in higher education.
• Identify personal and systemic factors contributing to burnout—and differentiate between what we can change and what we need to challenge.
• Understand the stress response cycle and how to move through that cycle.
• Laugh (a little!) and leave feeling seen, supported, and empowered to set boundaries and prioritize their well-being.

Adult students juggle work, parenting, transportation barriers, and stress. This session introduces evidence-based techniques—retrieval practice, spacing, interleaving, micro-drills, cognitive load management—that help them learn faster, remember longer, and stay engaged. Participants practice turning existing reading, writing, and math tasks into accelerated-learning activities they can use immediately.

This session explores Academic Conversations by Jeff Zwiers and Marie Crawford as applied in a non-credit adult ELL classroom.. Participants will learn how structured academic talk can build language, confidence, and critical thinking skills for learners across all NRS levels—from pre-literate to advanced.

Through real classroom examples, the session will demonstrate how academic conversations can be differentiated to meet diverse learner needs. Attendees will leave with practical, ready-to-use activities that support meaningful student interaction, including adaptable conversation routines and scaffolds that can be implemented immediately in their own classrooms.