2026 Iowa Adult Education & Literacy Conference

Professionals in adult education and other helping professions are often called upon to support individuals facing significant challenges, hardships, and life transitions. While this work is deeply meaningful, it can also take a toll on those who do it. This session introduces the concept of Trauma Stewardship—a framework for understanding and addressing the impact of witnessing the suffering of others while maintaining a sense of purpose, resilience, and well-being.
Participants will explore the 16 trauma exposure responses and learn how repeated exposure to the struggles of others can influence their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Through reflection and discussion, attendees will gain practical strategies for recognizing these responses, preventing burnout and compassion fatigue, and reconnecting with the values and purpose that brought them to this work.

HiSET classes require academic language that our non-native speakers of English may lack. In this session, we will present crucial techniques that instructors in HiSET classes can use to support all learners. We will focus on scaffolding instruction, sheltering content, modeling, and utilizing multimodal learning.

Today’s program directors navigate persistent challenges — staff burnout, enrollment declines, and digital inequities. This interactive session introduces design thinking as a powerful, human-centered framework for generating practical solutions.