2026 Iowa Adult Education & Literacy Conference

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.