2026 Iowa Adult Education & Literacy Conference

Many adult learners come to class after a long day of work, family responsibilities, and life stress. This session shares practical strategies to help instructors increase engagement and participation—even when students are tired. We’ll explore simple, techniques that make lessons more interactive, support learner persistence, and help adult ELL students stay involved in the learning process.

- Talk about the different ways we keep online students participating in lessons each day so that don't feel like they are relegated to the background. 
- Keeping an active effort to engage them so that they can overcome their insecurities/fears of disrupting the class because they are actually part of the class, not a separate group. 

Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs rely on strong collaboration between instructors to successfully blend adult education and literacy, workforce preparation, and workforce training. However, co-teaching is often implemented without clear structure, shared planning time, or defined roles—leading to inconsistent student outcomes.
This session explores practical, field-tested co-teaching models designed specifically for IET settings, including adult learners and non-native English speakers. In addition to instructional strategies, the session will examine the working relationship between content specialists and ABE/ESL instructors, with a focus on role negotiation, shared authority in the classroom, and leveraging complementary expertise.

Participants will explore how to align expectations, communicate effectively across disciplines, and navigate common tensions—such as balancing technical rigor with language and literacy support. Through real-world examples and interactive activities, attendees will learn how to implement multiple co-teaching approaches (e.g., team teaching, station teaching, parallel instruction) and determine which models best fit their program structure.

This session explores practical strategies for improving employer onboarding and long-term engagement in worksite ESL programs. Participants will review and discuss tools and support practices designed to increase employer follow-through, employee retention, and overall program satisfaction. Through examples, shared resources, and guided discussion, attendees will explore approaches for setting clear expectations, strengthening employer buy-in, streamlining processes, and building responsive partnerships that support both workforce needs and adult learner success. Participants will leave with adaptable tools, templates, and implementation ideas for a variety of worksite ESL settings.

Beginning in the fall of 2026, all individuals pursuing an HSED will be required to earn a score of 60% or higher on the civics test issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is easy to see this exam as an exercise in rote memorization; yet, the requirement to teach this content provides an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful discussion of the country’s past, present and future. Through this session, participants will explore the difference between politics and civics with an emphasis on the concept of civic culture; examine how evidence-based strategies such as interleaving and retrieval practice can support exam preparation; and, connect test questions to foundational historical documents and the perennial challenges of self-government. Time will be reserved during the session for students to test out lesson plans and explore available resources.

This session focuses on how to create powerful connections between education and employment. Participants will share models, partnerships, and strategies that lead to real workforce outcomes.