Video/Webinar
Training and support for tutors and teachers working with students reading and writing below an 8th grade level.
Most tutors and teachers receive quality training before they start working with students. However, once they begin their teaching experience, they have little access to additional training and support.
Teacher Training Plus, funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, is a webinar series that presents best-practice instructional strategies. These video recordings began in Fall of 2022 and are continuous.
This strand is best for teachers and tutors working with adults who are native English language speakers (not English language learners) learning basic skills.
We’ve identified areas of need and have designed webinars to address each. Throughout all of the topics, we will also address working in a multilevel class or group and converting in-person teaching strategies to distance learning.
October 2022
Effective Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension to Adult Learners
This webinar features evidence-based practices for teaching pre-reading, during reading and post-reading strategies with a focus on the importance of contextualized learning, vocabulary building and building background knowledge. Participants will leave with practical, easy-to-use activities along with recommended resources to increase learners’ understanding of what they read.
January 2023
Effective Strategies for Teaching Writing to Basic Literacy Adult Learners
This webinar features evidence-based practices for developing writing skills with adult learners, as well as strategies for using writing to boost reading comprehension. Participants will leave with practical, easy-to-use writing activities along with recommended resources to increase learners’ writing composition and mechanics.
April 2023
Effective Strategies for Working With Low-Level Basic Literacy Learners
This webinar features evidence-based practices for supporting low-level basic literacy students as they develop their reading and writing skills. Participants will leave with practical, easy-to-use activities along with recommended resources specifically selected to provide low-level students with the support they need to be successful.
September 2023
What’s So Smart About SMART Goals? Using Them to Energize Students and Increase Retention
Integrating SMART goals into class increases student satisfaction and involvement. In addition, students that work toward SMART goals also have better attendance. Learn what SMART goals are, how to set them, and how to use them in class. SMART goals can make any learning environment more relevant and engaging for students.
January 2024
Back To Basics: Using Phonics to Improve Reading and Engagement Regardless of Student Reading Level
Alphabetics is the first of the four components of reading, yet phonics in the classroom can be easily overlooked if we assume students know their letter sounds. Join us for a basic review of phonics and syllables and how to incorporate these foundational skills into your basic literacy (ABE) lessons in a way that applies to and engages students at every level.
April 2024
What??! You Want Me to Write Too? Strategies for Very Beginning or Anxious Writers
Writing is just so permanent. How can we help our students get over the anxiety of committing pencil to paper? This webinar will present exercises you can incorporate into your lessons that will relieve some of the stress of writing and encourage students to share their ideas.
October 2024
Incorporating Phonics and Fluency into Any Instructional Material
Students often need more practice on a specific skill than the worksheets you have on hand. Join us to learn how to make your materials do double duty to practice phonics and fluency. This session is for those whose students are native English speakers.
February 2025
Incorporating Vocabulary and Writing into Any Instructional Material
Students often need more practice on a specific skill than the worksheets you have on hand. Join us to learn how to make your materials do double duty to practice vocabulary and writing. This session is for those whose students are native English Speakers.
March 2025
Incorporating Reading Comprehension into Any Instructional Material
Students often need more practice on a specific skill than the worksheets you have on hand. Join us to learn how to make your materials do double duty to practice reading comprehension. This session is for those whose students are native English Speakers
About the Presenters
Ann Marie Barter is an educator with over 30 years of experience in teaching, training, curriculum development, and administration in Maine and Illinois. She currently implements new family literacy programs for Catholic Extension after previously serving as the Senior Director of Curriculum and Training for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Ann Marie gained extensive expertise in standards-based education and evaluation practices, curriculum development, and professional development while serving as Distinguished Educator for the Maine Department of Education, as a National Trainer and Coach for the United States Department of Education’s Student Achievement in Reading initiative, and as an instructor of continuing education and graduate level courses for the Center for Adult Learning and Literacy at the University of Maine, Orono.
Ann Marie is a past recipient of the Maine State Director’s Award for Outstanding Leadership and the Maine Adult Education Association’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Southern Maine and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Janet Sodell has been teaching low-literacy adult basic education students for over 24 years. While teaching in Connecticut she became a tutor trainer, which she has continued at The READ Center in Richmond, VA. Janet teaches a multi-level class virtually and provides additional tutor professional development on an ad hoc basis. She strives to create engaging, active classes that meet the needs of her students. In 2019, she was awarded the Joan E.D. Kushnir Teacher of the Year award by the Virginia Association for Adult and Continuing Education (VAACE). She has been a presenter at various state and national conferences. This will be Janet’s second year presenting and facilitating workshops as part of ProLiteracy’s Teacher Training Plus.