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Abstract:
This article emphasizes the need for adult educators to adapt to the constantly evolving digital landscape. Traditional methods of professional development (PD) no longer suffice, so PD courses should strive to foster a lifelong learning mindset and encourage a culture of experimentation. The article outlines three strategies for creating an effective digital learning environment: nonlinear learning, leveraging community, and prioritizing practicality. Nonlinear learning embraces a fluid process that replicates real-world learning, emphasizing goal setting, experimentation, and collaborative learning. The power of community facilitates a space for shared learning and collective problem solving. Lastly, practicality emphasizes learning technologies that simplify and enhance teaching, with the educator in control of their learning path. Feedback mechanisms are integral to these strategies, fostering a community of shared knowledge and providing personalized support. The ultimate goal is to empower adult educators to leverage digital tools effectively, enhancing their instructional practices in an ever-evolving digital age.
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Abstract:
Adult educators integrate digital activities into instruction to provide flexible, engaging learning opportunities and help learners gain digital skills. Teachers are eager to create digital resources for their classes, but often are limited by the time and/or skills necessary to do so. A promising free-to-teachers solution employed in professional development initiatives is a form of service learning called the EdTech Maker Space. Educators learn about edtech and open educational resources while they curate, adapt, and create reusable digital activities that can be shared and adapted by others. This article describes the theoretical foundation of the EdTech Maker Space, provides examples of federally funded initiatives that leverage it, offers early insights from research on its use, and suggests how an EdTech Maker Space, as service learning, can transform curricular resources, promote flexible instructional practices, and fill resource gaps.
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Abstract:
Research shows that engaged and continuously developing teachers are more effective in the classroom. However, with a significant proportion of adult English as a second language (ESL) instructional staff consisting of adjunct faculty, it is crucial to address issues such as high turnover rates, feelings of isolation and marginalization, limited availability for PD due to transient schedules and multiple jobs, and insufficient funding for robust offerings. This article explores several best practices for overcoming those challenges—mini-conferences, professional development (PD) swaps, study groups, individualized faculty development plans, and leveraging technology for flexible and asynchronous options—and encourages other programs to adopt such PD initiatives to support and empower adjunct faculty.
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Abstract:
The importance of professional development to the success of adult education cannot be emphasized enough. In a field with many part-time educators, and where recruitment and retention of adult educators is an ongoing challenge, professional development plays a critical role in attracting, retaining, and developing teachers, administrators, and support staff. The Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS) provides resources to support and advance these professional development efforts. This article shares the five-factor model for change through effective professional development and how LINCS implements this model to bring effective professional development to the field through the LINCS components.
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Abstract:
This article discusses how educators can bridge the digital divide for adult English language learners (ELLs) through mini-projects that are tied to family learning. These family motivated projects aim to boost learners’ English language proficiency and digital skills necessary for job readiness, and, most significantly, create stronger connections with their families. This article provides an overview of the learner demographics and programs at one nonprofit organization, the English Empowerment Center, and explains the key factors considered in designing the mini-projects. The authors discuss how the digital skills were chosen, common barriers to digital access, the importance of student motivation and digital resilience, and the role of weaving together multiple literacies. Examples of mini-projects focused on community and school connections are shared, along with outcomes related to digital skill development, family engagement, and learner confidence in supporting their children’s education.
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Abstract:
In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to navigate digital landscapes has become essential for flourishing as an individual and for maintaining family bonds and cultural identities. Immigrant families, particularly those with young children, face a unique set of challenges and inequities that can significantly influence their access to economic opportunity, involvement in their children’s education, and civic engagement. Through this article, we summarize available data on digital inequity, explore current digital literacy practices among immigrant families, and propose implications for family literacy programs. The aim is to bridge what is known about the barriers that immigrant families face with an asset-based approach that builds on their diverse, everyday digital literacy practices. We recognize how immigrant families’ digital literacy practices can shape family literacy programming, including several practices such as sustaining transnational connections, sharing and maintaining cultural and linguistic funds of knowledge, engaging in intergenerational learning experiences, and applying a cultural lens to navigate a complex technological landscape. Accordingly, we suggest that family literacy educators build on immigrant families’ existing digital skills, usage, and access; create opportunities to actively and critically engage with technology; and design for digital equity.
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Abstract:
Adult education has evolved from informal, oral traditions to structured programs that address the changing needs of society. This article traces its historical roots from early evening schools and trade education to modern community colleges and workforce development initiatives. It explores the relevance of adult learning through andragogical principles, emphasizing its problem-centered approach and immediate application. Finally, it highlights the profound impact of adult education, showcasing its role in personal growth, economic mobility, and community engagement.
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Abstract:
Adult education has evolved from informal, oral traditions to structured programs that address the changing needs of society. This article traces its historical roots from early evening schools and trade education to modern community colleges and workforce development initiatives. It explores the relevance of adult learning through andragogical principles, emphasizing its problem-centered approach and immediate application. Finally, it highlights the profound impact of adult education, showcasing its role in personal growth, economic mobility, and community engagement.