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2022 Literacy Texas Annual Conference

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The Literacy Texas Annual Conference is THE event for educators, nonprofit administrators, and organizations working with literacy in Texas. Learn about the latest research in the literacy field. Rub shoulders with experts and connect with like-minded people. Most importantly, leave with the tools, relationships, and inspiration you need to continue making a difference.

The 2022 Literacy Texas Annual Conference will be held on August 1 & 2, 2022. The theme of the 2022 conference is “Literacy for ALL.”

Find everything you need to know about the conference here.

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Adult Literacy in a Changing World: Effective Programs for Today

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Have you considered starting an adult literacy program?

Maybe you’re at a nonprofit with a different mission – but you’ve wondered about expanding your existing services to include high school equivalency, tutoring, or English classes?

Or perhaps you’ve been in the adult literacy field for a while – but the world’s changing around you and you need new ideas for these new times?

Join us for this special online training session, where we’ll explore the core elements of effective adult literacy programs – for those just starting out, those re-starting after a couple of tumultuous years, and those who could do with refreshed ideas to make existing programs really shine.

This special session is presented by Tarrant Literacy Coalition in partnership with Literacy Texas, and takes the place of the DFW Symposium for 2022. It’s offered free of charge to educators, volunteer tutors, ESL teachers, and other library and nonprofit professionals who work in the fields of adult and family literacy (or would like to!) across Texas – and beyond.

The training will be held online on Saturday, June 25, 2022, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Check-in for registered participants will open on Zoom at 8:45 am.

Registration is open now.

Special thanks to:

The Texas Center for Advancement of Literacy & Learning (TCALL)

The Texas Workforce Commission

The United Way of Tarrant County

Read more about the annual regional literacy symposiums here.

Watch this space, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on social media to get all the details as they’re confirmed:

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2022 Gulf Coast Literacy Symposium

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The 2022 Gulf Coast Literacy Symposium will be held on Saturday, June 11, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the United Way of Greater Houston: 50 Waugh Drive, Houston, TX 77007. Check-in for registered participants will open at 8:30 am, and both breakfast and lunch will be provided.

This symposium is offered free of charge to educators, volunteer tutors, ESL teachers, and other library and nonprofit professionals who work in the fields of adult and family literacy.

Registration is open now.

Schedule & Program

All details coming soon – watch this space

Directions & Parking

Click here for maps, directions, and parking information.

Register here for this free training event.

Special thanks to:

The Texas Center for Advancement of Literacy & Learning (TCALL)

The Texas Workforce Commission

Read more about the annual regional literacy symposiums here.

Watch this space, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on social media to get all the details as they’re confirmed:

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2022 Laredo Literacy Symposium

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New for 2022! Literacy Texas extends a warm welcome to new symposium presenting partner Laredo College.

The very first Laredo Literacy Symposium has the theme “Building Resilience Through Literacy” and will be held on Thursday, June 2, 2022, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. Check-in for registered participants will open at 8:30 am.

This symposium is offered free of charge to educators, volunteer tutors, ESL teachers, and other library and nonprofit professionals who work in the fields of adult and family literacy.

Registration is open now.

Program

Program is subject to change – check this page for updates.
Click here for details about the sessions outlined below.

Check-in for registered participants: 8:30 am – 9:00 am

Welcome and Opening Plenary: 9:00 am – 10:00 am (60 min)
LOCATION: Kazen Center 172
A light breakfast will be served

Explaining Children’s Mental Health to Caregivers with Literacy Needs

Breakout Session: 10:30 am – 11:30 am (60 min)
Select one of the two sessions below

Adult Literacy and Guided Pathways
LOCATION: Falcon Executive Center

US Citizenship and the Internationally Trained Professional
LOCATION: De la Garza 101

Lunch and Keynote: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (60 min)
LOCATION: Kazen Center 172

The Impact of Workforce Development and Education on the Texas Economy

Closing Plenary: 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm (60 min)
LOCATION: Kazen Center 172

Employer Panel: Employability and Workforce Skills

Farewell: 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Sign up here for this free training event.

Special thanks to:

The Texas Workforce Commission

Read more about the annual regional literacy symposiums here.

Watch this space, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on social media to get all the details as they’re confirmed:

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What Leaders Need: Effective Governance in Times of Change

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Join us for “What Leaders Need: Effective Governance in Times of Change”, led by BoardSource-certified governance consultant (and always-popular conference presenter) Vicki Clark.

This leadership training session will focus on Nonprofit Boards. Presenter Vicki Clark will take us through Effective Governance in Times of Change, focusing on intentional revitalization, governance that works, understanding Board performance through self-assessment, and regularly looking for opportunities to strengthen the way your Board works. Each session includes materials to take back to your organization for ongoing use.

Registration is open now.

A $50 fee will apply and full scholarships are available to non-AEL programs. Apply here for a scholarship for “What Leaders Need: Effective Governance in Times of Change”.

The two-session training will be held online on Thursday, May 26, 2022, 9:00 am – 12:30 pm.
Check-in for registered participants will open on Zoom at 8:45 am.

“What Leaders Need: Effective Governance in Times of Change” Program

Session 1: Board Roles & Responsibilities (9:00 am – 10:30 am)

Boards are not—and should not be— static. To be effective, they must change and evolve as their organizations change and grow.

We’ll go back to basics on Board roles and responsibilities, and do a deep dive on the various Board stages in a nonprofit’s lifecycle.

How can you keep your Board vibrant, focused, and effective in times of change?

Session 2: A Healthy Board’s Building Cycle (10:45 am – 12:15 pm)

Building your Board is a continuous cycle, with interconnected phases.

One important phase is strategic recruitment, where you work to build a Board of capable, diverse, and enthusiastic people with the right mix of skills, experiences, and backgrounds by identifying potential board members, cultivating their interest, and recruiting them to serve.

Another is effective board engagement, where you take care to engage all board members (not just new ones!), in the work of the Board through ongoing education about the organization and its programs, the external operating environment, and the Board’s leadership role.

What are the best and most practical ways to keep your Board in a healthy building cycle?
How can you create a culture of inclusion where all members know that their input and ideas are valued?

NOTE FOR PARTICIPANTS: In this session, we’ll be using a new  interactive polling feature. Have your phone or a second browser on your computer handy to weigh in on polling questions. 
Instructions will be given during the session.

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Register here for What Leaders Need: Effective Governance in Times of Change.

NOTE: What Leaders Need replaces the third day of the annual conference, which was devoted to nonprofit leadership topics. A $50 fee will apply for this session, and scholarships are available to non-AEL programs. Apply here for a scholarship for “What Leaders Need: Effective Governance in Times of Change”.

Presenter: Vicki Clark

Vicki Clark is an optimist. She loves people and shows up in the world as a learner and a servant leader. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Vicki has devoted the past 30 years of her career to building capacity of organizations and individuals; inspiring community and business leaders to take action. She is known for her work in the specialty areas of leadership development, inclusion and diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism assessment, training and facilitation, board development, strategic planning, volunteer resource development and effective communication. Her work spans dozens of corporate clients, nonprofits and government organizations.

She sits on numerous boards, including the National Diaper Bank, and is a regular trainer at community and leadership organizations such as United Way and the Association of Junior Leagues International. Her work as a consultant (at Vicki Clark Consulting), coach, trainer and speaker have given her infinite opportunities to learn from and share with people from all walks of life. She meets people where they are, never gives up, and believes in the power of prayer. Even at her age and with all that she has experienced, she continues to be A WORK IN PROGRESS.

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2022 Literacy Symposium for Faith-Affiliated Programs

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Thank you so much for coming! This event is now over.

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The 2022 Literacy Symposium for Faith-Affiliated Programs has the theme “Pandemic Perseverance“.

This symposium is offered free of charge to educators, volunteer tutors, ESL teachers, and other library and nonprofit professionals who work in the fields of adult and family literacy. While this symposium is specifically focused on volunteers and staff at faith-affiliated literacy programs, all literacy volunteers and staff are welcome to attend.

Schedule

WELCOME (9:00 am – 9:15 am)

Session 1: 9:20 am – 10:20 am (60 min)

Starting a New ESL Ministry – Or Starting Over (Karen Peiser) – Administrative Track

Knowing Our Students to Meet Their ESL Needs (Angela Garcia) – ESL Teaching Track

Session 2: 10:25 am – 11:25 pm (60 min)

Storytime and Networking Across Texas (Lester Meriwether) – Administrative Track

Differentiation for Multilevel Classrooms (Nikki Ashcraft) – ESL Teaching Track

Session 3: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm (60 min)

Self-Care 101 (Katie Welch) – Administrative Track

Getting Students Talking by Asking the Right Questions (Cindy Kilpatrick) – ESL Teaching Track

Session 4: 12:35 pm – 1:35 pm (60 min)

Teaching ESL in a Church Context (Matthew Johnston) – Administrative Track

Teaching Via Zoom vs In Person (Karen Peiser) – ESL Teaching Track

Session 5: 1:40 pm – 2:40 pm (60 min)

Questions for Literacy ConneXus and Texas Trainers – Administrative Track

“But how do I – ?” – Q&A with Experienced ESL Teachers – ESL Teaching Track

PRIZE DRAWING, FAREWELL (2:45pm – 3:00 pm)

More details about each session can be found here.

Please note that we won’t be taking a long break for lunch, so have any snacks, drinks, or meals close to hand!

The sessions will be recorded and will be made available on the Literacy Texas YouTube channel after the event.

Downloads:

Download a detailed copy of the schedule above (PDF).

Download a flyer to print and display at your location, or send to others who may be interested in attending.

Special thanks to:

The Texas Center for Advancement of Literacy & Learning (TCALL)

The Texas Workforce Commission

Read more about the annual regional literacy symposiums here.

Watch this space, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on social media to get all the details as they’re confirmed:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

2022 South Plains Literacy Symposium

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Thank you so much for coming! This event is now over.

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This symposium is offered free of charge to educators, volunteer tutors, ESL teachers, and other library and nonprofit professionals who work in the fields of adult and family literacy.

See the schedule outline below; detailed descriptions of the workshops can be found here.

Schedule

8:30 am – 9:00 am – Check-in for registered participants

9:00 am – 9:15 am – Welcome – Julie Laughlin, Literacy Lubbock; Steve Banta, Literacy Texas

Morning Session A: 9:15 am – 10:30 am (75 min)

Building Persistence & Resilience, Part 1 (Part 2 in Session B) – Dr. Olga Escamilla

Morning Session B: 10:40 am – 12:00 pm (80 min)

Building Persistence & Resilience, Part 2 – Dr. Olga Escamilla

WORKING LUNCH 12:15 pm – 1:15 pm – Linda Johnson, Aspire to Learn

Afternoon Session A: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm (90 min)

Mobile Devices for Learning – Liz Moya

Afternoon Session B: 3:15 pm – 4:00 pm (45 min)

GoSchoolBox – Elizabeth Laughlin

DOOR PRIZES, FAREWELL

Downloads:

Download a PDF copy of the schedule listed above.

Download a flyer to display at your location or send to others who may be interested in attending.

Special thanks to:

The Texas Center for Advancement of Literacy & Learning (TCALL)

The Texas Workforce Commission

Read more about the annual regional literacy symposiums here.

Watch this space, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on social media to get all the details as they’re confirmed:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

2022 South Texas Literacy Symposium

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Thank you so much for coming! This event is now over. Find pics online here.

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The South Texas Literacy Symposium will be held on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 9:00 am – 2:30 pm, in the ballroom of the UTRGV Campus, 1201 West University Drive, Edinburg TX 78539. Check-in for registered participants will open at 8:30 am.

Click here for detailed maps and parking instructions.

As in previous years, the symposium is part of the UTRGV Festival of International Books and Arts (FESTIBA) – this year’s theme is Inspiring Creativity & Innovation Through Arts and Literacy.

This symposium is offered free of charge to educators, volunteer tutors, ESL teachers, and other library and nonprofit professionals who work in the fields of adult and family literacy.

See the schedule outline below; detailed descriptions of the workshops can be found here.

Schedule (subject to change)

8:30 am – 9:00 am — Check-in

9:00 am – 9:20 am — Welcome: South Texas Literacy Coalition; Literacy Texas; UTRGV

9:20 am – 9:55 am – Opening Speaker: WF Strong, Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Communication at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Session 1: 10:05 am – 11:00 am (55 min)

CANVAS: With a Blank Canvas, Learning Begins – Mario Ortiz, MOS/ELA Tech Specialist (workshop repeated in session 2)

Gamification to Enhance Information Literacy Learning – Carlton T. Nelson, Research & Instructional Services Librarian, UTRGV

Story Times Are For Parents Too – Viviana Caballero, Children’s Supervisor, Dustin Sekula Memorial Library

Session 2: 11:05 am – 12:00 pm (55 min)

CANVAS: With a Blank Canvas, Learning Begins – Mario Ortiz, MOS/ELA Tech Specialist (repeat workshop from session 1)

How to Talk So Others Listen And How to Listen So Others Open Up – Laura Lyles Regan, Parent & Teen Communication Coach, Author

Making Connections While Reading – G. G. Hesterberg, Author and Educator

WORKING LUNCH 12:10 pm – 1:05 pm
Lunch panel: Local Authors Inspiring Creativity & Innovation Through Arts & Literacy

Panelists: Katelynn Renteria, David Norec, Alissa Karin Shirah, Patty York Raymond, David Leija

Session 3: 1:15 pm – 2:10 pm (55 min)

Start With the Heart – Irene Ramos, TCALL

Motivating Adult Learners – Dr. Ida Acuña Garza

The Power of Writing – Rey Banda, Author and Educator

Finale: 2:15 pm – 2:30 pm (15 min)

EVALUATION, DOOR PRIZES, BOOK DISTRIBUTION EVENT, FAREWELL – BALLROOM

Author List

As in previous years, we’re excited to be welcoming authors to the South Texas Literacy Symposium. Currently confirmed:

Katelynn Renteria – The Other Side of the Law
David Norec – The Adventures of Exo and Cy
Alissa Karin Shirah – Going Home
Patty York Raymond – The ABC’s to Ranching; Aspire!; It’s Too Windy!
David Leija-  TK’s First Lesson
WF. Strong
Scott W. Kimak – After the Apocalypse; I Call Him HIM; The Angel of Death
Laura Lyles Regan – How to Raise Respectable Parents
G.G. Hesterberg – Music, Music, You Can Too!; Stories by the Seashore
Ron Ramirez – A Perfect Book for Pablo; A Purr-fect Book for Christmas; A Perfect Book for Frida; A Perfect Book for Carlos; A Perfect Book for Tamryn

Downloads:

Download a PDF copy of the schedule listed above.

Download a flyer to display at your location or send to others who may be interested in attending.

Special thanks to:

University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV)

The Texas Center for Advancement of Literacy & Learning (TCALL)

The Texas Workforce Commission

Read more about the annual regional literacy symposiums here.

Watch this space, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on social media to get all the details as they’re confirmed:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Building Your Literacy Program Around Adult Learner Persistence

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Thank you for your interest! Registration is now closed.

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Adult students don’t need literacy for its own sake – literacy needs are always linked to other life goals. Most adult students know what they need and why they want to learn – so how can we always put them at the very center of their own learning process?

In this session, we will:

  • Take a look at the 6 Drivers of Persistence developed by the New England Literacy Resource Center, and discuss ways they can be incorporated into your program structure;
  • Talk about how building your programs around Adult Learner Persistence principles can help learners to “stick with it”, learn more, and increase in confidence,
  • Look at the close links between Adult Learner Persistence and Plain Language, and
  • Discuss some practical ways you can embed the principles in your adult literacy programs.

Presenter: Kathryn Bauchelle

Kathryn has a background in education and languages, with degrees in language acquisition, literature, and education from the University of Sydney, Australia. She worked as a teacher of foreign languages and English literature in high schools in Australia and the UK, and served as a Head of Faculty for Modern Languages. Her work with the Jubilee Debt Campaign, a London-based NGO, fueled her interest in social justice and community work, leading her to volunteer as an ESL tutor with Literacy Advance following her move to the United States in 2008.

She joined the Literacy Advance staff in 2009 as the Volunteer Manager, became Program Director in 2011, and then VP of Programs & Partnerships in 2017, working closely with both Programs and Development staff. After the successful merging of Literacy Advance with Memorial Assistance Ministries in 2019, Kathryn moved to consultancy work, including her part-time work with Literacy Texas. Kathryn continues to love adult literacy and learning, and found the Adult Learner Persistence Principles to be transformational when she was researching ways to structure the programs she was directing.

Introduction to Intake to Outcomes (I2O) – Online Event

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Thank you for your interest! Registration is now closed.

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Q: Who will gain the most from this training?
A: While anyone is welcome, this training will be most helpful to program directors and anyone who manages or coordinates volunteers.

Across Texas, hundreds – maybe thousands – of community-based literacy organizations get new volunteers ready to work with adult literacy classes. Every week, trainings take place on topics like How Adults Learn, Reading Basics, Intro to ESL, and more. That’s a LOT of duplicated effort.

Intake to Outcomes is designed to assist programs with volunteer tutor and teacher training, covering the core topics that are universal to all adult literacy programs, and leaving coordinators free to focus on the details specific to their site or process.

Come along to this introductory session to learn how you can use Intake to Outcomes to deliver quality literacy training to your volunteers, at no cost to you. Workshops available include basic self-paced sessions on how to teach Reading, Language, Math, and Citizenship, and the video-based, online sessions are supported by experienced facilitators ready to answer questions. I2O is designed to be equally useful to brand new volunteers just getting started, or as a refresher for instructors who have been teaching for a while.

This introductory presentation will be one hour, with an extra 30 minutes for questions.

“I2O saved our program a lot of time and money. I no longer have to hire and train trainers, find a site, and deal with no-shows. I2O made our tutor training inexpensive, easy, and efficient, I couldn’t have asked for more.”

I2O Tutor Training workshops available to your program (fee covered 100% by TCALL):

  • Reading Basics 2.0 (for Adult Basic Literacy tutors)
  • Language Basics 2.0 (for English Language tutors)
  • Math Basics 2.0 (for entry-level Math tutors)
  • The Citizenship Coach (for Citizenship tutors)

I2O is flexible, interactive, and evidence-based:

  • Training based on latest research and evidence-based practices
  • Instructional text, audio, videos, and interactive activities
  • 24/7 access with smartphones, tablets, or computers
  • Tutors can start and stop on their own schedules
  • Video demonstrations with real tutors and students
  • Tutors earn certificates of completion
  • Resources available to the tutor after the training is complete

“The videos are excellent! Tutors can see authentic demonstrations of teaching strategies and techniques with real students.”

Experienced facilitators monitor, support, and provide feedback to tutors throughout the highly-structured online workshops.

“Knowing that an experienced trainer is available to answer any question that comes up along the way, makes training online so easy.”

I2O is cost effective: Say goodbye to trainer recruitment, finding a site, preparing materials, travel expenses, sporadic training sessions, and no-shows.

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