Volunteer Foundations Training
Minnesota schools want learners to receive the instruction they need. Volunteer training makes this possible!
Training helps to ensure that volunteers who work in all instructional areas can effectively support learners in reaching their educational goals, whether they are studying English, working towards their GED, or preparing for a citizenship test. Literacy Minnesota believes that all volunteers should receive the training and support that they need in order to feel comfortable and to provide effective service to learners.
Adult Education Foundations Trainings
Volunteers who work with adult learners are required by the Minnesota Department of Education to receive either Foundations of Adult Education Tutoring (12 hours) or Foundations of Volunteering in the Adult Education Classroom (4 hours), depending on their role.
Check out the training requirements for various adult education volunteer roles in Volunteer Training Requirements by Role and view and download a checklist of the requirements for each training.
Both the 12-hour and the 4-hour training consist one or more Core Training Modules, which are required for all volunteers. Targeted Training Modules, which volunteers select depending on the level of learner/s that they are working with, the specific skill that is being taught, or if they are delivering remote instruction, are required for the 12-hour program, and optional for the 4-hour program.
Check out the tabs below for descriptions of the Volunteer Foundations Training options.
FOUNDATIONS OF ADULT EDUCATION TUTORING (12 HOURS)
The 12-hour volunteer training prepares volunteers who will be teaching independently of a professional teacher (either a class or one-on-one). This foundational training will provide an overview of adult basic education in Minnesota, introduce culture and adult learning principles, and equip tutors with instructional best practices. Volunteers select additional targeted training modules based on their specific tutoring situation.
- Volunteers who require the 12-hour Foundations of Adult Education Tutoring must take the four Core Training Modules.
- Volunteers who require the 12-hour Foundations of Adult Education Tutoring must also take two Targeted Training Modules of their choice.
See the menu below for Core Training Modules 1-4 descriptions.
FOUNDATIONS OF VOLUNTEERING IN THE ADULT EDUCATION CLASSROOM (4 HOURS)
The 4-hour volunteer training prepares volunteers who will be working with a professional teacher as in-person or remote classroom assistants, or by providing supplemental instruction to existing classes through additional practice. This foundational training will introduce cultural awareness and adult learning principles. Volunteers select an additional targeted training module based on their specific tutoring situation.
- Volunteers who require the 4-hour Foundations of Volunteering in the Adult Education Classroom must take Core Training Module 2.
- Volunteers who require the 4-hour Foundations of Volunteering in the Adult Education Classroom must take one additional Training Module of their choice (Core or Targeted). (We highly recommend that volunteers take Core Training Module 3.)
See the menu below for the Core Training Modules 1-4 descriptions and recommendations for Targeted Training Modules based on level and skill taught.
ACCESSING TRAINING MODULES
Each core and targeted module is two hours in length. Volunteers can take the modules in three ways:
- Participating in live webinars (find upcoming webinars here)
- Viewing video recordings and completing and submitting a Module Reflection form (find recording options here) Note: Due to conditions stipulated by the Minnesota Department of Adult Education, recorded training reflection forms submitted by out-of-state residents will not be reviewed by Literacy Minnesota staff, and therefore cannot result in CEUs for out-of-state residents. Out-of-state residents can, however, earn CEUs from live webinars.
See the menu below for module descriptions.
Core Training Module Descriptions
- Core Training Module 1: Overview of Minnesota Adult Education and ABE Accountability Participants learn about Adult Basic Education programming in Minnesota, demographics of learners, instructional content standards as well as initial and on-going assessment. This session wraps up with learner motivations, barriers and persistence. (2 CEUs)
- Core Training Module 2: Understanding Adult Learners Participants develop their personal cultural awareness and learn how expectations around school culture shape how people teach and learn. Guiding principles for effectively delivering instruction to adults are also covered. Finally, participants increase their sensitivity to the challenges of learning English and developing literacy as an adult. This workshop is required for those seeking to earn the Literacy Minnesota Equity and Cultural Awareness in Education Certificate. (2 CEUs)
- Core Training Module 3: Instructional Best Practices: Working with Learners Participants learn how to apply teaching practices that support language and skill development for all learners. These practices include ensuring that instruction is learner centered, using an appropriate level of teacher talk and delivering error correction. (2 CEUs)
- Core Training Module 4: Instructional Best Practices: Working with Materials Participants will engage in a couple of classroom activities to experience scaffolding, checking comprehension and the gradual release of responsibility. These aspects of teaching and tutoring are then defined, explained further and participants get opportunities to practice them. (2 CEUs)
Targeted Training Module Descriptions
- Targeted trainings are offered as live webinars or as asynchronous recorded trainings. For descriptions of sessions and the current schedule, visit here
Frequently Asked Questions
- I'm a licensed teacher. Do I still need to take the four or 12 hours of initial training?
Per the Volunteer Training Standards Policy, the following volunteers are exempt from this requirement:
● Adult education volunteers who have no instructional or tutor responsibilities and perform other, non-instructional tasks (e.g. intake, support services, book-keeping, technology aides, data entry, etc.).
● Adult education volunteers with a teaching license.
● Volunteers with more than 400 hours of documentable adult education instruction (volunteer or paid teacher) in a program or programs comparable to the Minnesota Adult Education (ABE) system programming.
● ESL-specific volunteers with at least one of the following:
o TEFL/TESL/CELTA certification;
o College degree in ESL or Linguistics; and/or
o Over 400 hours of documentable ESL instruction within the past 10 years (volunteer or paid teacher) in a program or programs comparable to the Minnesota Adult Education system ESL programming.
● Any volunteer who began volunteering prior to July 1, 2006, and has consistently been volunteering in adult education each year since.
- How do I prove that I've completed the training requirements?
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be sent out after each module. You can submit the CEUs to your volunteer coordinator to show that you've completed the 4-hour training requirements. Certificates for the 12-hour Foundations of Adult Education Tutoring will be sent out within a couple of weeks after you have completed all six required modules.
- Do the modules need to be taken in any particular order?
No. We recommend taking the Core Training Modules in order (one through four), but they can be taken out of order. Targeted Training modules can be taken at any time.
- Do I need to take the modules within a certain amount of time to earn the certificate?
Yes. You must complete all required modules within six months of when you begin volunteering.
- I have attended previous webinars offered by Literacy Minnesota. Does my attendance at these workshops count towards the Volunteer Foundations Training requirements?
If you attended a webinar on tutoring adult learners prior to October of 2021, many of those webinars will count towards the Targeted Training requirements for the 4- and 12-hour Volunteer Foundations Trainings.
- I am not interested in volunteering in adult education. May I still attend workshops?
Yes. CEUs are also offered after each workshop.
- I am not a volunteer or involved with Literacy Minnesota. May I still attend modules?
Yes, the Core and Targeted Training Modules are open to everyone.
- I am going to be late to a module or need to leave early. Will I still earn credit for attending the workshop?
We understand that sometimes schedules change. We encourage participants to attend the entire module, but you may miss up to 15 minutes total and still receive credit for the workshop. If you need to miss more than 15 minutes of the module, please attend an alternate date. We will automatically make note of what time you arrive or leave and you do not need to notify us.
- Will I receive credit for attending the same module twice?
No, you will only receive credit for each module once.
- How is my attendance at Volunteer Foundations Trainings tracked?
We track attendance in our database. To make sure your attendance is tracked, please make sure to register in advance for each module. For in-person workshops, we ask that you sign in using the provided physical sign-in sheet. For webinars, your participation is automatically logged when you sign into Zoom.
We also ask that you keep track of your participation in case of system errors.
- I am not sure if I have attended a qualifying Volunteer Training Foundations module. How do I find out?
Please contact Kelly at [email protected] to receive a list of qualifying modules you have attended. We also ask that you keep track of your participation in case of system errors.
- I have other questions. Who can I contact?
Please contact Kelly at [email protected].