TIES Shares the Love of Learning at the For the Love of Literacy Conference 2025

‍TIES (The Immigrant Education Society) is helping connect hundreds of EAL (English as an Additional Language) instructors – from coast-to-coast and beyond – with its 3rd annual For the Love of Literacy Conference on Jan. 25, 2025.

The virtual conference, hosted by the Literacy Centre of Expertise (LCE), offers insightful sessions, practical strategies and valuable networking opportunities. 422 registrants have signed up so far, hailing from across Canada, the US, Ireland, Argentina, Nigeria, Australia, Egypt, Bahrain, Finland, Italy, India, Burundi, The Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan and Norway.

Donna Clarke, lead at the LCE, has been part of organizing the conference since its inception. With more than 15 years of experience working with adults learning to read and write for the first time, she understands the unique challenges literacy learners face. She also understands the headwinds faced by many instructors, who traditionally have had little formal literacy teaching experience or materials.

“You just learnt on the job,” Clarke says. “At the expense of learners.”

The literacy learning stream encompasses students with zero-to-10 years of formal education experience. Clarke says while many students come with a lot of wisdom, life and social skills, they often don’t have much experience in a classroom.

“Some of them come in with zero years of education. They haven’t even written their name – not even in their own language. They haven’t opened a binder or held a pencil.”

Clarke says that means instructors must teach beyond the “basics”, and help students develop “learning strategies”.

“It’s fascinating work,” she says. “They (students) think you’re a magician.”

Again, she says it’s not always easy. However, these types of conferences can help both students and instructors.

“They (instructors) want a community, a hub. A centralized place to ask questions and get answers,” she adds. “We’re harnessing the expertise in the community.”

Riley Klay Ridgway is just one speaker bringing their expertise to this year’s conference. Ridgway will be leading a session titled Queering the Literacy Classroom, diving into incorporating 2SLGBTQIA+ content in the literacy classroom.

“It is going to be a sensitive topic,” they acknowledge. “But some of these instructors will have students who are queer and to have some kind of idea about how to teach it is important.”

As an experienced LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) instructor, Ridgway says they didn’t always “feel very equipped to enter the realm of teaching queerness to students” but point out they can’t be the only ones doing it.

“As a queer teacher it can be hard to talk about queer topics to students because of their negative reactions and comments,” they say. “So, it’s really important for allies to talk about this so the onus isn’t just on queer teachers to help students.”

The conference is free for any educator or anyone simply passionate about literacy.

There are currently 400 literacy clients enrolled in 40 classes at TIES.

The Immigration Education Society is the only facility in Alberta that currently offers the full literacy stream.

Conference Details:

🗓️ Date: January 25th

⏰ Time: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

📍 Where: Online

▶️ Video: Watch the Conference Highlights 

👉 Register Now

‍

Sessions:

Trauma and Resilience-Informed Practices to Support Refugees in Foundational Language Programs

From Learner to Teacher: Exploring Non-Native Teachers’ Experiences in Teaching Literacy

Incorporating Literacy into Real-World Tasks for Young Adult Learners

Beyond the Classroom: Supporting Literacy Learners

Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices in Adult ESL Classrooms

Orientation to CCLB Literacy Tools, Task Analysis and Resource Alignment

Phonics Workbooks for Adults Learning to Read

Lunch and Learn: Writing Activities in a Literacy Classroom

Lunch and Learn: Field Trips and Outings

Lunch and Learn: Formative Assessment in the Classroom

How Adult Brains Learn Languages

Celebrating Indigenous Cultures with Literacy Learners: Going to a Powwow

Panel: Confessions of a Literacy Instructor

‍

👉 Register Now

‍

‍

About the Literacy Centre of Expertise

‍

‍

‍The Literacy Centre of Expertise (LCE) is a collaborative hub and trusted resource for EAL literacy service providers in Calgary, Alberta, and beyond. The LCE empowers instructors with the tools and strategies they need to support adult EAL learners,  helping them develop language skills, overcome literacy challenges, and build confidence to thrive in their communities.

Visit the LCE website to learn more.

‍

‍

Media RSVP, Interviews & Inquiries:

Tomasia DaSilva

Media and Relationship Strategist

Email: tomasiadasilva@immigrant-education.ca

Phone: 403-291-0002

‍