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About Dr. Finn

Dr. Don Finn

Dr. Don Finn is a lifelong learner and has been an adult educator for over 30 years. His first experience teaching adults was in 1992 for the Montgomery County Adult Night High School program to supplement his teacher’s salary. His experiences in that setting changed his career trajectory to focusing on adult learners and those working with them. After earning an M.Ed. in C&I and Adult Education, Don accepted a position with the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, where he worked with AE administrators and instructors to help improve their professional practices. Don has been a Regent University School of Education faculty member since 2006, where he is the past dean and current Director of the Adult Education, Curriculum and Instruction, and Instructional Technology programs.

Don attended VAACE conferences in the 1990s and served in VAACE board roles in the following years, including board president, where he worked with the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) to co-host their national conference in Norfolk in 2012. Between 2013 and 2023, Don served in various capacities on the COABE board, including President (2019-2021), where he led efforts to help the nation’s adult educators successfully navigate the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, he worked with the COABE executive team to transition the national COABE conference to a fully online experience in 2020 and 2021 and its current model, offering hybrid options for attendees. His COABE tenure included spearheading many COABE initiatives, projects, and partnerships, including serving as general editor of the COABE Journal since 2021, a role he still holds.

Don has been married to Laurie Ann since 1990, and they have three grown children, two grandchildren, and two fur babies, Cessna and Murphy.

Session #1 (1:00pm-2:15pm)

ABE/HSE
Session Title: Back To Basics: Using Phonics to Improving Reading and Engagement Regardless of Students’ Reading Level
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ELA
Session Title: Scaffolding Techniques with Low-Level English Language Learners
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Innovative Practices
Session Title: Unlocking Futures: The Spanish GED Journey in Kansas
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Workforce and Partnerships
Session Title: Perspectives: From the DARS Windmills Series
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Administration and Leadership
Session Title: Advocacy Every Day-Especially Now
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Session #2 (2:45pm-4:00pm)

ABE/HSE
Session Title: Starting a Spanish HSE course

ELA
Vendor Session: Measurable Skill Gains: Success Stories from Eastern Shore CC & Burlington English

Innovative Practices
Session Title: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Reduce Lesson Planning Time
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Workforce and Partnerships: THIS SESSION HAS BEEN CANCELED
Session Title: Cross-Sectoral Literacy Services: Fostering Community Connections for Functional Literacy

Administration and Leadership
Vendor Session: Essential Ed Expanding the Reach of Blended/Distance Learning

Session #3 (9:00am-10:15am)

ABE/HSE
Session Title: New York Set the Stage: Facts and Points from 2023 National GED Conference
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ELA
Session Title: Using Dialogs and Role-Play to Build Conversation Confidence
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Innovative Practices [MOVED to 10:45a – See below.]
Session Title: Artificial Intelligence for Education
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Workforce and Partnerships
Vendor Session: Innovative Workplace English Program Models for ELL Inclusion & Empowerment – EnGen
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Administration and Leadership
Vendor Session: Increasing Your GED® Pass Rate and Your Learners’ Scores – Aztec
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Session #4 (10:45am-Noon)

*Please make sure to REFRESH your browser to ensure you have the most up to date links for each session.*

ABE/HSE
Vendor Session: GED Testing Service® Updates
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ELA
Session Title: Making the Most of Independent Study: Helping Students Create a Personal Learning Plan
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Innovative Practices
Session Title: Making Workplace Classes Work
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Session Title: Artificial Intelligence for Education
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Workforce and Partnerships
Vendor Session: Using TABE Data for Instruction and Workforce Readiness with O*Net – DRC
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Administration and Leadership
Session Title: Implementing Quality Online Teaching
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Session #5 (1:00pm-2:15pm)

ABE/HSE
Vendor Session: Retention Solutions Through Classroom Best Practices – Essential Ed
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ELA
Session Title: Immigration 101

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Innovative Practices
Session Title: Creating GED Success Through Reading Supports
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Workforce and Partnerships
Vendor Session: Upgrade Your Students’ Learning-Ways to easily access content at all levels – New Readers Press

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Administration and Leadership
Session Title: Introduction to Using SSWS Exports to Support Program Improvement

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Session #6 (2:45pm-4:00pm)

ABE/HSE
Session Title: CCRS Key Shifts and The Change Agent
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ELA
Session Title: Immigration 101
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Innovative Practices
Session Title: Family Literacy in Virginia
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Workforce and Partnerships
Session Title: SkillBuilder: A Reentry Workforce Program

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Administration and Leadership
Session Title: Tying your LACES! Learn about LACES, the new student management system!
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Session # 7 (9am-10:15am)

ABE/HSE
Vendor Session: An Overview of the New CASAS Assessments: Reading and Listening STEPS and Math GOALS 2 – CASAS

ELA
Session Title: Empowering English Learners with Remote IELCE Programming and Digital Skills On-Ramps
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Innovative Practices
Session Title: Exploring Careers in a Family Literacy Program
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Workforce and Partnerships
Session Title: Taking Emotions Out of Emotional Disabilities: From the DARS Windmills Series

Administration and Leadership
Session Title: Virtual VA Statewide LMS and Outreach Resource Content
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Session #8 (10:45am-Noon)

ABE/HSE
Vendor Session: The Science of Reading with DreamBox Learning
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ELA
Session Title: Co-Creating Emerging English Language Instruction through Community Collaboration
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Innovative Practices
Vendor Session: Mobile first, but not mobile only: Radically accessible learning and collaboration are prerequisites for today’s busy adults
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Workforce and Partnerships
Vendor Session: NEDP for Non-NEDP Staff
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