On the Road to Literacy Conference

04/23/2026

04/23/2026

04/22/2026

04/22/2026

04/21/2026

📸👀 Thank you for being with us at the 32nd Annual On the Road to Literacy Conference.

✨ See familiar faces, favorite moments, and everything that made the day special. 👉View our gallery: https://ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com/about/photos/

State Rep Theresa Mah
Literacy Volunteers of Illinois

04/21/2026

Thank you for being part of our literacy journey. 🙏

We appreciate everyone who made this year’s On the Road to Literacy Conference possible: our planning committee, presenters, exhibitors, volunteer tutors, adult educators, adult learners, and literacy partners.

Because of you, we shared ideas, strengthened connections, celebrated outstanding tutors and learners, and spent a meaningful day of learning together. Every conversation, workshop, and moment of encouragement helps move literacy forward.

We’re grateful for the care, time, and commitment you bring to adult learning—mile after mile.

Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI) has supported volunteer literacy programs statewide since 1979, empowering families, adults, and out-of-school teens through training, resources, and community connection.

04/17/2026

✨ We’re ready to welcome you tomorrow. Everything is in place.

From check-in to the closing session, our On the Road to Literacy Conference is set for a smooth, welcoming day of learning, connection, and shared purpose. We can’t wait to gather with you for a meaningful day together.

Take a moment to review directions, arrival details, and the full itinerary so you can arrive feeling prepared and at ease.

📍 Venue & Directions:
https://ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com/about/venue-directions

📋 What to Anticipate:
https://ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com/category/itinerary

On the Road to Literacy is a day-long conference for volunteer tutors, adult educators, and adult learners. Nearly twenty workshops explore strategies, techniques, and materials for teaching and learning vocabulary, pronunciation, conversation, comprehension, reading, writing, handwriting, and computational skills in or out of tutoring sessions or classes.

Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI) has supported volunteer literacy programs statewide since 1979, empowering families, adults, and out-of-school teens through training, resources, and community connection.

Join us, together with volunteer tutors, educators, adult learners, AmeriCorps members, and literacy program staff, for a day of learning, connection, and recognition.

Three ways you can support adult literacy:
🔁 Share our posts
✍️ Register
🌟 Nominate a Tutor

Event Details:
🗓 Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Doors open at 8:30 AM
📍 1900 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60612
💳 $25 for tutors and literacy staff, $20 for adult learners and AmeriCorps members
🍎 Registration includes breakfast snacks, a boxed lunch, and conference materials.
*vegan and vegetarian options

NEW VENUE! This year’s conference will be held at the newly constructed Malcolm X College Conference Center, a modern venue with bright spaces, dedicated conference facilities, and easy access by car or public transit.

🚧 Please note: The entrance from the parking garage into the conference center is under construction. The parking garage elevator may be slow; stairs may be a better option into the venue. Parking has self-validation available; please retrieve a ticket for free parking. There is also street parking available.

04/15/2026

💡 Presenter Spotlight: Math in Stitches, Presented by Jeremy Mathew and Cholpon Tuzabaeva

“Math in Stitches” is a pilot program for adult learners that pairs one hour of math instruction with one hour of sewing instruction, seeking to give concrete form to mathematical concepts. As a new program, we are testing the concept with one learner, developing a curriculum that merges the two skillsets.

Many adult learners are kept from attaining their GED, with the math portion of the test being the only portion holding them back. The curriculum we’re developing is meant to give hands on sewing activities as a tactile exercise to understand—not memorize—mathematical concepts.

During this session, we will share results from our pilot and seek connection with other professionals in the adult education to push the pilot program towards a repeatable, structured program that teaches math skills required for the GED test through sewing projects.

About the Presenter
Jeremy Mathew is an artist, craftsman, and leader of the adult education program at JARC Training. He views education as a creative process, and that literacy is the ability read the world at one’s own scale and to know how to participate in the creation of it.

Join us for a day of learning, connection, and practical strategies for supporting adult learners.

🗓 Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 1900 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60612
💳 $25 for tutors and literacy staff, $20 for adult learners and AmeriCorps members
🍎 Registration includes breakfast snacks, a boxed lunch, and conference materials. *vegan and vegetarian options

🔗 Register: https://ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com/register

On the Road to Literacy is a day-long conference for volunteer tutors, adult educators, and adult learners.

Nearly twenty workshops explore strategies, techniques, and materials for vocabulary, pronunciation, conversation, comprehension, reading, writing, handwriting, and computational skills in or out of tutoring sessions or classes.

At Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI), we’re on a mission to transform lives through literacy. Since our founding in 1979, we’ve supported volunteer literacy programs statewide, empowering families, adults, and out-of-school teens to enhance their literacy skills.

Join us, together with volunteer tutors, adult educators, adult learners, AmeriCorps members, and literacy program staff, for a day of learning, connection, and recognition.

Visit ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com to learn more.

Three powerful ways you can support adult literacy:
✍️ Register
💬 Tag our Presenter in the comments
🔁 Share our posts

04/15/2026

💡 Presenter Spotlight: Level Up Your Social Media Game, Presented by Jenny Siegfried

Are you responsible for your program’s social media?

In this session, we’ll review basic marketing strategies and explore ways to make your social media messages more effective. We’ll also look at how to leverage AI to brainstorm messages that resonate with your audience.

About the Presenter
Jenny is a Professional Development Specialist at The Center: Resources for Teaching & Learning in Arlington Heights. She develops and presents training for adult education practitioners across Illinois. She also manages the Illinois Adult Education Hotline, which helps connect potential students and volunteers to literacy programs across the state.

Join us for a day of learning, connection, and practical strategies for supporting adult learners.

🗓 Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 1900 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60612
💳 $25 for tutors and literacy staff, $20 for adult learners and AmeriCorps members
🍎 Registration includes breakfast snacks, a boxed lunch, and conference materials. *vegan and vegetarian options

🔗 Register: https://ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com/register

On the Road to Literacy is a day-long conference for volunteer tutors, adult educators, and adult learners.

Nearly twenty workshops explore strategies, techniques, and materials for vocabulary, pronunciation, conversation, comprehension, reading, writing, handwriting, and computational skills in or out of tutoring sessions or classes.

At Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI), we’re on a mission to transform lives through literacy. Since our founding in 1979, we’ve supported volunteer literacy programs statewide, empowering families, adults, and out-of-school teens to enhance their literacy skills.

Join us, together with volunteer tutors, adult educators, adult learners, AmeriCorps members, and literacy program staff, for a day of learning, connection, and recognition.

Visit ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com to learn more.

Three powerful ways you can support adult literacy:
✍️ Register
💬 Tag our Presenter in the comments
🔁 Share our posts

04/15/2026

💡 Empowering Math Minds: How to Enhance Your Math Teaching Practices by Using Open-Ended Questions, Presented by Dr. Kimberly Hansel

This session will support Math and GED teachers to begin their journey with using open-ended questioning and tasks to develop deeper conceptual understanding of mathematics.

During the workshop, participants work collaboratively to solve some open-ended problems and tasks and learn to covert closed-ended problems into open-ended problems in math.

About the Presenter
Dr. Kimberly Hansel has worked in education for 26 years. She’s spent 11 years in the classroom as a full-time mathematics teacher, and 15 years coaching mathematics teachers as well as various curriculum and instruction leadership positions.

She is currently the Chief Education Officer and a part-time mathematics teacher at the Greater West Town Project.

Dr. Hansel earned her Educational Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Aurora University in 2022, where her dissertation topic explored using open-ended questioning in mathematics.

Join us for a day of learning, connection, and practical strategies for supporting adult learners.

🗓 Saturday, April 18, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 1900 W. Jackson Blvd. Chicago, IL 60612
💳 $25 for tutors and literacy staff, $20 for adult learners and AmeriCorps members
🍎 Registration includes breakfast snacks, a boxed lunch, and conference materials. *vegan and vegetarian options

🔗 Register: https://ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com/register

On the Road to Literacy is a day-long conference for volunteer tutors, adult educators, and adult learners.

Nearly twenty workshops explore strategies, techniques, and materials for vocabulary, pronunciation, conversation, comprehension, reading, writing, handwriting, and computational skills in or out of tutoring sessions or classes.

At Literacy Volunteers of Illinois (LVI), we’re on a mission to transform lives through literacy. Since our founding in 1979, we’ve supported volunteer literacy programs statewide, empowering families, adults, and out-of-school teens to enhance their literacy skills.

Join us, together with volunteer tutors, adult educators, adult learners, AmeriCorps members, and literacy program staff, for a day of learning, connection, and recognition.

Visit ontheroadtoliteracyconference.com to learn more.

Three powerful ways you can support adult literacy:
✍️ Register
💬 Tag our Presenter in the comments
🔁 Share our posts