Funify for Retention | Joanne Telser-Frere and Karen Fredrickson
This session offers fresh insights for adult educators, program coordinators, and instructional staff who aim to enhance learner commitment and reduce dropout rates.
Attendees will explore a creative framework that infuses lessons with thought-provoking conversations and a sense of play, keeping energy high and learners fully involved from start to finish. By making classes more vibrant and learner-centered, educators will gain strategies to spark enthusiasm, deepen connections, and promote meaningful progress in adult education settings.
In this session, participants will explore adaptable strategies for creating engaging and interactive lessons that resonate with adult learners. By focusing on practical techniques for lesson planning and student engagement, educators will be equipped to implement these approaches directly into their teaching practices. The session emphasizes real-world applicability, ensuring that attendees can seamlessly integrate these methods to enhance student retention and success.
Joanne Telser-Frere
Joanne’s life has been a series of adventures, each one adding a unique layer to her diverse skill set.
From her early days in Chicago to her experiences in France, Pakistan, Egypt, and Qatar, she has gathered a wealth of knowledge in fields as diverse as education, radio, TV, and brain training. Today, she brings this rich tapestry of experiences to the world of literacy.
As the Director of Program Development at Literacy Chicago, Joanne is at the forefront of creating innovative and exciting programs for students. She has worked with Dr. Sunita Gandhi on her ALfA program to “Americanize” the vocabulary and make it suitable for both children and adults in the USA.
Her role also involves managing the Volunteer Tutor program, where she leads a team of over 250 enthusiastic volunteers, all working towards a common goal of improving Adult Literacy and English as a Second Language.
Joanne’s interests are diverse, but her passion for literacy shines through. She is not just an educator, but a storyteller, an actor, and a reader, all with the common goal of changing lives through literacy.
In March 2024, she published her guidebook to teaching adults to read: “33 Ways Not to Screw Up Teaching Adults to Read.”
Karen Fredrickson
Karen has been volunteering at Literacy Chicago as a tutor, teacher, and tutor trainer for twelve years.
In addition to tutoring and teaching, she has enjoyed participating in other projects such as publishing yearly books of student essays and helping to develop a phonics course for adults learning to read.
Volunteering in the cause of literacy had long been a planned retirement avocation. Prior to retirement, Ms. Fredrickson was a Project Manager for large construction and renovation projects. A lifelong learning enthusiast, she enjoys sharing her love of learning with her students.