In March, when we announced the retirement of AlphaPlus team member Christine Pinsent-Johnson, I promised to follow up with more personal reflections about Christine’s impact.

Christine joined the AlphaPlus staff team in 2018, after four years of collaborating with us as a freelance researcher. During her time with us, Christine has helped shape not only what we do but also how we think about supporting educators and communities.

AlphaPlus board member Farra Yasin puts Christine’s contributions into context:

“Christine is a well-respected scholar in adult literacy education who has made an invaluable contribution to our field. Her work addressed the emerging landscape of digital literacies in the 1990s and the era of social media to the present. Her research dug into the roots of large-scale assessment and its impact on education programming and policies. Her institutional knowledge and commitment to adult education programming will be missed, but I know she will continue to be an advocate of digital affordance to empower our communities.”

A voice for adult literacy educators in Ontario

Christine has always been a voice for the adult literacy sector, asking challenging questions of her AlphaPlus colleagues, the Ministry and the field as a whole. For example, she has consistently called attention to the barriers that learners and educators must overcome. Two lasting examples are the policy papers Christine co-authored with former AlphaPlus staff member Matthias Sturm. One paper illustrates how inequitable access to the internet affects adults in Ontario, and the other explores how adult education is the missing piece to bridging that digital divide.

Looking back, Christine describes the importance of this work: “I’m proud of these policy papers, which explored how the digital divide affects adult literacy learners. Those projects created space to step back and highlight challenges that practitioners experience but rarely have time to articulate themselves.”

Understanding teaching practice

With her empathy for the role educators play and the work they do, Christine has opened my eyes to two big lessons related to teaching practice. The first lesson was about shifting perspectives from deficit thinking. Rather than focusing on what learners are missing, start with what they’re already good at and the goals they want to achieve.
Christine has also re-centred reading and writing as the best long-term strategy for providing people with opportunities and power. At AlphaPlus, this has meant a shift from a “learning about tech” perspective on digital skills to an emphasis on the impact these technologies have on a learner’s ability to read and write.

Practical support that reduces the burden on educators

Christine has pushed very strongly to remind our team that educators, working in this system with all its challenges, don’t need more things to do or learn. Rather, they need us to reduce the burden for them. In the last few years, Christine has translated her insights and critiques of the problems in Ontario’s adult literacy system into practical solutions she has co-created:

• The open educational resources (OER) collection helps literacy programs access hundreds of free workbooks, online modules, learning activities and assessments.
• The Preparing Learners for the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) guide helps educators get up to speed with the digital, content and cognitive complexity changes learners will need to prepare for this new test.

“Developing an open educational resources collection and supporting educators as they began working with the new Canadian Adult Education Credential were also meaningful parts of my time here,” shares Christine. “Both aimed, in small ways, to ease pressures on educators’ limited time while offering flexible supports that respect their professional judgment and diverse teaching contexts.”

Christine’s legacy and impact on AlphaPlus

The expertise Christine brought to her role spanned policy, research, curriculum development and on-the-ground experience as a literacy volunteer, tutor coordinator and instructor. She created a mindset shift within AlphaPlus, and her influence will continue to shape our work for months and years to come. It feels fitting to leave the final word to her:

“While I’m stepping away from my formal position, I’m not leaving these conversations behind. I look forward to continuing to explore projects that highlight the amazing work and challenges that practitioners experience.

As I move on, I want to acknowledge the educators who sustain this field every day. Adult literacy work is often invisible, yet it calls for deep expertise, adaptability and commitment. I’m grateful for what I’ve learned from this community, and it has been a privilege to contribute in small ways to that ongoing work.”

Warmly,

Alan Cherwinski
Executive Director, AlphaPlus

Express yourself creatively

This June, join us for an exploration of how to keep creativity flowing in the literacy classroom. We are going to take a dive into resources, tools and approaches that support creative writing instruction. 

What to expect

In 3 Zoom sessions (90 minutes each), we will:

• Explore lesson plans that encourage creative expression, reading and writing.
• Tap into your own creativity.
• Expand your list of Open Education Resources. 
• Experiment with digital tools that can support writing skills and the development of digital competencies. 

Start the summer inspired

• Hearing what other instructors are doing in their classroom, how they are innovating, will help you see your work with fresh eyes and validate your experiences. 
• Having an opportunity to play and create is a powerful way to renew your energy, purpose, and excitement about your work.  
• After the workshops, take the summer to reflect upon what inspires you creatively and what might similarly inspire the learners in your program.

This training series is three workshops:  Wednesday June  10, 17 and 24, 2026 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

See what other workshop series are coming up: Workshops at AlphaPlus

Or you may be interested in a quick update at a Lunch and Learn.

And to see what colleagues around the province are achieving with the help of educational technology, join us for a Virtual Showcase.

Lunch and Learn sessions are back this spring.

Get ready to level up your digital skills with two more Tips and Tricks sessions coming up in April and May 2026! Whether you’re looking to streamline your workflow, explore new tools, or stay ahead of tech trends, these quick 30-minute sessions are packed with practical insights and hands-on tips.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Don’t miss out! These sessions are perfect for anyone looking to stay sharp, save time, and make the most of today’s tech tools.

Learn more and see recordings from past sessions at https://alphaplus.ca/our-services/lunch-learn. 

You’ve told us that assessment in adult learning programs is complicated — and often frustrating. You’re working within a system that doesn’t always align with what you know about literacy development or what your learners need.

This is what we hear from your peers:

• Lack of alignment: The Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF) isn’t aligned with the K-12 education system, creating knowledge gaps about literacy development, progress and expectations.
• Purpose of assessment: The current OALCF assessment system feels more like a funding and accountability tool than a means to support instruction or demonstrate meaningful learner achievement.
• Need for better tools: You want assessment tools that are relevant, easy to use, valid and reliable.
• Learner agency matters: Including learners’ knowledge of their own progress and achievements is crucial for effective assessment.

Two new resources to support your practice

Here’s why we created these for you:

We developed these resources to help you make sense of assessment complexities and give you practical tools to support your teaching and reporting.

1. Literacy Development Stages to Support Instruction and Assessment

Here’s how you can use this in your work:

This resource offers a comprehensive, concise description of how we all acquire the skills, strategies and knowledge needed to become capable readers and writers.

Unlike the OALCF and many other frameworks — which rely on conceptual models — the

stages approach was derived from observations of actual teaching and learning. The five stages describe literacy development from emergent to highly advanced. Adult learners in foundational programs typically work within Stages 1, 2 and 3 (roughly equivalent to Grades 1–12).

Each stage includes:

• Instructional priorities
• Indicators of accomplishment
• Linked OER assessments

2. Using OALCF Milestones and Culminating Tasks with Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) Learners

Here’s how you can use this in your work:

This new section helps you complete reports for CAEC learners and avoid introducing barriers when using milestones and culminating tasks.

CAEC tests and OALCF tests were built using different design principles, so learners need different knowledge, skills and strategies to complete them. You’ll also find an analysis of key limitations:

• Reading milestones across all three levels fall within a narrow difficulty range (roughly Grades 10–13), meaning learners need approximately Grade 10 reading ability to complete Level 1.
• Milestone levels are inconsistent — for example, Level 2 reading milestones are often harder than Level 3.
• Writing milestones at Level 3 don’t require integrating evidence to support claims, a key CAEC expectation.
• Math milestones lack the breadth and depth of problem-solving required by the CAEC.
• Technology milestones are more predictable, but employment training consultants interpret them inconsistently.

Given these inconsistencies, decisions about milestones and culminating tasks should focus on minimizing learning barriers — not assumptions about ability.

Explore the resources

Ready to dig in? Access both resources now:

• Literacy Development Stages to Support Instruction and Assessment

• Using OALCF Milestones and Culminating Tasks with CAEC Learners

We’d love to hear how you use these in your practice — reach out anytime.

Join us for a new workshop series: Create an Online Learning Site

In this three-workshop series, you will learn how to create an online space in Google sites to communicate and collaborate with learners.  

Why do I need an online learning site?

Here are some reasons we have been discussing at AlphaPlus and why we think you might enjoy these workshops.

• Meet learner expectations
  An online learning site can help meet learner’s expectations to find information easily online and lets learners connect to learning materials from anywhere at any time.

• Develop lifelong learning skills
  Your site can provide a centralized platform for sharing information, resources, and interactive learning experiences and promotes lifelong learning by modelling the ways we can stay updated with the latest knowledge in online environments.

• Streamline classroom communications
  You can cut down on the number of handouts and emails you need to share and the strategies you use to remember with whom you shared them.

• Tailor your site to your specific needs
  You can develop your site to meet your specific communication and collaboration needs and the needs of learners who attend your program. You can use the site as a simple communication space and post announcements, events, and calendars as well as course outlines and learning pathways with links to assignments, study materials and resources. Or you can create mini-courses with embedded reading materials, interactive slides and quizzes.

Come with your own ideas or join us to be inspired

Of course, you may arrive at the workshops with your own reasons for creating a site. Whether you come with ideas or are joining to be inspired, you will have an opportunity to develop a plan.

The training series is three workshops on Wednesday, April 15, 22, 29, 2026 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

In 3 Zoom sessions (90 minutes each), we will:

• Enhance your understanding of what learners need in an online learning space (we will discuss the different ways teachers are using online spaces)
• Create a Google site that you can adapt to your needs and the needs of the learners (we will guide you through the process of setting up a site and adding elements — you can build alongside the facilitators or watch the demonstrations and build later)
• Expand your list of teaching resources (we will encourage participants to share resources that learners love to populate the sites we build)

Note: This is a repeat of a workshop series we did last October. You are welcome to register again if you were unable to attend last time or if you’d like a refresher.

See what other workshop series are coming up in the next few months: Workshops at AlphaPlus

Or you may be interested in a quick update at a Lunch and Learn.

And to see what colleagues around the province are achieving with the help of educational technology, join us for a Virtual Showcase.

In her role at AlphaPlus, Guylaine Vinet, organizational development specialist in education and technology, works closely with adult literacy practitioners across Ontario. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape how information is accessed, the pressure on learners’ ability to read and assess information has increased. Recognizing the critical importance of information literacy in this context, Guylaine finds herself at the intersection of emerging questions and practical support. 

In this interview, Guylaine shares what she’s seeing in the field, what practitioners are asking and how she and her AlphaPlus colleagues are helping them adapt to the changing information landscape.

Q: Guylaine, how would you describe your role at AlphaPlus?

A: I work in both English and French, and my role touches on many aspects of AlphaPlus’ work. I deliver coaching, co-lead our training series, help develop resources (such as our open educational resources (OER) collection) and support communications. I also lead our partnership with Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA) to deliver technology training for francophone educators.

Q: What perspective does this mix of responsibilities give you?

A: Working across multiple areas and in both languages provides me with a broad view. For example, I’m always searching for French resources, and that practice sparks ideas, inspiration and potential crossover opportunities between communities. I use my training as a librarian to continuously gather, curate and share ideas, information and support options across educators and communities.

At the core of my wide-ranging responsibilities is a focus on listening and responding to the needs of adult literacy educators and coordinators.

Q: What are you learning alongside practitioners in this space?

A: In adult literacy, every learner operates in their own world, with very specific goals and contexts. I’m always learning from educators’ ideas and approaches to this challenge.

Q: What feels most different to you about the information landscape learners are navigating now?

A: For many years, we’ve been grappling with information coming at us quickly. Now, the same pace continues, but the current information landscape is heavily tainted with misinformation and disinformation, whether through algorithms, poor-quality AI-generated content or deepfakes.

Q: What information literacy concerns are adult literacy educators sharing with you?

A: Here’s one example: some instructors have noticed that learners are getting “trapped” by algorithms. Learners are going in circles, stuck in information bubbles and missing other points of view.

Another example: today’s learners must consider that information may be created specifically to mislead, and even strong readers can struggle to distinguish facts from false or manipulated content.

And educators themselves struggle with AI tools like ChatGPT. Some have questions about hallucinations and biases. Others, despite having more experience and knowledge, are uncertain about how to respond to learners’ questions. These are concerns we explored alongside educators in our recent AI in Daily Life training.

Q: How can adult literacy educators help learners navigate the changing information landscape?

A: The same skills that were useful before remain useful now. Educators have experience teaching critical thinking, which is needed more than ever, and they continue to teach skills like lateral reading (checking the source). It’s the intensity and need for these skills that have been amplified.

It’s also important to reassure learners that reliable sources of information remain available. They have to get into the habit of recognizing them, and when sources aren’t recognizable, to double-check the information.

Q: How do you and your AlphaPlus colleagues help adult literacy educators navigate information literacy?

A: Topics such as AI, misinformation, disinformation and media literacy have been top of mind for our team for the last few years, and we’ve been providing support in many ways, including our training series and virtual showcases (where peers share approaches) and through curated resources on our website and in our OER collection.

We can also work through information literacy challenges together through coaching. I encourage any adult literacy educator in Ontario to reach out with any questions or concerns, and we’ll figure out the right first steps together.

Q: If readers walk away with one clearer understanding of information literacy and AI, what would you hope that would be?

A: Technology has been supporting us in many ways, but today it must be used with more caution than ever. The AlphaPlus team is here to help adult literacy professionals navigate it safely.

You don’t have to know it all, and you can turn to us for help. In fact, we’d like to hear from you: how are you doing and how are you addressing these topics with learners? We invite you to share your experiences and contact us with your questions anytime — whether that’s right after reading this interview or three months from now.

As the information landscape continues to shift, none of us can keep up alone, and we don’t have to. At AlphaPlus, we’re committed to walking alongside you in this work.

Learn more about how you can navigate information literacy challenges with an AlphaPlus technology coach by your side. Start by simply emailing either guylaine@alphaplus.ca or her colleague monika@alphaplus.ca to share your question or concern.

Where can an AlphaPlus technology coach take your adult literacy program? For Randie Doornink, what started as a way to get answers to her Google Workspace questions turned into a systems upgrade that transformed collaboration, communication and the sustainability of her organization.

Randie is the interim executive director at Almaguin Adult Learning Centre (AALC). The Centre provides adult literacy upgrading and training across the Almaguin Highlands, with satellite offices in Powassan, South River and Burk’s Falls, serving a total of 17 small communities. Like other adult literacy programs, AALC had adopted many new technologies in recent years, but by late 2024, Randie was grappling with the need for a more co-ordinated approach.

From Google Workspace questions to a coaching partnership

“We had a strong, ongoing relationship with AlphaPlus for years and often engaged with their research, training, information resources and advice,” explains Randie. “So when an opportunity for technology coaching came up, I requested help with Google Workspace, which we’d had for several years without using it to its full potential.”

Randie connected with Monika Jankowska-Pacyna, one of two AlphaPlus technology coaches. 

“I started by answering Randie’s specific questions about how to use tools in Google Workspace. Then we started considering ideas for integrating it into their operations and programming. One challenge that emerged was inconsistent use,” says Monika. “Multiple team members were using Google Classroom, but just a few were using Calendar, Forms or Drive. Zoom, rather than Meet, was their primary video meeting platform, and no one was using Chat to stay connected across the sites.”

Using technology to support succession and stability

As Monika and Randie began to tackle these daily tool issues, a larger question arose. After a series of senior staffing changes, new hires, as well as the staff team doubling in a very short time, how could technology support the team during rapid growth and leadership changes? Operations manager Anne Walsh joined the coaching conversation as it shifted to ways technology could help with consistency, stability, succession and contingency planning.

“Winging it was no longer sustainable. For example, we have many documents and forms that are frequently updated, and with the growth of our team, saving copies on individual hard drives had become quite the challenge,” explains Randie. “Not only did Monika help us through the major project of organizing our Google Drive and helping our instructors use it more effectively, she also researched and curated useful resources — everything from templates for role descriptions to succession planning documents.” 

Bringing the whole team on board

After several months of working as a trio via Zoom, Randie and Anne invited Monika to provide Google Workspace in-person training for the full team. A professional development gathering they were planning was a golden opportunity to introduce new tools and empower the staff to feel included in building for the future together.

In late summer 2025, Monika joined the team’s training days in South River. She provided a structured Google Workspace training and also created a “sandbox” experience filled with opportunities to experiment, troubleshoot and learn.

“Providing in-person support for the full team allowed me to make deeper connections, understand, and guide individual members,” says Monika. “I strongly believe in the mantra of ‘Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.’ They weren’t only seeing a presentation. They were testing, asking questions and discussing options, and I think it worked.”

According to Randie and Anne, it did. The team left the experience having built knowledge and confidence and having levelled competencies.

The impact: Confidence, efficiency and sustainability

“It’s only a few months later, and we’re already experiencing the benefits of having everyone on the same platform. Now, we’re all using Google Chat, Drive and a shared Calendar,” says Randie. “These changes have improved internal efficiency and clarity, which in turn means learners experience more consistent programs, better communication and smoother transitions into school or work environments that use similar tools.”

Coaching the AALC team benefited Monika as well. “We learn from every program we work with, building knowledge that we can take with us to the next group. This team is small but very mighty, working across a large geographical area. Joining them in person gave me an insight into the program setup and the specific needs and realities of working within more remote communities, in a way I would not have been able to via Zoom alone.”

For Anne, the highlight of working with an AlphaPlus coach was driving progress and inspiring a culture shift towards organizational excellence. “Our experience with Monika gave us a boost of excitement and a feeling of possibility that will continue to colour how we move forward, improving our systems and ultimately continuing to succeed in having an impact in the community.”

Are you ready to work with a technology coach?

For Randie and the AALC team, coaching began with a few Google Workspace questions and grew into a broader shift toward efficiency, confidence and organizational sustainability. What might working with a technology coach do for you?

Our tech coaches Monika and Guylaine Vinet (who works in English and French) are ready to work with a new group of individuals and organizations. And remember: our coaching is free for adult literacy programs in Ontario!

Learn more about what you can gain from working with a technology coach, then email either monika@alphaplus.ca or guylaine@alphaplus.ca to get started.

Last October, I received a phone call from Jeannine (not her real name), an administrator at a local adult literacy program who was looking for training. However, I quickly discovered that training wasn’t what she really needed.

Jeannine was trying to find a recording of a past eight-part Microsoft 365 training series. Since we had designed the series for educators, I dug a little deeper into her request. It turned out that her problem was much simpler than she realized. She needed help setting up a form for a board meeting. So instead of training, I offered to help her create the form.

This conversation with Jeannine was an enlightening reminder of the lack of digital tech support that many adult literacy programs face. It was also a reminder that not everyone’s aware of the support that AlphaPlus can provide!

Big or small digital technology challenges, we’re here to support you.

At AlphaPlus, our role is to help adult literacy education professionals in Ontario use digital technology. That can sometimes mean big-picture roles, like advocating for systems-level change. Sometimes, it can mean providing information and training to help teachers integrate technology and innovate in their teaching practice. It can mean coaching administrators through system upgrades and the adoption of new technology.

But sometimes our role means working with you directly to help you overcome small day-to-day digital technology hurdles. In fact, we encourage you to reach out to us with small problems because:

• These conversations help us learn about your real digital technology challenges and what you’re trying to do.
• They allow us to support you further since we can recommend next steps and additional opportunities.
• Providing one-to-one support brings us closer to you!

We have the time to help you through the small stuff. We’re professionals who examine how digital tools shape adult-literacy teaching and learning, but because we don’t directly deliver programming, we have the time and flexibility to help you solve problems or look at things differently. And because we have experience across different technology platforms and have worked with programs across the province, we may have seen similar struggles or challenges before. We can tap into our breadth of experiences and knowledge to help you get unstuck.

We want to help you through the small stuff so that we can serve you better.

Our interactions with you have informed our programming in 2025, from the topics we’ve featured to the formats we’ve used to convene, support and share knowledge with you. We’ve taken new approaches such as examining digital curricula together, supporting your use of digital assessment tools like CAEC and offering easy-to-digest technology tips. Participation in our programs — including professional development, lunch and learns and virtual showcases — has grown, and the feedback has been positive. We want to keep that momentum going in 2026 by continuing to work closely with you.

As for Jeannine, I asked her for a sample of the form she wanted to create then made a version in Microsoft 365 for her to review. Over the phone, I walked her through the available features, helping her create her own version step by step. Her real frustration was figuring out how to use the digital tools she had at her disposal to complete her task. She was happy to get oriented. I was glad to help get her unstuck, and since then, she has come back for specific suggestions and next steps to learn more about Microsoft 365.

Don’t get stuck. Resolve to reach out to AlphaPlus in 2026!

As we enter 2026, we’re resolved to connecting directly with more professionals like Jeannine to offer quick technology help — but we need your help to do so. We invite you to make this resolution: skip the struggle with digital technology and come straight to AlphaPlus. Start by emailing me directly. If I’m not the right person to help, I’ll connect you with a team member who is.

I look forward to hearing from you in 2026!

Alan Cherwinski, Executive Director

In this three-workshop series, facilitated by Tom Driscoll, learn about a powerful and practical set of strategies known as “visible thinking routines” that can help enhance literacy instruction. 

Making lessons more engaging

You can apply these routines to existing instructional materials to enhance learners’ ability to activate prior knowledge, make connections and predictions, retain information, think critically, and more!  

In 3 Zoom sessions (90 minutes each), we will discuss:

• Workshop 1 Theme:  What are visible thinking routines, how do they help learners, and what do they look like in action?
• Workshop 2 Theme: How can educational technologies enhance visible thinking strategies?
• Workshop 3 Theme:  How can I utilize visible thinking strategies with my existing resources?

The training series is three workshops:

• Wednesday March 4, 11, 18, 2026 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If you’re interested, secure your spot. And don’t forget to invite tutors working in your programs.

Note: This is a repeat of a workshop series we did last May. You are welcome to register again if you were unable to attend last time or if you’d like a refresher.

See what other workshop series are coming up in the next few months: Workshops at AlphaPlus

Or you may be interested in a quick update at a Lunch and Learn.

And to see what colleagues around the province are achieving with the help of educational technology, join us for a Virtual Showcase.