What does an adult education instructor do?
Adult education instructors are teachers in continuing and adult education who are working in various settings. The instructors teach adult students a range of courses including high school equivalency, math, literacy, and art. They teach English as a secondary language to students as well as cooking, health, and technology. It is their responsibility to instruct adults in preparatory and remedial education classes. Their job may or may not be performed in a traditional educational institution.
Adult education instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real adult education instructor resumes:
- Manage groups of kids on a daily basis in the field to ensure safety while participating in activities.
- Empower new immigrant ESL non-literate students with verbal and writing language skills enabling employ.
- Plan curriculum, including PowerPoint slides, class activities, and course materials.
- Plan and co-taught a weekly adult English class for students' parents and community members
- Collaborate both within and outside of ESL department in an effort to streamline educational process.
- Develop and co-taught beginning and advance level classes to adults
- Plan and teach secondary-level curricula for English composition and grammar courses.
- Develop and conduct activities that target vocabulary building, pronunciation and grammar practices.
- Continue professional growth through educational meetings, reading professional literature, and work in coordination with peers.
- Research, compile, and incorporate award-winning literature into daily instruction in order to develop a language-rich environment.
- Present media base lectures using Microsoft PowerPoint and overheads.initiat a successful book club for students which measurably increase reading skills.
- Participate in planning and conducting IEP's, IHP's and family conferences.
- Assist students in portfolio, resume, and cover letter design.
- Assess and educate special needs preschoolers and their parents, conduct individualized testing and IEP development.
- Utilize online LMS to post grades, distribute course information, and contact students.
Adult education instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Adult Education Instructors are proficient in Math, Professional Development, and Social Studies. They’re also known for soft skills such as Cultural sensitivity, Communication skills, and Resourcefulness.
We break down the percentage of Adult Education Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Math, 12%
Facilitated online learning activities for marines with learning challenges in math and administered standardized testing to assess learning achievement
- Professional Development, 8%
Collaborated with administrators to identify personal and professional development needs of the community.
- Social Studies, 8%
Provide instruction in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies.
- Course Curriculum, 7%
Develop all course materials to include syllabus, diagnostic activities, and overall course curriculum to include individual and collaborative instruction.
- Equivalency, 6%
Developed curriculum and designed lesson plans for adult learners preparing to complete the high school equivalency examinations.
- Language, 5%
Conducted research on Task-Based Foreign Language Learning Methodology and Adult Learning Principles in Continuing Education Programs.
Most adult education instructors use their skills in "math," "professional development," and "social studies" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential adult education instructor responsibilities here:
Cultural sensitivity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an adult education instructor to have is cultural sensitivity. Their role and responsibilities require that "teachers work with students from a variety of cultural, educational, and economic backgrounds." Adult education instructors often use cultural sensitivity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "created trusting atmosphere through sensitivity to students' strength, weaknesses, and personal learning styles. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform adult education instructor duties is communication skills. Adult education instructors responsibilities require that "adult basic and secondary education and esl teachers must collaborate with other teachers and program administrators." Adult education instructors also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "conducted math workshops and training sessions for college-level carpentry, nursing, and telecommunications classes. "
Resourcefulness. This is an important skill for adult education instructors to perform their duties. For an example of how adult education instructor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "teachers must be able to think on their feet and find ways to keep students engaged in learning." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an adult education instructor: "showed resourcefulness and teaching effectiveness in meeting the needs of students with limited english language proficiency as well as learning disabilities. ".
The three companies that hire the most adult education instructors are:
- State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia16 adult education instructors jobs
- Eastern Suffolk BOCES5 adult education instructors jobs
- Buffalo Schools4 adult education instructors jobs
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Compare different adult education instructors
Adult education instructor vs. French teacher
A french teacher specializes in teaching the french language among students. Although the extent of their responsibilities usually depends on their institution or company of employment, it usually includes preparing lessons and coursework plans, presenting audio and visual learning materials, organizing individual and group activities, administering examinations, grading quizzes and tests, and assisting students as necessary. Moreover, as a french teacher, it is essential to monitor the students' progress while maintaining a healthy and effective learning environment for everyone.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, adult education instructor responsibilities require skills like "math," "course curriculum," "equivalency," and "basic mathematics." Meanwhile a typical french teacher has skills in areas such as "foreign language," "language curriculum," "literature," and "grammar." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
French teachers earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $50,105. On the other hand, adult education instructors are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $51,266.The education levels that french teachers earn slightly differ from adult education instructors. In particular, french teachers are 6.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an adult education instructor. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Adult education instructor vs. Ged teacher
A literacy specialist ensures accurate and correct recording reporting and document keeping. These professionals manage literacy support by organizing staff instructions and schedules. Besides providing and supporting data analysis and literacy assessment, a literacy specialist also acts as a useful resource for families, administrators, assistant teachers, and teachers. They promote professional development by supporting, coaching, and guiding teachers with instructional practices and literacy programs. Moreover, literacy specialists oversee the learning institution's literacy program.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that adult education instructor responsibilities requires skills like "professional development," "course curriculum," "equivalency," and "basic mathematics." But a ged teacher might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "curriculum frameworks," "general education," "correctional facility," and "literature."
Ged teachers earn similar levels of education than adult education instructors in general. They're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Adult education instructor vs. Literacy specialist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from adult education instructor resumes include skills like "math," "professional development," "course curriculum," and "equivalency," whereas a literacy specialist is more likely to list skills in "instructional strategies," "school administration," "assessment data," and "staff development. "
Literacy specialists make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $58,630. On the other hand, adult education instructors are paid the highest salary in the government industry, with average annual pay of $51,266.literacy specialists typically earn higher educational levels compared to adult education instructors. Specifically, they're 7.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Adult education instructor vs. Literacy consultant
Types of adult education instructor
Updated January 8, 2025
