ACE Teaching Standards Online Workshops 2026

A safe and inclusive learning environment is the foundation for effective adult and community education. This one‑hour online workshop focuses on how ACE educators can intentionally create learning spaces that support trust, belonging, and participation for diverse adult learners. Participants will explore how learning environments can be designed to respond to learners’ lived experiences, life contexts, and changing circumstances, ensuring learning remains accessible, respectful, and adaptable.

The session emphasises the role of the educator in establishing conditions that enable learner engagement and support flexible learner pathways.

You will explore:

• What safe and inclusive learning environments look like in ACE settings
• How learner diversity and life context influence participation and engagement
• Practical strategies for reviewing and adjusting learning environments based on learner feedback

This workshop focuses on establishing inclusive learning conditions and does not cover strategies for responding to challenging learner behaviour, which are addressed in Workshop 6: Managing Behaviour and Fostering Positive Learning Relationships.

Learner‑centred teaching places learners at the heart of decision‑making, recognising their goals, experiences, and aspirations. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how rangatiratanga is enacted in ACE teaching practice and how educators can support learners to have ownership over their learning journeys. The session focuses on practical shifts in teaching practice that increase learner voice, choice, and agency.

You will explore:

• Core principles of learner‑centred teaching in ACE contexts
• How to support learner choice and shared decision‑making
• Teaching approaches that respond to individual and group needs

This workshop focuses on learner‑centred principles and teaching decision‑making and does not cover lesson planning frameworks or tools, which are explored in Workshop 3: Effective Lesson Planning.

Effective lesson planning supports meaningful learning while remaining flexible and responsive to learners’ goals and pathways. This practical workshop focuses on planning learning experiences that clearly connect learning activities to learner goals and allow for adaptation as pathways evolve.

Participants will explore planning approaches that support learners to progress, pause, or change direction as their circumstances and aspirations develop.

You will explore:

• Planning lessons that align with learner goals
• Designing learning that supports pathway mapping and review
• Creating adaptable plans that respond to learner progress and feedback

Learner engagement is central to sustaining participation and progress in adult and community education. This workshop explores practical strategies for engaging and motivating learners across face‑to‑face and online learning environments. 

Participants will examine how engagement strategies can value non‑formal, flexible, and non‑linear learning, supporting learners to remain connected to their learning pathways.

You will explore:

• What learner engagement looks like in ACE contexts
• Strategies for motivating learners in face‑to‑face and online settings
• Designing learning activities that support flexible and non‑linear pathways

This workshop focuses on practical learner engagement strategies. It does not provide in‑depth coverage of inclusive design, neurodiversity, or learning differences, which are addressed in Workshop 5: Teaching for Diversity, Neurodiversity, and Inclusion.

Panel discussion
ACE educators work with learners who bring diverse strengths, experiences, and ways of learning. This one‑hour online panel brings together experienced ACE practitioners to share insights and practical examples of inclusive teaching that acknowledge neurodiversity, varied learning preferences, and learners’ lived experiences.

Through guided kōrero, panellists will reflect on what inclusive practice looks like in real ACE contexts, how barriers to participation can be reduced through thoughtful design, and how diversity can be made visible and valued in everyday teaching. The discussion focuses on proactive, inclusive design rather than individual adjustments made after challenges arise.

You will explore through panel kōrero:

• How learner diversity and neurodiversity show up in ACE learning environments
• Inclusive teaching approaches that support engagement, dignity, and participation
• Practical examples of making learning design and delivery more accessible

Positive learning relationships are central to effective adult and community education. This workshop explores behaviour as communication and focuses on relational approaches to managing challenging situations. Participants will build confidence in responding to behaviour in ways that maintain dignity, respect, and learner engagement, while recognising the impact of learners’ life contexts on participation and behaviour.

The emphasis is on supporting learning relationships rather than “controlling” behaviour.

You will explore:

• Understanding behaviour in adult learning environments
• Proactive and relational approaches to managing challenges
• Practical strategies for maintaining trust and cooperation

Reflection is a key tool for improving teaching practice and supporting learner pathways. This workshop focuses on reflective practice that leads to meaningful change, rather than simply confirming what already works. Participants will explore structured approaches to reflection and consider how reflection can be used to review teaching effectiveness and adjust learning experiences in response to learners’ progress and feedback.

You will explore:

• Purposeful reflective practice for ACE educators
• Using reflection to inform changes in teaching practice
• Supporting learner reflection as part of learning

This workshop focuses on educator and learner reflection and does not cover assessment, feedback mechanisms, or peer review processes, which are addressed in Workshop 8: Feedback, Peer Learning, and Assessment for Learning in ACE.

Feedback and peer learning play an important role in guiding learner progress and supporting pathway decision‑making. This workshop explores feedback as an ongoing, learning‑focused process rather than a one‑off task. Participants will examine strategies for using learner information, peer learning, and assessment for learning to support learners to reflect, make decisions, and adjust their learning direction.

You will explore:

• Giving and receiving feedback that supports learning
• Peer learning as a tool for reflection and growth
• Using learner information to guide teaching decisions

Panel discussion
Intergenerational and community‑centred learning is a defining strength of adult and community education. This one‑hour online panel brings together ACE practitioners to share insights and examples of learning that draws on community knowledge, lived experience, and connections across generations.

Through facilitated kōrero, panellists will discuss how ACE learning can respond to community aspirations, support meaningful learner pathways, and recognise community connection as both a learning resource and a pathway destination in its own right. 

The panel highlights practical ways communities and learners are actively involved in shaping learning experiences.

You will explore through panel kōrero:

• What intergenerational and community‑centred learning looks like in ACE contexts
• How community knowledge, relationships, and lived experience inform learning design
• Ways learning pathways are strengthened through community connection and partnership

Sustainable teaching practice depends on educator wellbeing, professional reflection, and opportunities to grow and adapt. This workshop focuses on wellbeing as a core component of quality teaching in ACE, recognising the demands and complexity of adult and community education roles. Participants will explore practical strategies for sustaining wellbeing while continuing to develop their professional practice in ways that support learner pathways.

The session positions educator wellbeing as an enabler of innovation, responsiveness, and long‑term teaching effectiveness.

You will explore:

• The relationship between educator wellbeing and quality teaching practice
• Practical strategies for sustaining wellbeing in ACE contexts
• How reflective professional practice supports ongoing learning and innovation