NEW VOLUNTEER INFORMATION

Welcome! Thank you for your interest in volunteering with CLUES' adult education program. We depend on volunteers like you to teach classes
that help adult learners gain the skills needed to thrive linguistically and culturally in our community. 

 General Information About Being a Volunteer Teacher at CLUES

  • Role: Please read the responsibilities, qualifications, and requirements to be a volunteer teacher: Online Adult ESL Volunteer Teacher / Online Citizenship Volunteer Teacher

  • Class Schedule & General Information: 
    • Fall 2024 classes are from September 16 -  December 19. Winter 2025 classes are from January 21 - April 24. 
    • Classes are held Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 6-8 p.m. CST. CLUES' full class calendar is here. 
    • All CLUES classes are administered on Zoom. In-person classes are not currently being offered.
    • We typically request volunteers commit to teaching one class per week (every Monday morning, for example) for the entirety of the term. 
    • Co-teaching (teaching with another teacher) opportunities are available. 
  • Teaching Materials: CLUES provides lesson objectives and teaching materials as guides for each class. Teachers are encouraged to modify the materials based on their students' needs.

  • Our Team: Get to know CLUES staff and other volunteer teachers here.

Want to Be a Volunteer Teacher with CLUES? Please Follow These Steps

  1.  Volunteer Application: Complete your application here.

  2. Interview: Once your application is received, a CLUES staff member will contact you via email or phone to discuss your application, answer your questions, and talk about next steps. 

  3. Class Observation: When possible, we encourage new teachers to observe one of our Zoom classes. Please work with your adult education program coordinator to arrange this. Please follow CLUES' Virtual Observation Guide to ensure your observation is a valuable experience. 

Once Your Teaching Spot Has Been Confirmed

  1. Volunteer Waiver and Release: Please review, electronically sign, and return CLUES’ Volunteer & Intern Waiver and Release. Instructions are here. Please email your signed document to AdultEducation@clues.org. 

  2. Remind Application: CLUES' adult education program uses a free phone and desktop application called Remind to streamline communication between the coordinators, volunteer teachers, and students. Once your volunteer teaching spot has been confirmed, please connect to Remind here for morning volunteers (@volclues) and here for evening volunteers (@cluesvolun).

  3. Training: A complete list of trainings required by the Minnesota Department of Education for new and ongoing volunteer teachers who work with adult learners can be found here. 

  4. Introduction Slide: Introduce yourself to your students by creating and presenting a slide about you. Instructions are here. You do not need to send this slide to your coordinator. Please share the slide with your students for the first weeks of class. 

  5. Picture & Biography: Send your coordinator a picture of you and a short bio for our student website and help students get to know their teachers better. If you would prefer to opt out of this, please let your coordinator know. 

  6. Co-Teaching: Some teachers prefer to prepare and teach their classes with another teacher. Please use CLUES' Virtual Co-Teaching Guide as a tool to help guide your co-teaching experience. 

  7. GogyUp: Students use a web application called GogyUp (from the word pedagogy) for weekly readings. Readings correspond to students' levels and the weekly class topic. The readings are presented to students in class on Mondays and reviewed in class on Thursdays. It may be helpful for teachers to access this site to prepare for class. 
Questions?

Please let us know! We are here to make your volunteer teaching experience a success.

Learn More About CLUES and Adult Basic Education in Minnesota: 

 

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