| m School District teachers completed another | | | | students, and parents. In deciding what content to |
| professional development activity thanks to the | | | | teach to students, teachers and students work |
| University of Kansas Center for Research on | | | | together to determine what information students |
| Learning. The program is called the Strategic | | | | need and what the best method of delivering that |
| Instructional Model (SIM) and looks at how | | | | information is. This creates a feeling of comradery |
| teachers can improve literacy in low performing | | | | in the learning community and helps all |
| adolescents | | | | stakeholders contribute to the overall success of |
| The Strategic Instructional Model | | | | students. |
| Developed over 25 years of research, SIM works | | | | What Long Island Teachers are Saying About SIM |
| to help teachers recognize what lessons are of | | | | Many classroom teachers have welcomed SIM as |
| greatest importance and target those lessons | | | | a concrete approach to meeting the needs of |
| towards a diverse group of learners. SIM rests on | | | | their students. After observing a demonstration |
| four philosophical principles: | | | | writing lesson conducted using the method, |
| • Low proficiency students can be taught | | | | teacher Jill Kristoff comments, “The SIM |
| in mainstream classrooms. | | | | sentence writing strategy is a very useful tool for |
| • Teacher’s aides, or support | | | | children, teaching them grammar and sentence |
| teachers, should concentrate on helping students | | | | structure, as well as improving their writing; and |
| develop learning strategies. | | | | because it is taught in steps, children of all abilities |
| • Subject teachers should organize their | | | | can be successful with it!” |
| lessons so that the material can be understood | | | | What Long Island Schools Students are Saying |
| and remembered by low proficiency students. | | | | About SIM |
| • The students should be actively involved | | | | Students agree with their teachers that SIM |
| in deciding how to learn new strategies. | | | | offers them a lot of structure for understanding |
| SIM works on two levels, one addressing the | | | | what they are learning. After observing the |
| needs of the teacher and the other addressing | | | | demonstration lesson conducted by University of |
| the needs of the student. For teachers, SIM | | | | Kansas teacher – trainer Dottie Turner, |
| training provides a method for organizing | | | | one student said, “Ms. Turner helped me a |
| information in ways that are most useful for | | | | lot with sentences. She taught me what a good |
| students, so that they can understand what they | | | | sentence needs. Now my sentences are much |
| learn and then be able to use it to accomplish | | | | better with details, and they are not |
| tasks. For students, academic coaching develops | | | | boring.” Another student also believed that |
| learning strategies that can be applied to what | | | | she had benefited from the demonstration lesson |
| they learn in school. These strategies range from | | | | and expressed her pride in participating in a |
| learning ways to approach written texts, including | | | | professional development experience for her |
| informational readings and math word problems, | | | | teacher. She commented: “The demo |
| as well as ways to express information in writing, | | | | lesson was helpful to my writing. It was also a lot |
| as is often required on standardized tests. | | | | of fun. Teachers were sitting in the back, but |
| Another important element of SIM is the way | | | | they were not watching me. They were watching |
| that it promotes teamwork among teachers, | | | | Ms. Turner. I loved that lesson! |