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