3. Frequently Asked Questions Assignment

As I think back over these questions from CLLI, I do believe that being pro-active is very helpful. During the sessions we have held here in Hernando so far, we did hear several of these questions and I felt prepared to respond. It was also very nice to have other SIM PD'ers present to respond with their personal experience using these routines in their classrooms. I am most excited about delivering a variety of these routines over the next few years to allow more teachers the ability to focus in on the critical content in their subject areas. 

1. Teachers feel pressure to deliver large quantities of content to students in a short period of time. A great concern is that students experience meaningful learning. How will Content Enhancement (CE) address this concern?

• CE Routines provide a meaningful way for students to interact with the most critical content in any subject area. Because these routines are co-constructed (teachers and students TOGETHER), the students are hearing it, seeing it, and recording the critical information themselves. 

2. How does CE increase student engagement in the classroom?

• When we are using the Lesson Organizer for example, this allows the students to have a visual description of what we are going to be covering in the lesson. There is even an area where they will record the work they are assigned to complete independently verses what the class records during the lesson itself. Using these routines keeps students engaged and on task because they can see where they are going and where they have been. Students use their completed routines to prepare for exams/tests on the lesson/unit/concept etc.

3. How will CE work with all students.

• CE is designed to be used by both Gen Ed and ESE Students. Students are able to co-construct their routines with their peers in class. Students can do these digitally using assistive technology if they would like. Partner groups will be able to use completed routines to prepare for tests by quizzing one another. 

4. Content area printed materials are frequently written beyond the grade level of students. The volume of information contained in these materials is not only overwhelming, but also requires the reader to distinguish critical information. How will SIM CE promote student understanding of all complex printed materials?

• Because CE Routines are co-constructed WITH the teacher and the class simultaneously, teachers are able to provide their guidance and clarification for the overwhelming vocabulary and complex text materials. 
• Using multiple routines can enhance student learning of these critical vocabulary terms and concepts within a lesson or unit.

5. I have previously participated in professional development sessions about graphic organizers. How do CE Routines and devices compare to other graphic organizers?

• CE Routines provide a meaningful way for students to interact with the most critical content in any subject area. Because these routines are co-constructed (teachers and students TOGETHER), the students are hearing it, seeing it, and recording the critical information themselves. 
• Many other graphic organizers are intended to be constructed by the student independently. 
• Because CER's are co-constructed during lesson delivery, both teacher and student are completing the device at the same time.

6. How does professional development promote implementation fidelity versus simply providing teachers with CER Guidebooks without professional development?

• CER PD'ers are required to provide follow-up coaching and collect implementation data from each participant who attends a CER professional development session. This provides meaningful feedback to the teachers who are implementing these routines in their classrooms. 

7. Why is the Cue-Do-Review Instructional Sequence so important?

• Cue - shares with students that they will be co-constructors of the device during the lesson. Students learn why using this device will support their learning. Teacher can also share their expectations during this phase.
• Do - Five steps in this stage 1. Focus student attention and activate background knowledge and clarify what is to be learned of the topic 2. Students will learn how to organize the lessons info for main ideas and supporting details from the lesson. 3. Now our students will be analyzing information with their teacher from the lesson in order to complete step four. 4. Here is when the students and the teacher will co-construct a "So What" statement for their learning. 5. Here is where students can discuss their learning further to address how it relates to their background knowledge or other topics they've learned.
• Review - This is the time to check for student understanding and debrief the lesson. 
• Essentially, this process is important because students need to know why they are using the device, and how do they use it to support their learning. 

8. How do I vary the use of a Content Enhancement Routine but still maintain the fidelity of the routine?

• CE Routines are just that...Content Enhancement Routines. Each of these routines can be used across all content areas. ELA teachers will prefer different routines than Math teachers; many Science and Civics teachers will enjoy using the similar routines. The fidelity of the Routines will be maintained as long as the teacher is using the Cue-Do-Review sequence with each co-construction. 
  

9. How can CER's support students' learning and deep understanding of difficult, abstract concepts?

• Because CER's are designed to capture the critical content in each lesson presented this helps students identify and understand these concepts. During the co-construction process both students and teachers are sharing examples and non-examples to deepen student understanding.

10.Where do I look for resources to support implementation of SIM CER's?

• Educators can seek out their original trainer for support  regarding the routine in question. 
• Another resource for support would of course be the KUCRL website https://kucrl.ku.edu/sim-learning-strategies

11. What can I do before, during, and after my professional development sessions to et teachers to "buy in " to implementing CER's as evidence-based-practice to support student learning?

• Before - I can gather data/evidence to show how using these routines have benefited/impacted student learning in our district
• During - ensure that the routine is implemented with fidelity in the classroom by coaching the teachers through their implementation process
• After - with follow-up and coaching we will monitor student progress and collect the data to show how the routines have impacted learning.

12. What are the categories used to describe CER's? How would you explain CER's as a synergistic approach rather than the use of a single routine? How is this modeled in Professional Development sessions?

The CER's are categorized as follows:

• Planning and Leading Learning (Course, Unit, Lesson Organizers)
• Increasing Performance (Quality Assignment, Recall Enhancement, Vocabulary LINCing)
• Explaining Text, Topics, and Details (FRAMING, Clarifying, Survey, ORDER)
• Teaching Concepts (Concept Mastery, Concept Comparison, Concept Anchoring)
• Higher Order Thinking and Reasoning (Question Exploration, Teaching Cause and Effect, Concept Comparison, Cross-Curricular Argumentation, Teaching Decision Making, Scientific Argumentation)
• I can model these in my PD sessions when participants are coming through in a co-hort to learn multiple routines. I have uploaded a Lesson Organizer from a participant I had in an instructional strategies class. In that class we recorded 3 types of instruction but detailed only one in the lesson. To deepen the learning, I could have used the Concept Comparison routine as well to show the differences and similarities between the 3 different instructional methods as well. 

13. How does active student engagement during device co-construction promote motivation for students to learn CER's?

• When students have mastered the use of a routine in class, they will be looking forward to using it in other classes as well. Students with completed CER's who use them to prepare for upcoming exams have consistently higher test scores than those who are not using a CER to prep for tests. 

14. What are the benefits of schoolwide implementation of CER's?

• As noted above, when students master the use of a routine, they will be looking to use it in other content areas. When many teachers across a grade level are using the routines, the students are more engaged and feel their teachers are giving them the inside scoop on the critical content or concept being taught. These routines provide powerful and meaningful results which will benefit the schoolwide data on student performance.

15. How do I earn a micro-credential for my participation?

• Micro-credentials can be earned by participants on multiple levels.
• Level 1 Professional learning - simply attend a PD session and apply with a $10 fee on the simpd@ku.edu website
• Level 2 Fidelity of Implementation - implement the routine with students, complete a portfolio to demonstrate impact and proficient implementation, create a reflection of implementation process, record a video for self-reflection or coaching, apply and submit $40 fee online at site above.
• Level 3 SIM Specialist - demonstrate proficiency in teaching others to use routine with fidelity, guide new learners through implementation, apply for credential online with $100 fee
• Level 4 Professional Developer - must fulfill all SIM PD criteria set forth by KUCRL. Apply online and pay yearly StrateWorks fee + CLLI costs.
• Level 5 Professional Developer Leader - Professionals who are credentialed in both Learning Strats as well as CER's, is active in the SIM Network, and has met all ofther requirements set forth by KUCRL. Apply online and pay yearly StrateWorks fee.

Reflection:

Working on the FAQ assignment was very intensive. I thought it was a great preparation tool because it helped prepare me to be able to answer these questions (all reasonable questions that teachers do and will ask!) and was a practice in finding the answers to those questions. This activity made me super familiar with SimVille, which is a great resource – and in seeking out answers to these questions, I found tons of other resources and answers to other questions not included on the FAQ. I could see myself referring to the FAQ document often. This activity has helped my build my confidence not only in my knowledge but in my ability to find the answer if I don’t know it.

The SIM FAQ assignment is available at the following link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OjL6TE_YLdx_mocM1Xgf58Qcg83DyzUC/edit?usp=share_link&ouid=107911878508919131861&rtpof=true&sd=true

This assignment can be found in the shared google folder. 
Assignment name Amanda Linneweber SIM FAQ'S

Answering the FAQ's helped me to find research-driven answers to the most commonly asked questions with regards to SIM and Content Enhancement. 

Working through the FAQ's helped me feel much more prepared for working with teachers and districts using the CE routines. By front-loading the information in this type of document, you are better prepared to field the questions as they are asked vs. having to stop and hunt for the appropriate response for your "students". Some of the FAQ's I was able to address without having to find the correlating / supporting research while others I needed to make sure I followed up with. 

Reflection for FAQs- Renee Smith  

By researching and answering the frequently asked questions, I have developed a better understanding of the Strategic Instruction Model as well as refined my knowledge about the Content Enhancement Routines. This has prepared me to be able to provide quality answers to questions about Content Enhancement Routines both during PD and planning meetings.

The activity of answering the 15 FAQ was very helpful to help me in order to prepare for teaching others about the implementation of SIM routines. It was good to read the research articles and seek out specific evidence that can be used to answer these questions, as I know many of these will be asked of me during my trainings. I also like having the articles as a resource to share and reflect on, as I continue to work on supporting my teachers during implementation and providing feedback to them.