Kami Heinz
2023 Content Literacy Leadership Institute for Prospective SIM Professional Developers (May-October)
Instructors: Darlene Fletcher, Janice Creneti, Jocelyn Washburn
Unit 1: Leadership & Effective Professional Learning
When: Wednesday, June 7th, 8 am - 11 am CENTRAL
Reflection: The Clifton Strenghtsfinder assessment and follow-up discussion was a valuable experience. One interesting takeaway was that I was scored as a Relator in my top 5. That offered a new way to label what I knew about myself but had never articulated as a strength. I knew I could talk to and connect with most people, but now I have a word for it. Discussing our strengths with the group was valuable to see our differences and similarities and how they will benefit us, but also shape our different leadership styles. Most of all, it was validating to know that I have similar skills as other leaders and the leadership strengths to pursue becoming a trained professional developer.
Unit 2: Big Ideas in SIM CER
When: Thursday, June 8th; 12 - 3 pm CENTRAL
Reflection: During this session, I fully understood and appreciated the routines as a process instead of individual tools. Previously, I had valued the routines for the purpose each was established. It was during this time that I began to understand how the routine part of the CER supports executive functioning and provides a guide for how to learn. Therefore, the Cue-Do-Review process gained more meaning and changed my use of the routines in the classroom.
Through my district, I have had a lot of exposure to and experience with the work of Marzano and Danielson. The SMARTER Instructional Cycle is such a succinct and concrete way to express the work we have done in the past that was disjointed and haphazard! It provides an excellent framework for the purposes of CERs and how they are not an additional or “one more thing” in education, but tools to support the teaching and learning process.
Unit 3: SIM Leadership as Change Agent
When: Friday, June 30th; 8 am - 11 am CENTRAL
Reflection: During this session, I was in flight to a family wedding. I appreciate the opportunity to record my presentation and submit it ahead of time. Recording what would have been an in-person presentation elevated my level of preparation. I appreciated this assignment for two reasons. It forced me to organize and expand my knowledge of the CRL, SIM, CREs, etc. I was able to learn the acronym language of SIM. In addition, I was able to understand the history and development of SIM by creating a timeline. It guided me in understanding what I knew and what gaps I needed to fill. The second component I appreciated was presenting to our leaders and peers. Although my presentation was not live, it was real-world practice for our professional development skills. What could have been an intimidating situation was a safe learning environment and an opportunity for learning and growth.
Unit 4: Promoting Critical Content Through SIM When: Wednesday, September 6, 2023, 8 am - 11 am CENTRAL
Reflection: I found it valuable to dig into the FAQ questions and appreciated the opportunity to work on them as a group and share. It helped me find and integrate documents and sources to support the answers, especially the StrateNotes. I still felt a little ambiguous when answering the questions, especially sifting how to answer different questions without being redundant with the answers. It was a beneficial activity to sift back through and review my notes and the resources provided at this point in the course.
One of my most beneficial experiences of the entire course was demonstrating the Concept Mastery Routine. This was a routine that was familiar to me, but I had not yet implemented it in my classroom. I was challenged preparing for my demonstration as my concept of genres became more ambiguous the more I dug into it. Therefore, I struggled with my demonstration. I rarely receive valuable feedback in teaching, which is unfortunate but true. The feedback Janice gave was helpful because it helped me understand my struggles in preparing for the demonstration. I was reminded as a learner to ask questions as they arise which I had not! It was good practice to accept feedback for growth, which was not a strong suit of mine in my younger learning years. It helped me deeply evaluate how to use this in my classroom and how my use of genres may not lead to a clear understanding for my students. My lack of success was not a failure because it provided an opportunity to think like a learner, which will help me better support other teachers.
A valuable part of the experience was attending the conference in July. I love and appreciate the opportunity to be able to participate in the institute virtually, but the in-person experience helped make the institute and becoming a SIM professional developer more tangible. Being able to meet the mentors and my peers further forged those relationships. I was able to meet many of the authors in person and listen to them present, including Jim Knight. Being part of a global network felt real!
Unit 5: Developing Leaders
When: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 8 am - 11 am CENTRAL
Reflection: I thoroughly enjoyed the Change Agent Assignment because this is truly what I love to do! Our school is missing this exact piece. We have PLCs, common assessments, and data, but we never break through to the next step which is using the data for discussion and instruction to increase student learning. My PLC is a wonderful group to work with, and I have taken on the role of team leader. However, time and shifting areas of focus take us away from this important piece. Even though the assignment was hypothetical, the experience was applicable to my teaching and department.
An important component of this session was the overview of the apprenticeship period. The timing of the institute was challenging for me throughout. We sold our house and moved during the initial stages. Three sessions were during the very hectic end and beginning of my school year. As a result, I felt disjointed and short-sighted throughout the institute. The overview of the apprenticeship was key to helping me bring it all together and see the bigger picture. I appreciated knowing that we had completed some of the required evidence already, drafted evidence, and the next requirements. It was rewarding to be able to plan out the next steps with the end of becoming a professional developer in sight.
2023 Content Literacy Leadership Institute for Prospective SIM Professional Developers (May-October)
Instructors: Darlene Fletcher, Janice Creneti, Jocelyn Washburn
Unit 1: Leadership & Effective Professional Learning
When: Wednesday, June 7th, 8 am - 11 am CENTRAL
Reflection: The Clifton Strenghtsfinder assessment and follow-up discussion was a valuable experience. One interesting takeaway was that I was scored as a Relator in my top 5. That offered a new way to label what I knew about myself but had never articulated as a strength. I knew I could talk to and connect with most people, but now I have a word for it. Discussing our strengths with the group was valuable to see our differences and similarities and how they will benefit us, but also shape our different leadership styles. Most of all, it was validating to know that I have similar skills as other leaders and the leadership strengths to pursue becoming a trained professional developer.
Unit 2: Big Ideas in SIM CER
When: Thursday, June 8th; 12 - 3 pm CENTRAL
Reflection: During this session, I fully understood and appreciated the routines as a process instead of individual tools. Previously, I had valued the routines for the purpose each was established. It was during this time that I began to understand how the routine part of the CER supports executive functioning and provides a guide for how to learn. Therefore, the Cue-Do-Review process gained more meaning and changed my use of the routines in the classroom.
Through my district, I have had a lot of exposure to and experience with the work of Marzano and Danielson. The SMARTER Instructional Cycle is such a succinct and concrete way to express the work we have done in the past that was disjointed and haphazard! It provides an excellent framework for the purposes of CERs and how they are not an additional or “one more thing” in education, but tools to support the teaching and learning process.
Unit 3: SIM Leadership as Change Agent
When: Friday, June 30th; 8 am - 11 am CENTRAL
Reflection: During this session, I was in flight to a family wedding. I appreciate the opportunity to record my presentation and submit it ahead of time. Recording what would have been an in-person presentation elevated my level of preparation. I appreciated this assignment for two reasons. It forced me to organize and expand my knowledge of the CRL, SIM, CREs, etc. I was able to learn the acronym language of SIM. In addition, I was able to understand the history and development of SIM by creating a timeline. It guided me in understanding what I knew and what gaps I needed to fill. The second component I appreciated was presenting to our leaders and peers. Although my presentation was not live, it was real-world practice for our professional development skills. What could have been an intimidating situation was a safe learning environment and an opportunity for learning and growth.
Unit 4: Promoting Critical Content Through SIM When: Wednesday, September 6, 2023, 8 am - 11 am CENTRAL
Reflection: I found it valuable to dig into the FAQ questions and appreciated the opportunity to work on them as a group and share. It helped me find and integrate documents and sources to support the answers, especially the StrateNotes. I still felt a little ambiguous when answering the questions, especially sifting how to answer different questions without being redundant with the answers. It was a beneficial activity to sift back through and review my notes and the resources provided at this point in the course.
One of my most beneficial experiences of the entire course was demonstrating the Concept Mastery Routine. This was a routine that was familiar to me, but I had not yet implemented it in my classroom. I was challenged preparing for my demonstration as my concept of genres became more ambiguous the more I dug into it. Therefore, I struggled with my demonstration. I rarely receive valuable feedback in teaching, which is unfortunate but true. The feedback Janice gave was helpful because it helped me understand my struggles in preparing for the demonstration. I was reminded as a learner to ask questions as they arise which I had not! It was good practice to accept feedback for growth, which was not a strong suit of mine in my younger learning years. It helped me deeply evaluate how to use this in my classroom and how my use of genres may not lead to a clear understanding for my students. My lack of success was not a failure because it provided an opportunity to think like a learner, which will help me better support other teachers.
A valuable part of the experience was attending the conference in July. I love and appreciate the opportunity to be able to participate in the institute virtually, but the in-person experience helped make the institute and becoming a SIM professional developer more tangible. Being able to meet the mentors and my peers further forged those relationships. I was able to meet many of the authors in person and listen to them present, including Jim Knight. Being part of a global network felt real!
Unit 5: Developing Leaders
When: Wednesday, October 11, 2023, 8 am - 11 am CENTRAL
Reflection: I thoroughly enjoyed the Change Agent Assignment because this is truly what I love to do! Our school is missing this exact piece. We have PLCs, common assessments, and data, but we never break through to the next step which is using the data for discussion and instruction to increase student learning. My PLC is a wonderful group to work with, and I have taken on the role of team leader. However, time and shifting areas of focus take us away from this important piece. Even though the assignment was hypothetical, the experience was applicable to my teaching and department.
An important component of this session was the overview of the apprenticeship period. The timing of the institute was challenging for me throughout. We sold our house and moved during the initial stages. Three sessions were during the very hectic end and beginning of my school year. As a result, I felt disjointed and short-sighted throughout the institute. The overview of the apprenticeship was key to helping me bring it all together and see the bigger picture. I appreciated knowing that we had completed some of the required evidence already, drafted evidence, and the next requirements. It was rewarding to be able to plan out the next steps with the end of becoming a professional developer in sight.