During my time at the Potential Professional Developer Institute I collaborated with and learned from Virginia teachers who have also been implementing SIM in their classrooms. Perhaps the most impactful aspect of my time there was learning about being a successful professional developer for teachers, particularly through the use of partnership principles. The partnership principles of equality, choice, voice, reflection, dialogue, praxis, and reciprocity helped me realize that being a professional developer went beyond simply presenting information. A SIM professional developer is also a coach, which is what sets SIM apart and makes it effective.
On a more practical note, I was able to learn more about different SIM routines and the learning strategies. This helped me better understand how different SIM routines and learning strategies work together. I was also able to spend time with a co-worker constructing a plan for using SIM in our school. Walking away from training with a real action plan and next steps was incredibly helpful.
It was amazing to see how SIM can be implemented throughout departments and even entire schools and the impact it can have. I was inspired to make that happen for my own school. Teachers also shared their challenges with school-wide implementation, which was also beneficial for many in the group. I realized that SIM is not only unique because it follows a coaching model, it is unique because it creates a network of professional developers who can collaborate and support one another.
On a more practical note, I was able to learn more about different SIM routines and the learning strategies. This helped me better understand how different SIM routines and learning strategies work together. I was also able to spend time with a co-worker constructing a plan for using SIM in our school. Walking away from training with a real action plan and next steps was incredibly helpful.
It was amazing to see how SIM can be implemented throughout departments and even entire schools and the impact it can have. I was inspired to make that happen for my own school. Teachers also shared their challenges with school-wide implementation, which was also beneficial for many in the group. I realized that SIM is not only unique because it follows a coaching model, it is unique because it creates a network of professional developers who can collaborate and support one another.