1. Apprenticeship Reflection

I attended the PPDI in Concord, NC on June 13-15, 2017. The PD Leaders were Dr. Patty Graner, Pam Leitzell, and Jerri Neduchal.
The information these PD Leaders provided to our group gave me a comprehensive understanding of the processes involved in SIM PD certification and micro-credentialing in both Learning Strategies and Content Enhancement Routines. This understanding was extremely helpful to me in the position I held at the time as Section Chief of Program Improvement and Professional Development at the State Education Agency and as Project Director of the OSEP-funded State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG). One of the initiatives established for the SPDG was the focus on improved programming to address adolescent literacy implementation across the state. My goal was to build capacity and sustainability through growing tiers of professional developers over the five-year grant cycle. To reach this goal, we would: collect data on professional development accomplished within the state, support the staff of regional literacy consultants and then regional coaches to attain micro-credentials, and also provide professional coaching. Through this process, a mechanism for local education agency staff to attain micro-credentials would be created. This PPDI gave me the perspective and insight I needed for overall planning and goal setting to improve, carry out, and support this statewide plan.

Dates: 5/2021-9/2021
Location: Virtual
Professional Development Leaders: Jocelyn Washburn and others

During the Potential Professional Developer Institute, I had the opportunity to engage in a transformative learning experience. Throughout the institute, we delved into a range of valuable topics and acquired new skills that have enhanced my abilities as a potential SIM professional developer.

One of the highlights of the institute was the exploration of High Leverage Practices that are effective for teaching and learning, promoting student engagement, and fostering a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Additionally, through practical exercises, we learned how to lead engaging sessions that will help others implement various SIM routines in their classrooms.  

The institute provided ample opportunities to practice and refine our delivery of SIM content. We engaged in role-playing scenarios, received constructive feedback, and collaborated with other participants to exchange ideas and best practices. This collaborative aspect of the institute fostered a sense of collective learning and encouraged us to reflect on our practices and modify them accordingly.

As a result of the institute, I developed a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of SIM routines in promoting student achievement. I gained confidence in teaching these routines to other professionals. Overall, the Potential Professional Developer Institute provided me with a practical toolkit to enhance my SIM PDer instructional practices and the opportunity to collaborate with fellow potential PDers. I am excited to continue sharing SIM routines as I strive to create a dynamic and impactful learning environment for all students.

My journey to becoming a SIM LS PDer, has been an amazing ride. (Insert roller coaster picture here.) Approximately two years ago I decided I wanted to join this elite group of people to be able to offer a valuable service to the teachers, and by extension students, I work with. 

I immediately began working with a colleague and my mentor on the Word Mapping Strategy. I will tell you; this kicked my butt! It required a lot more time, preparation, and strategy instruction than I anticipated. But, oh it was so worth it! Learning this strategy and receiving my specialist badge was definitely worth the work. Since completing this badge, I have been able to work with and train multiple groups of teachers, who have then taken the information back to their students. If I only trained 50 teachers on this strategy and each only worked with 8 students, that means we have reached and helped over 400 students. Of course, there is no way to know if those numbers are accurate, but oh my! 400 students! I was also able to coach a local teacher on this strategy. Watching her students grow and progress from the skills they learned was amazing to see. The Word Mapping Strategy is one of my favorite sessions to do, because of the numerous benefits for our students with disabilities and the progress they are able to make in daily living and their general education classes. 

I, then, moved to the Fundamentals of Sentence Writing. I decided to work with my great-niece. She was in the process of being tested for eligibility for special education. Her reading and writing skills were behind her grade-level peers. Plus, as I said, she is my niece and a total brat. Initially, things were moving very smoothly. I could see her putting in the needed effort and making progress. Partway through our sessions, her parents split up. It then became harder to get her to work on her writing. She would be with her dad one week and her mom another week. Her attitude changed. Progress was slowing greatly. I could see how the changes in her home life affected her emotional state and her concern for academics. After a lot of work and time, we were able to bounce back and begin making progress again. I truly believe spending the extra time with her that I did help her through a very traumatic experience as well as make much-needed progress in her writing. 

Upon being accepted into the CLLI, I was concerned. Would I be able to complete the assignments? Would my job and other work and family areas cause problems with the institute? I am pleased to say the way the CLLI was laid out allowed me to meet all of my obligations. Having the assignments set up on Canvas allowed me to look ahead and get assignments completed by working with my very hectic schedule. I would suggest for future groups schedule all meetings in advance. This was probably the only true area that needs to be changed. With my job, we schedule trainings for the entire school year, so it did make adding dates difficult. 


The CLLI offered the much-needed instruction and understanding in the area of being a trainer and offering effective PD sessions. I have grown in not only my ability as a trainer but in my confidence as well. I was able to put together a presentation that includes both a reading and writing initiative for my region. The presentation displays data showing how this is needed. My Change Agent plan has been a great resource and talking point. It allows the directors in my region to get a better understanding of what is available. The CLLI and completion of my micro-credentials have been an amazing driving force to show me where specific needs are and how to address those needs.

The work completed in the CLLI laid the foundation to move on to my next learning strategy. The Paraphrasing strategy. After looking through the data, this was something that we needed to offer to teachers within our multiple regions. I worked with another CLLI participant and my mentor on this training. We were able to train teachers throughout the state in a big group collaboration. 

So what are some of my big takeaways throughout the process? My training has been more reflective on how each LS might support students and buildings based on data. My confidence has increased. My presentation skills have grown. I have developed a better understanding of thinking about training from the point of the participants. So many things! What a wonderful time of learning and growing!

I participated in the virtual 2022 Content Literacy Leadership Institute, which was led by Jocelyn Washburn, Darlene Fletcher, and Janice Creneti. I was a participant in the area of SIM LS CLLI.

We had six apprentices participating in the Institute. Of the participants, four were from Florida, and two were from Kentucky. We had a good mix of backgrounds and an equal split between those in SIM CER Institute and those in SIM LS Institute.

The instruction came from a variety of methods. We had live sessions and assignments through Canvas. The Canvas activities consisted of six units, with the 6th unit as our mentorship and apprenticeship.

Unit 1 focused on leadership and effective professional learning. During this unit, we explored SIMville, partnership learning, the historical piece around KUCRL, and delved into our personal strengths.

Unit 2 was more of big ideas in SIM learning strategies. During this unit, we deepened our understanding of the eight stages of acquisition, what a strategy is, the FAQ assignment, and more.

Unit 3 focused on things revolving around leadership as a change agent. We dug deeper into effective PDs, instructional coaches as leaders, looked into adult learning, and began the change agent assignment.

Unit 4 was on promoting critical content through SIM. For this unit, we continued to enhance our personal toolbox with additional resources on a variety of topics. We completed a round table activity over our FAQ assignment, viewed others’ responses to questions, and were able to ask questions.

Unit 5 was titled developing leaders. At this time, we discovered more about the High Leverage Practices, viewed an HLP and SIM crosswalk, reviewed our Change Agent assignment, and prepared for work in the apprenticeship program.

I enjoyed meeting and working with the different apprentices during the zoom sessions. It was really insightful to see what others are doing and how they are approaching the tasks set.

I had the opportunity to attend the CLLI apprentice program from June-October 2021.  I enjoyed the each session and went away each time with a great deal of new tools for both teaching my students as well as teaching adults.  The presenters and participants were a wealth of knowledge and support.  I felt very comfortable with my questions and felt that I had a team available to help me at any time.

I attended the virtual 2021 Content Literacy Leadership Institute sponsored by the KU-CRL. Professional Developer Apprentices from Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, Texans, and Virginia all participated. There were 6 live, three-hour sessions with assignments in-between.  I appreciated the different perspectives that the participants from other states brought.  Previously, I participated in a Florida-based Professional Developer Institute for Content Enhancement which was great, but having educators from so many different states made the conversations even richer. I loved working in the small groups with them and finding out how they are using SIM in their states/schools.

Of the six modules, I found the modules of SIM as a Change Agent and the CliftonStrengths Finder to be the most helpful. In the SIM as a Change Agent, I had the opportunity to analyze a challenge and recommend a path based on the school's data. The feedback I received from my team that evening was quite helpful. In the CliftonStrengths Finder, I have identified areas where I can improve.

I greatly appreciated all the support and feedback from all the Professional Development Leaders (PDL) and the PDL Apprentices. Getting to meet and work with all of them was a big benefit of the institute being virtual, as well.