2009 International SIM Conference

Big changes are in store for the 2009 International SIM Conference.

The conference structure will have a new look; sessions will be longer, allowing more time to delve deeply into important topics; and participants will be encouraged to keep the conversations going long after the sessions end.

The impetus for these changes is two-fold: We’re responding to your requests for more time to immerse yourselves in the learning opportunities the conference offers, and we believe it’s essential to examine the changing literacy landscape as it relates to the professional development work we all do.

When it comes to making clear connections among literacy, SIM, and professional development, no one is better equipped or more knowledgeable than our own Don Deshler. Don’s leadership on literacy issues at the national level and his dedication to the success of SIM and the SIM Network make him the natural choice to deliver this year’s keynote address, “Rethinking SIM, Literacy, and Professional Development.”

Sessions throughout the rest of the first day will be organized into strands, each exploring in more detail the issues raised in the keynote address. Our goal is for you to leave the conference with explicit knowledge that you will find useful in your work.

We anticipate offering the following strands:

SIM and Literacy: Sessions in this strand will focus on how the rest of the world is thinking about and addressing literacy and on how our SIM work fits in this global picture. Our latest research on adolescent literacy has yielded some very interesting findings, and sessions in this strand will touch on the evolving relationship between SIM and literacy.

SIM as a Change Agent: What can you do to bring about profound, lasting improvements in the schools or school systems with which you work? This strand will explore the role of the Content Literacy Continuum(R), including presentations from those working in current CLC projects. Sessions will include a look at how SIM and other interventions or innovations can merge in a school or district.

Instructional Coaching: This strand will present the “Big 4″–classroom management, content planning, instruction, and assessment for learning. You’ll leave these sessions with a bag full of tools designed to support your work as a professional developer or instructional coach.

Making Content Enhancement Make a Difference: This strand will consider all things Content Enhancement, from current research on the explicit use of Content Enhancement Routines to supports that enhance the use of those routines.

Professional Development: Strengthen Your Core: Strong core knowledge is vital to SIM professional development work. This strand will reinforce the knowledge that each professional developer should have, including research, history, tools, and ideas for growing as a professional developer.

And that’s just the first day! Day 2 of the conference will offer many more opportunities for learning in a format more closely resembling past conferences. Offerings will include sessions on new strategies or routines; reading programs such as Fusion Reading(TM), Xtreme Reading(TM), and STRUCTURE Your Reading; and technology. Day 2 also will include time for you to present your tips, tools, and practical ideas for fellow SIM Professional Developers.

On Day 3, we will convene “affinity groups,” groups of like-minded individuals who want to discuss how they can use what they’ve learned over the past two days. We believe that this morning’s activities may be some of the most valuable time that professional developers spend at the conference. We will establish some affinity groups, and others will naturally form based on participants’ interests and needs. Group members will work together to arrive at a “so what?” response to everything they have learned throughout the conference and to define plans for future work.