Conference with Students



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A writing conference is a meeting to focus on what the student has written and how the child can get better.  Before reading this chapter, I thought of a conference as at least a five to ten minute sit down talk with the student.  Routman says conferences can be thought of as any time the teacher “responds, provides support, ask questions to gain understanding, and or/gives feedback.”  Conferences can occur during whole class shares, walking around the classroom as students are writing, one-on-one formal conferences, and peer conferences.   Conferences should always begin with a positive about the student’s writing.  Conferences may also include demonstration, guided practice, and goal setting, while focusing on one or two main ideas to encourage the child to become a better writer. 

Whole class shares allow a student to share their story with a real audience, and are a very valuable learning time as the teacher conferences with the student aloud.  These authentic settings and materials are much more enjoyable and engaging for the students.  Students feel success, comfort in taking risks, and joy in sharing their stories with others. 

Routman explicitly describes great management techniques: 

·         Keep a notebook to jot down minilessons, students who have shared, students who are demonstrating their learning from the minilesson that day, and goals and suggestions from conferences with a student.  This notebook can be kept by the author’s chair and is a great way to stay organized and hold students accountable. 

·         Spend time frontloading – modeling, shared writing, thinking aloud, and clear expectations -- so students know what is expected before they begin writing

·         Set criteria with students for what good writers do, monitor and take anecdotal notes before conferences, and use peer conferences

I really like the teacher-directed and student-directed conference sheets and the student self-evaluation before a one-on-one conference. The self-evaluation gives responsibility to the student and encourages independence.   This also gives the teacher an idea about how the students feel about their piece.   In my high school composition class, we had peer conferences and we followed a peer conference sheet.  It was helpful to have a guide and reflection tool.  Peer conferencing made our writing that much better before meeting with the teacher.