ASSIGNMENT SIX: DVD Reflection- Included in your text is a DVD containing video clips of Regie’s conferences with writers in the classroom. There is a detailed commentary accompanying the DVD on page 336 of her text. Please watch the DVD
and then look at her teaching notes beginning on page 336 (Regie suggests just watching without notes first so that you don’t miss what she and the students are doing.) After both watching and reading her notes, write your reflection and please post a copy of your DVD Reflection to the blog.
*NOTE: If you experience problems playing the DVD please refer to the Writing Essentials companion website at www.heinemann.com/writingessentials for directions for playing the DVD. Look in the upper right hand corner for the link.
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2 ½ minutes….4 minutes….2 minutes….3 minutes….3 ½ minutes…. Routman’s public conferences are so short! It was important to see her in action—reading about it is fascinating, but watching it helped me make sense of it all, and helped me see how much celebration and teaching she packs into such a short, fast-paced conference. She calls it the “efficiency of context.” I struggle with pacing when I am teaching—often talking too long, keeping the children on the carpet too long, and seeing these public conferences, packed with teaching and learning, was a great model for me.
ReplyDeleteThe focus on celebration is so powerful. Routman is truly enjoying the children’s writing, the writers are proud to be sharing, and the listeners get to applaud for every writer. There is a lot of genuine laughter, joy, smiling, and engagement. The intent is that children gain confidence and pride in themselves as writers, and that they learn from each other. And, only 1 of the 8 conferences shown dealt with spelling. Clearly the emphasis is on meaning!
The conferences with the 4th graders are truly celebratory—she does not suggest any “corrections,” she doesn’t try to change anything. I like that the student writers read their pieces first, then Routman reads it for the second and third time. It gives the students a voice, but also allows the teacher to read the piece fluently and with specific teaching points in mind.
In my K/1 class, what often happens is that the writer will try to read their writing to the class, and they get stuck on words, can’t read their own writing, or read inaudibly. This eats up precious time, and the class loses focus. Perhaps the solution would be for me to make sure that the writer I chose for a public conference has practiced reading it to me ahead of time. Although, Routman’s public conferences are not preplanned, I imagine that she has roamed the room enough during independent writing time to know who she wants to chose, and why she has chosen them.
In the conferences, I notice that Routman often reminds the writer of the reader. Regarding Max’s piece, Pet Monkey, she asks him if he used humor on purpose, if he was trying to use humor because he knows people will be reading it, and he wants to make them laugh. In AlexSandra’s conference, Routman suggests changing the title “My Cousin is Sick,” because it is not reflective of the story’s content, and therefore confusing to the reader. Writers write for an audience! Of course!
The conferences with the second graders, Ervin, Derek and AlexSandra, involved a lot more direction on fixing up and clearing up confusions, than the conferences with the fourth grade writers. But, Routman does this masterfully, still couched in celebration, still with the reader in mind, still conveying confidence in the student as a writer. I like that she writes on sticky notes, and not directly on the students’ papers. She is trying to foster independence. The final conference on the DVD—Derek’s spelling fix-ups on the overhead—was fascinating. She refuses to give up on him—she never tells him the answers, she never writes it for him. She models how to teach children to build on what they already know, for instance, if you know “out” that will help you with “house.” And she has high expectations, telling Derek that he can never misspell “came” or “over” again.
I want to create a system to insure that every child gets a public conference during each 2-week period. It would seem that if every child does not get regular turns with whole-class share, children would lose confidence in themselves as writers. I want the whole-class share to be equitable, and I want to recognize all writers.
Michelle
ReplyDeleteWeek 6 – DVD
Watching the DVD was very beneficial to me. When I first read about whole-class conferences I had a few reservations about asking kids to take such a risk with their writing. Viewing the thoughtful conversations that Regie had with each child really put my mind at ease.
Giving students a platform to share and celebrate their writing really seemed to change many of their attitudes and outlook. Beginning with a piece that is short certainly seems a great way to begin. I liked the idea of beginning with poetry. Using whole-class shares had so many benefits for all involved.
I do something similar in my own classroom to the whole-class share celebration. We often share our writing at the end of our writer’s workshop. We sit in a circle and if a student wants to share they do, if not, they just say, “pass” as we go around the circle. The problem is that it is usually the same people that share each time. Making sure that everyone participates might be challenging at first, but with time would become routine.
I really liked the idea of a nice comfortable chair for the writer to sit. Having the student read their own writing first might be a bit intimating to some. I liked Regie’s idea of first talking with the student one on one and then asking them to share with the class. I think the more this activity is done within the classroom the easier it will be to those a bit more reluctant. I actually think that this might be easier with younger writers and a bit more difficult with older students if this is something new to them.
I watched the whole-class share teaching conferences a few times. I think that this would be very helpful in my own classroom with the variety of levels that I have (grade 4 – 6). Letting students share the process would really help students that might be struggling with their own writing. Again, there would need to be a lot of praise that is specific. This is certainly something that I plan on using in my own classroom.
I almost laughed out loud when I viewed the conference with Garrett. My own son has red hair and had many of the same experiences that Garrett had. Why is it that older women feel that they can touch the top of a red headed kid? Joe is now almost 21 and stills talks about the fear he had of being in stores and seeing a grandma nearby! Humor is really so amazing as a way of connecting the writer and their audience.
Joelle
ReplyDeleteWeek --6 DVD Reflections
I loved watching the DVD! It really was the icing on the cake for me to see Regie so skillfully conducting the conferences. She made it seem so easy, and I saw the sheer joy the kids felt when they were openly applauded! Talk about a confidence builder.
I certainly appreciated that she showed us different types of conferences. This helps me to visualize for myself what I expect to happen in my own classroom.
I loved seeing all the different published works that were displayed on the DVD as well. I am going to plan on starting the school year out with "Secrets" stories because I think they would be really fun. I thought the finished published works were beautiful! No wonder kids love writing when they see their hard work put into a book that others will enjoy. I am going to talk to our librarian about having a spot in the library for classroom published works so that other students can check them out. I think that would really help kids to see that they are authors right now!
I too just laughed about Garrett's writing--it was definitely humorous and I think kids love to be funny. It was obvious that these kids were having fun. This was a wonderful teaching help.
Wow. This was really worthwhile. I wouldn't have watched these videos otherwise (even though they are brief.) There were a variety of students shown and different learning styles. I especially liked her scaffolding example with the student who had a difficult time telling a story. Ms. Routman shows how she shares her feelings/reactions to student writing, puts emphasis on titles and her use of post-its!
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the scripts in the book - these videos will get me up-to-speed even more quickly.
I can see how all students benefit from the shared reading conferences (and spelling.) The instruction is going on even though the focus is on one student. Great!
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ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you all enjoyed the DVD. It's great that these clips both confirmed your instruction during conferences as well as offer you support to fine tune your work during future writing conferences with students!
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I noticed was that every student author looked so proud and confident. The “audience” seemed engaged and focused. Being able to watch Regie in action was really helpful. I tend to keep students on the carpet too long and then I notice students getting antsy which leads me to rush through a lesson. Regie is at ease and is able to get such valuable teaching in such a short period of time. I like how she focuses on meaning first and is always able to find something positive about a student’s writing. I love the celebration piece of each conference. What a wonderful community builder! She didn’t just say, “good job”, she literally had the class clapping for each author. The applause was so powerful!
ReplyDeleteI liked how she was very specific about what she liked from each student’s writing. At the same time, she focuses on one skill to enhance students’ writing. This is something I need to remember while conducting conferences. I also like that she writes on sticky notes, and not directly on the students’ papers to foster independence.
Regie does such a great job of talking things through with the writers and asking appropriate questions to lead them in the right direction, while making sure to preserve the writer’s voice.
Derek’s conference was especially helpful to watch because I often have first grade students that struggle with sequencing.
The spelling lesson was very interesting to watch. I like how much independence she gave the student- finding his own mistakes, putting checkmarks next to the correct letters, and figuring out how to spell it correctly based on familiar spelling patterns. Although it seemed she was pressed for time (or needed to move on), she still had him work on the word house until she felt he had mastered it.
The constant theme of celebrating students whether in whole-class shares or one-to-one conferences is clear. In each example, she had kids clap for one another wherever it was possible and this led to some obvious moments of pride. In the very structured conversations, Regie was able to draw out great thoughts from even quiet students. It would be very intimidating for many kids to be in front of their peers like this and yet it helps set up a strong classroom community. Although she doesn’t talk about this very much explicitly, it is apparent that without community, none of this would work.
ReplyDeleteI worry that in my high school classrooms which have some relatively strong community sense, I would still lose some of the students if I were to spend too much time in any given day doing whole-class sharing. I do some of this and can do more but it is so very difficult for me to keep students interested in listening (even when their best friends are presenting). I think that spacing out who shares when is an easy enough solution and I teach respectful listening throughout the year, but in a class of over 40 students, it is just too easy to be distracted. Sometimes I have a special ed. Instructor in the room to help with her students but usually I am not so lucky. I hate being pulled away from focusing on the student who is reading to ask others to be quiet or refocus. Such is teaching 9th graders I suppose. I don’t think that the relevance or interest of the pieces is the issue here, really it is more about me being realistic and having a very structured use of time.
One thing that I think about all the time when working with my students is whether or not I am coming across as being patronizing. I think that I need to have a different tone with my students than Regie had with those in the video because by high school, students are extremely sensitive to being talked down to. I’m not saying that Regie was doing this in the examples but that I need to be highly aware of my word choice, nonverbal cues and tone so that I don’t put off students, make them feel like they are not capable of a task or too immature. Again, much of this comes from relationship building in the classroom so that students can trust that when I am teaching, commenting or asking a question, it is because I am genuinely concerned. They also need to know that I respect their thoughts and opinions. I suppose it is another way of recognizing the importance of celebrating their work whether it is in long essays, quick-writes or even brief verbal comments. My comments are generally like mini-celebrations of their work but I need to find a way to balance this so that I don’t feel like I have to comment on every single piece of writing with my own writing in return. Not so easy.
We don’t do spelling lessons in my classes but the model that she presented is easily adapted to any sort of mini-lesson on an aspect of teaching. I can imagine doing this with a lesson on paraphrasing or evidence after the students have written some sort of piece that they have then shared and want to revisit. In a sense this is not just about teaching writing but is about teaching critical thinking skills as well. The strategies she employs are focused on writing but can also help me to think about ways to differentiate my instruction more generally. I worry that I leave behind some students despite my greatest efforts each year. At the same time, I think that some of my most capable students need more challenge than I am offering at times. Having them choose their own topics (from a structured set) can ameliorate some of this and allow me to push them individually when I can’t do as much from a whole-class perspective. I’m not saying that I lower expectations, just that I need to work with each student individually somehow. I also hate using the excuse that I have too many students or that there is too much work. Those things may be true but if I don’t get to everyone in one way or another, I haven’t done my job.
In the DVD, I enjoyed seeing how Regie turned each of the student’s sharing poems into lessons about great things to do with writing.The other students were really engaged the entire time. You also could see how much more confident the students became with their sharing from the beginning to end. In the clip with Max, I definitely will attempt to use the language she used with some of my students. She really did a nice set up for him to read the poem aloud himself.His poem did have great sound effects and humor in it. She sent that message to the class as well. Paige’s poem conveyed the message that she is good reader. I liked how the draft showed the revising that Paige did with her poem. Dereck, Ervin and Alex had the issues that come up with my students all the time. The notes and how she talked Dereck, Ervin, and Alex through their writing is how my conferences with students go. Although I do need to do more with commenting on making it clear for the reader.
ReplyDeleteThe spelling lesson I agreed with all the techniques and have used them when I have taught spelling. My only disagreement was with Regie saying “Forevermore, you are never allowed to misspell...” I thought that was unrealistic and a set up for the student, if they do misspell the word again. I have had students that spell the word incorrectly after spelling correctly in a previous line. Instead of saying “never”, I would probably say “I expect you to try your best not to misspell this word again.”
Thanks for your comments Sarah P., Annarose, and Tamara. Sarah, you commented on the way Regie always names the strategy/writing that the student is doing well. This is such a wonderful way to reinforce good writing, and when you do it publicly, you’re benefitting the group of writers – not just the individual (in addition to boosting the child’s confidence). Annarose – you hit the nail on the head when you commented how important classroom community was for an effective writing workshop. I think modifying your share in a class with so many students would be very appropriate! You may even consider trying some small group shares. I know you’re worried about meeting the needs of all of your students (and on different levels), but it seems to me that you are doing a great job!!! Let me know if I can support you in any other way. Tamara – I understand your disagreement with Regie’s spelling comment, “Forevermore….” ...but…I can also see her point in setting high expectations and then hold students accountable for their learning. A colleague who teaches at the Connecticut Writing Project told me that if students misspell words (that they know and have proved they know), then she’ll just hand their work back to them without reading it until the words they know how to spell are correct. She said that just a little bit, students were not handing in work with lazy misspellings. I think that as a Special Education teacher, that you will definitely have to make modifications to this “procedure”, and it may not even be appropriate for your students. You are their teacher and understand their needs best!
ReplyDeleteDVD Viewing
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the DVD for the first time and then reading the text, it is amazing that all those teaching points were reinforced so naturally in the whole class share. Regis is amazing. I’m going to have to take baby steps and set a timer allowing myself some extra time to make celebration conferences as smooth as she modeled them.
Here are a several things that I will apply to my teaching:
• Record on sticky notes
• Affirm the writer at the same time as revising for the reader
• Expect a story
• Restate story events
• Cue the writer
• Directly suggest changes
• Celebrate with clapping
As I viewed the DVD for a second time, I found myself watching the audience and wondering about management. No audience comments were solicited, perhaps this was in keeping with Regis’ focus. When I have done author’s chair my 3rd graders have sat at their desks (for lack of space in a portable) and we have discussed and practiced what it looks and sounds like to be an active listener. I have asked students in the audience to think of a compliment or helpful hint for the author. I feel this gives the audience a goal. Because Regis models this as a time for celebration and teaching, I just wonder if there is a way to involve the audience more. Could they turn to a neighbor and tell them what they are going to change in their writing? I know how powerful a student on stage can be for the rest of the class and this may be enough but I feel you have to have something in your pocket for those times where there might not be full cooperation.
Katherine
It was very helpful watching Regie conference with students. I enjoyed the idea of celebration conferences. I will add this to my list of ways to celebrate student writing. Adding in teaching points and examples for the rest of the class is just an added bonus to this type of conference. I will use my document camera to display the writing for some of these conferences so students can see how the writing looks on the page. Not focusing on things to change or edit is important. I need to focus on just celebrating more often. On a side note, I really enjoyed seeing Max’s conference as he reminded me of many students that I have had in the past.
ReplyDeleteIt is neat to see these conferences happen in front of the class. There is a lot for the other students to learn from them. I also liked that Regie didn’t write on the papers herself. She let the students do the writing. I will use post-it notes for my student conferences now, too. She keeps the conferences short enough to keep the attention of the class. I have a feeling that will be more difficult to do than it looks. I need to get a writer’s chair like they have in the videos!
I plan to do editing conferences as a minilesson in front of the class. This is a great way to scaffold for students who aren’t ready to edit independently yet as well as demonstrate to the class how to edit their work. I also liked that she guided Derek to the correct spelling without just telling him how to do it. I need to start practicing that – for example suggestion a known word, out, to help spell house.
The biggest difficulty I have found and foresee with conferencing in front of the class like this is keeping student focus. I think there will need to be clear expectations and practice so students can build their stamina (similar to how each part of the daily 5 is taught and introduced).
The DVD was interesting. There was definitely much more freedom allowed in the higher grades as opposed to the lower grades in the sense that in th e lower grades students are concentrating on conventions, spelling, and sequencing skills, while in the higher grades they are practicing voice, content, and fluency. I agree with Tamara in that I would not say to a child "From here on out you can't do this" although I do say "I know that we've just learned this so I will be looking in your work to see if you are applying what you've learned" - thus laying out my specific expectations. I'd also suggest a tool they can use to try and remember the spelling or where they can look it up, etc. I liked that Regie has high standards, and holds the students accountable. She does this with a soft touch but firm voice.
ReplyDeleteI realize that often I used author’s chair to just let kids share. Sometimes one student would spend 10 minutes reading their four page story. I never had teaching points or sat by the author and used it as a lesson.
ReplyDeleteI found Regie to be purposeful and she seemed to have chosen the students who were going to share for a reason. Either to teach other students something they had tried in their writing or to celebrate a student who wasn’t included in the classroom community. Keeping the amount of writing short allows sharing to be a teachable moment as well as celebration. I love the sharing for creating a culture of respect and praise for all learners. I also really liked how specific she was about the praise so other writers could see what they might want to try in their own writing.
It also made me think that a document camera would be a wonderful tool to use at this point to really show the student work to the whole class. I think I will try using a timer in my room next year for both mini-lessons and sharing. I also think I will try the class anecdotal note sheets for a whole week and include who publicly shares, who I conference with, who I check in with, etc… This way I can keep straight who I haven’t met with yet or who needs their writing celebrated. I am also vowing to be more adamant about returning work that has common errors and expecting kids to correct “no excuse” words.
I realized that this is so simple and yet so powerful. Something I could easily implement starting with the first day! GREAT!!!
Thanks for sharing, Katherine, Krista, Lily, and Christina! It is almost unnerving to watch these clips, Regie’s so good at what she does that it almost feels impossible to be at her level of teaching. As Katherine said though, taking baby steps is important, and it will take time to build both confidence and expertise!!! Best of luck on your future writing conferences!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis DVD is a wonderful resource that really does connect with the reading. I'm not sure how motivated I would have been to watch it, but I'm so glad I did. Watching the DVD clarified my understanding from the reading. This allowed me to envision how I can do it in my room with deeper understanding than before. I do have to say, even though many already have posted this, she makes it look so easy! The flow and order in which she conducts these whole-class conferences in real time made me realize that they CAN be short without removing any piece of the conference guidelines.
ReplyDeleteThe spelling lesson I found the most interesting. This was the most unclear part of the reading and now I can see what she means. This type of lesson links to the word wall and I can see myself using this in whole group and one-on-one conferences.
Kim Fast
ReplyDeleteI realize how effective the conferences are in student learning. The conferences were effective for building up writer’s confidence, helping teachers check in with where writers are, teaching writing skills in a meaningful way, etc. all in one conference. I appreciated the way that Regie leads conferences with one student in front of the entire class. The whole class was able to benefit from the lessons learned in the conference as well as building up and encouraging one student in front of their peers.
It was validating to see and hear many of the things that I currently use in my classroom but seeing that they could be more effective if I refine and enhance them. I noticed how powerful it was to have the whole class look at the student’s writing as it was being shared.
In reading the book, I gathered a lot of great ideas but being able to watch Regie in action on the DVD, really made things more tangible for me.
~Kim
Kelly Rolwes
ReplyDeleteAssignment # 6
DVD Reflection
Well I love to see in action real teachers do their thing. It is the best learning for me. I get to see the teacher with different student levels and see exactly how they interact with the students. I do a lot of comparing and contrasting with my own teaching when I see and observe other teachers. Sometimes I wish I could be recorded to watch myself and how I teach.
When I watched Paige’s segment, I really liked the idea of an anthology. What I believe the teacher was talking about was something like a year long book of each individual student’s best writing they choose to publish and put in the book. I love that kind of idea and wrote that in my book of ideas.
I noticed that Regie does not focus at all on conventions in the conferences even though there are very obvious mistakes that a fourth grader would now. I see though that this is intentional. The celebration conference is so the students can have positive feedback which builds confidence and not at that point worry about what is spelled correctly or where the commas go.
With Ervin’s and Derek’s story, I felt like too much one on one time was taken up for those students in front of the class. I know Regie’s comments were to show other students crossing out and scaffolding, but I still felt like she lost the class’s attention. One student was raising her hand, but was ignored. The students were not involved or asked to make any comments. These two students I feel would probably benefit more from a conference with the teacher alone first and after some of the revision, he would be ready for celebration time in front of the class.
That is great that Regie used student’s own writing to edit. I actually love that for teaching an actual grammar, spelling, or just editing lesson. Instead of made worksheets, use the student’s writing and maybe even use my own writing to edit and learn conventions properly.
Post-its are great!!!!!!
Wow! This brought back memories of teaching fourth grade. I love the fact that this DVD was in deed a video camera on a tripod. It was not glamorous and the students and how they were behaving and reading was true to life. Even though the students were much younger than my seventh graders, I noticed things I want to replicate when working with and talking to my students.
ReplyDeleteFirst I liked how she continued to model high expectations. She celebrated the students’ efforts but also was teaching them what they could continue to do and approve upon. On page 347 Regie writes, “Our goal is always independence; that is, we want writers who are able to self-monitor and self-edit.” I saw that come out in her interaction with her students. Often I her myself or other teachers voice frustration to other teachers about a reoccurring mistake students are doing in their writing. Now I realize we are spending more energy complaining about it and are talking to the wrong people. She did a lovely job modeling how to point out a mistake to students in a manner that will allow them to take ownership of it and correct it. It was great watching her work with the students and how she had them continue to practice spelling after she had them make the initial correction.
I loved the rereading during the whole class conferences. It was great modeling, and she really did share the students’ writing with the class. I want to practice doing that with my students. Since they are older and write more, I will probably focus on specific parts such as an introduction or a paragraph. Using a document camera would be great for this. Rereading is so important, but I know many of my students write something out and never go back and reread what they have written. In the past I have felt like a broken record because I continue to “harp” and emphasize to my students that they need to reread. Now I can model it for them in a useful and positive manner.
I also like how she planned ahead of time what students were going to share. Everything was planned and she knew what she was going to emphasize and celebrate. She wasn’t just going through the motions. By taking the drafts home and reading them to help decide what to focus on and emphasize is a great way to incorporate skills and use their writing to teach a specific skill. Yes, I know it is common sense, but so often I feel bogged down by the writing rubric and the upcoming writing assessment that I forget the essentials.
Finally, another great use of sticky notes! Simple, direct, and mindful!
I really do want to be her when I grow up. She is so positive and amazingly organized. I am just so amazed that she can accomplish so much in such a short period of time. In the past I've had grand visions of quick conferences. After the fact, I was only able to get through 2-3 students. It was exhausting and frustrating. I took so much time "correcting" everything for them and teaching individual mini-lessons. While I'm sure the kids didn't mind me correcting their work, I'm sure they were bored silly and wishing I would just get done. But, they didn't LEARN anything.
ReplyDeleteRoutman is so concise and efficient. More importantly, however, she keeps her focus on the student and their writing accomplishments. She truly celebrates. It's easy to say, "Good job!" But, that is just not specific enough. Routmas in specific in her praise and celebrations. Kids really do get a sense of what they do well. (You made us laugh, or painted a great picture with your wording...) They are built up and encouraged, and then they are ultimately ready to hear or recognize what they may need to work on. They also feel confident enough to share. I've had so many kids that just lacked the confidence in their abilities to let the rest of us enjoy learning about them and the things they love through their writing.
She is incredibly organized. To be prepared ahead of time for each student seems like a challenge. It was nice to look through what she does and then to read what the other teachers do to stay organized with their writing classes. This has always seemed like such a huge task that I've never really conquered it to my satisfaction. This year I want to follow her lead and keep simple, but concise records of my student's progress...more than just scores on assessments from 1-6.
It is so much more powerful to see a concept in action versus reading it in a book. The fact that it wasn't a polished and produced video makes it somehow more realistic and attainable. If she can do it, maybe I can too.
I am such a visual learner that I greatly appreciated being able to watch Regie in these lessons. How amazing and natural it seemed. After reflecting I thought - gosh, it seemed so simple, I can do that better! Of course, baby steps are important to remember as we keep trying! I LOVE the idea of this whole group conference. How valuable for kids to learn from each other and to get ideas from the conferences. Let alone you accomplish the celebration, too! Kids love that and I am definitely going to make more of a point to do this.
ReplyDeleteI noticed her do exactly what the points are in a conference - noted a compliment and then was able to give teaching points. She made sure to just stick to one teaching point, too. The post-its seemed like another simple that thing would be very helpful as you conference.
Right now I conference with a whole group at my table when I call their group up. I don't get to a group for certain days as this gives me more flexible time to rove around on other days.
It was very valuable to see Regie teach as well as read and hear her comments, too. I'm excited to try again next year!! =)
Thanks Sarah, Kim, and Kelley. I’m glad you found the DVD to be so supportive and confirming to what you’ve been reading (and already doing in your classrooms). It really is a wonderful resource to share with other staff members.
ReplyDeleteConferencing has been something that I have always struggled with. Regie makes it look so easy...I have to keep reminding myself that it comes with practice. Just like we want our students to be practicing their writing to get better I need to practice conferencing.
ReplyDeleteRegie is so organized and efficient...again, I realize that with practice I too, could be more organized and efficient.
I really appreciated being able to see all of the different types of conferences demonstrated. Just like whole class writing I am a little intimidated by whole-sharing/conferencing...but once again Regie helps to make it look so do-able.
I really like the idea of the 'author chair'...students love having a special place or special seat and I really think that this would help to focus them and get them excited about sharing instead of being nervous.
Regie's ability to really put her finger on what it is that the writer needs to work on is really amazing. Her feed back to the writer is so constructive and positive...she really hits the nail on the head in each conference making them so productive and efficient.
I am going to review this DVD again in the fall around Oct. when I hope to be ready to begin conferencing with my students.
Watching this video reminded me that I really need to look at the flow of my classroom, and organize it for whole-class sharing vs. everyone at desks all the time. I actually felt a bit better about my own conferencing after watching this. I realized that the only thing I am doing wrong is trying to do too much. I believe I heard a timer go off during one of the conferences, and it made me think that it would be a good idea to get something like that to help me be more succinct in my comments.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is the fact that I am quite ADD, but I was completely distracted during the 1 on 1 conference, and I wonder how those students that have difficulty focusing would do in that environment--especially for writing. I believe I wrote in another post about saying all of the words in my head as I write, and I know I read comments from other teachers regarding the same thing. It seems that such a loud classroom would make things very difficult for us easily distracted students.
I am not quite sure how I felt about the spelling lesson. Firstly, it seemed like the class was not too engaged in the lesson, which made me question whether it was a waste of time. Also, every time a student's mistakes are projected on the wall for everyone to see, we run the risk of losing the student's trust. I think I would only project it if I saw a trend within the class regarding a certain word or word family, and then I would only focus on a specific sentence, etc.
Wow! Regie really does a great job celebrating the students’ stories. With all the praise she gives out, it can’t help but increase the students’ confidence. Through the celebration conferences you could tell that she had already performed roving conferences and had talked with students about their writing. She also modeled the dialogue she had with writers to show how to focus on their topics.
ReplyDeleteRegie’s conferences were short and she was able to cover a lot of different skills. In addition to celebrating the stories as a group, there was a lot of teaching that was happening. All the students were fully engaged as you could tell there were no side conversations.
One area I’ve struggled with in my conferences is keeping them brief enough. Since middle school students write more, it seems like each conference takes a minimum of eight minutes. This can be time consuming with 30 students per class. However, since teacher feedback is invaluable to students, it’s time well spent.
Assignment 6
ReplyDeleteI think I can totally do this! It was so nice to be given an opportunity to observe how a teacher conferences with students. Teachers rarely get the chance to watch or learn what other teachers do- we are busy with our own classroom! The DVD is a wonderful way to observe another teacher without missing out in your own room. A was particularly watching for how Routman gives constructive feedback to students. I have a hard time with this- even just one-on-one, let alone in front of the whole class. From watching the video, students don’t seem to mind at all. She gives praises on things they do well then just makes suggestions. I like how she used words like, “I would suggest that you…” then asks the students if they like that suggestion and helps them make the change on their papers.
Students are all engaged even though the focus is on one student, which is amazing. Students can learn so much from each other and I love this way of helping them learn from each other.
Megan,
ReplyDeleteYou are right. With time and practice it will become much more natural for you. Remember, you're watching an expert here. :)
Brad, I think you're right. If it takes 8 minutes for you to give quality time and feedback to your students, then that's what you need to do. It's not a race and if this is your pace and you see improvement with your students it is indeed "time well spent."
Great attitude Kelly! Yes, you can do this! It is a treat to have time to watch master teachers. Though, I think if people ask their principals for a little release time, they might be surprised by the support.