ASSIGNMENT SEVEN: Student Writing Conference - Choose one or two children (classroom students, relatives, neighbors...) to conduct an informal conference with. You may choose to use one of Regie’s formats, your own or the one below, which I use in a conferring notebook. You need to find a system that will work for you. Example 1 (and below) is the format I use for each writing conference that I hold with students. Keep in mind that while you are conferring with students, the majority of other students should be writing!
(Note: If you aren’t currently teaching please find a school-age child to do a conference with. We believe you will find it is worth the effort.)
Student Name: Date:
? (Question- Teacher asks)- “What are you
working on today in your writing?”
C (Compliment)- Compliment the student on one
strategy they are using well.
TP (Teaching Point)- What is one
strategy/point/goal you can teach this student to
move them forward?
FNT (For Next Time)- What needs to be a focus
during the next conference/what were set goals?
ASSIGNMENT SEVEN: After completing your one or two conferences, please reflect on how well they went and how they will impact your whole group, small group and independent instruction in your classroom. Post your reflective response to the blog.
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At first I was a little nervous about having a student writing conference. It wasn’t actually scary, but trying something new can be a little unnerving. I worry about what should I say, will it be the right feedback, how will the students react, etc. I actually informally do a lot of this but having a format or guideline felt new. I also don’t usually do a “for next time” which was a valuable thing to add.
ReplyDeleteMy conference with student #1 Grade 2:
Teacher: What are you working on today in your writing? Student: Writing what I am going to be like when I am 100 years old!
Teacher Compliment: You gave a lot of really great details. I love your ideas. Very creative! Student: Thanks! (Big smile)
Teacher Teaching Point: I’d really love to see a strong concluding sentence. How could we make the reader feel like you’ve wrapped up this great writing? Student: Oh…. I can do that. I know how to do that. Here it is…That is all the ways my life will be good when I am 100 years old.
Teacher For Next Time: You got finished pretty quickly today, next time we write about something I’d like to see if you could spend a little longer writing by adding some extra details. You are so creative I’d love to hear more of your ideas. Do you think you could do that next time? Student: Yep. (Big Smile)
My conference with student #2 Grade 1:
Teacher: What are you working on today in your writing? Student: I wrote 3 sentences. Am I done?
Teacher Compliment: Wow, look at all that great writing. Good job. I love the periods at the end. Good for you using such great punctuation. Student: Thanks.
Teacher Teaching Point: I am having a little trouble reading some of this. Can you read me what you wrote? Oh, that is great. I get it. Let’s think of the sounds in that word so our reader can understand. Let’s sound it our together slowly. Great. Let’s write down those sounds. See how easy it is to read now? Great job. Let’s try it with this word now. Student: Ok.
Teacher For Next Time: Let’s keep working on slowly sounding out those words we don’t know so that we put all the sounds down.
This process what actually quick and easy. Though having a formula at first felt forced but after trying it was simple and made sense. The conferences were so quick that the class stayed for the most part on task. I liked the process. I feel it is nice to add in a teacher compliment too to add in to help my writers find confidence.
Yeah! I'm so glad you enjoyed this and had two successful conferences. Yes, this is why we require people to actually do the conferring--even in the summer. We want them to see how quick, easy and informative a process that it is AND how much students love the one-on-one time with the teacher.
ReplyDeleteI know you mentioned that the class did stay on task during the conferences. But here's a little tip that I used that may work if you find you need it so you aren't interrupted while conferring.
ReplyDeleteOne idea that I like to use is having individual numbered index cards (1-5) on rings that hangs by my desk or off the board. If I'm engaged in a group or conferring, but students need me for something, they just take a number and when I'm done I scan to see who has a number. This way the student doesn't have to sit there with their hand up and I remember to check in with them. (I can forget sometimes if I don't have a system to check in with the students.)