Individualized Writing Instruction: The Art of Conferring Effectively Tasha A. Thomas Spartanburg Writing Project Summer Institute 2010

“ Conferencing allows you to individualize instruction to better meet your students ‘where they are,’ and help them get where they need to be.” -Jim Burke The English Teacher’s Companion

Central Questions 1.How can we support students’ drafting processes without dominating them? 2. How can we stand back and still help?

According to Katie Wood Ray: It is so significant that we sit down and talk about the writing. Conferring is Teaching, Not Troubleshooting: establish procedure Keep the Conference Short: 2-7 minutes

What do you notice? How is the model conference similar to how you conduct writing conferences? How is it different? What did you notice that surprised you? What do you think was left out that should be integral to a conference?

Four Parts of a Writing Conference: 1.Research: Tell me about how your writing is going. Tell me what kinds of crafting techniques you are trying in your writing. 2.Decide: “What does this student need to know?” (see page 165) 3.Teach: Individualized instruction 4. Make a Record: “The tracks of our teaching”

Conferring is Conversation Teacher: open the conference and invite the student to talk about the writing Student: describe the work, the process involved in creating it, and ask specific questions about the piece

Conferring (con.) Teacher: Listen carefully and ask questions to clarify; offer specific suggestions on improving the writing. Remind what writer’s do. Take anecdotal notes. Student: Listen carefully to suggestions and ask questions to clarify; determine a plan of action to improve writing. WRITE down the plan.

Process Conferences Ask questions to learn from students, so that students become more aware of their own aims and your help will be more relevant 1. Process Questions(meta-cognition) 2. Focus Questions (specific to the writing) Use the conference to discuss the process rather than simply read what the student has written

Students Have to Learn How to Participate in Conferences “fish bowl” conferencing (model for the whole class) Confer at students’ desks and allow others to “eavesdrop” Require students to be prepared before the conference by keeping their own records Give direct instruction about what is required: –Samples of writing –Verbal responses and asking questions of the teacher –Follow through after the conference

Process and Focus Questions What did you learn from this piece of writing? What do you intend to do in your next draft? What surprised you in the draft? Where is the piece of writing taking you? What do you like best in the piece? What questions do you have for me?

Coaching from The Sidelines Conference on a regular basis Teach skills near the end of the conference and focus on one, so the student will remember clearly Model the kinds of question-asking and problem- solving students can learn to do for themselves and in peer conferences. The goal is to help students become independent.

Comment Rather than Correct Work smarter, not harder. Have students read their work aloud By responding like a reader who is trying to understand what the student has written, you send a message that the passage needs revision without doing the revising yourself. Help students focus on what really needs fixing - Carol Jago Papers, Papers, Papers

Reflect Keep anecdotal records of interactions with students –Records can be very brief notes Reflect on your own practice –Ask yourself how you might have better helped the student—jot down ideas for later conferences

“We teach just by sitting down and asking about the writing.” -Katie Wood Ray

Problems, Questions, Concerns? Does anyone actually have time to conference? What works in your classroom? How do you manage conferences? Individual? Peer? Small Group?

Resources Anderson, Carl. How’s It Going. Heinemann, Burke, Jim: The English Teacher’s Companion, Jago, Carol: Papers, Papers, Papers, Ray, Katie Wood: The Writing Workshop, Zemelman, Steven and Harvey Daniels: A Community of Writers,1988.