CONFERRING IN WORKSHOP

Assessment in Action

WHY CONFER WITH STUDENTS?

“talking to my students one-on-one—is (another) way I figure out what they understand and what they need next” (Tovani 105).

“To kids, even a teacher who confers badly is better than one who doesn’t do it at all” (Tovani 105).

“…assessment alone will not improve achievement. Students also need targeted feedback to improve” (Tovani 107).

“…give students useful feedback that will encourage them to dive back into the work” (Tovani 106).

WHY CONFER WITH STUDENTS?

“model strategies a student needs to use independently” (Book Love 89).

“Listening, probing and responding to student’s thinking is at the heart of the conference, and it tells me not only what is understood but how the student makes sense of the text” (Book Love 89).

“Giving feedback during the process of the piece has been shown as necessary to growth in writing” (Write Beside Them 85).

CONFERENCE ARCHITECTURE

1.Research the Reader/ Writer (Question and listen)-What does this student need right now to keep reading and writing?

• Walk me through the work you’ve been doing.• How is the book / writing going for you?

2.Support or compliment the student• Name what the student is doing (or almost doing) that you hope he or she continues.

3.Decide• What will your teaching point be and how will you teach it?• How can you help the student get smarter about the content or be more strategic about the process?

4.Teach• Name for the student what it is you want them to work toward.

5.Link• Rearticulate what you’ve taught and encourage the student to do this as he or she

reads/ writes RESEARCH, DECIDE,

TEACH

ROLE IN A CONFERENCE

Explicitly teach students what you expect.

Be consistent.

RECORD-KEEPING

There are myriad options for record-keeping:

Kittle uses a pad of paper on a clipboard

A binder with tabs for each student. Write notes on student page

Some teachers print a sheet of labels with student names

Grid with all student names

Sticky notes that are later placed in file on student

Find what works for you…there are several options on the wiki

TYPES OF CONFERENCES

Meet the Reader/ Writer

Compliment Conferences

Monitoring the student’s reading / writing life

Teaching strategic reading/ writing

Helping the student plan the complexity and challenge of their reading / writing.

COMPLIMENT CONFERENCE

Name a strategy the child is using, and compliment them on it. I noticed that you…

You could start by asking them questions…How do you know this is a just right book? Would you read a little bit for me? How did you pick this topic to write about? How did you decide how to start the writing?

Do as many of these as possible at the start of the year.

The language you use matters (Johnston’s Choice Words)

Look for the GOOD!

MEET THE READER/WRITER

Touch base with each student in the first 2-3 weeks of school in short 3-5 minute conferences.

Goal is to learn about his or her literacy patterns and behaviors. 

Ask questions to learn more about them. • Does the student choose books from a specific author or series?

What level of books does the student think are "just right" for her?• Is the student choosing a variety of genres?• How comfortable is the student when discussing what he has read/

written?• What reading / writing strategies does the student demonstrate

successfully (or need more work on)?

MONITORING THE STUDENT’S READING /

WRITING LIFE

What are you reading/ writing? How did you choose it? How do you find good books?

What’s on your to-read-next list? Which authors are your favorites?

How much did you read/ write last year?

Do you consider yourself a reader/ writer? Where do you read/ write at home?

TEACHIN G STRATEGIC READIN G/ WR IT IN G

How is the reading going for you? How is the writing going for you?

Is this an easy or a hard read for you? How do you know?

Tell me about a time when this book (writing) has confused you and what you’ve done to get yourself back on track in your understanding.

Tell me about these characters—who are they, what do you think of them?

What questions are at the heart of this book/ writing ? What questions might the author / you be trying to answer through the struggles of these characters?

I see you’re almost finished with the book. When you think back over the way a character has changed in this story, can you point to specific moments when something was revealed about this character? Could you make a claim about this character and support it with evidence?

How is this book (writing) different from the last book you read?

HELPING THE STUDENT PLAN THE COMPLEXITY AND CHALLENGE OF

THEIR READING/WRITING

What else have you read by this author? What other books have you read that are as difficult as this one?

Which books on your next list are challenging? Have you considered how to push yourself as a reader/ writer?

What genres have you read this year? Tell me about a genre you don’t usually read and let’s think about books that might ease that transition from what you love to what will challenge you to think differently.

EXAMPLE CONFERENCES

Let’s watch a few example conferences…• From Penny Kittle’s DVD• From Lucy Caulkins• From my classroom