Individualized Writing Instruction: The Art of Conferring Effectively

1. IndividualizedWriting Instruction:The Art of Conferring Effectively Tasha A. Thomas Spartanburg Writing Project Summer Institute 2012

2. Survey Time Reflect and Respond http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTE0NTExNTA4MjA

3. Why? What? and How? Conferring 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

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

5. It is so significant that we sit down and talk about the writing. Conferring is teaching, not troubleshooting Establish procedures and guidelines According to Katie Wood Ray

6. 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?

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

8. Conferring is Conversation • Teacher: 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 • Teacher: Listen carefully and ask questions to clarify; offer specific suggestions on improving the writing. Remind what writer’s do. • Student: Listen carefully to suggestions and ask questions to clarify; determine a plan of action to improve writing.

9. A Conference Fishbowl: Modeling Effective Techniques Students must 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

10. 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?

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. Giving Students Ownership • In Kristi Mann’s classroom at Byrnes High School, students benefit from the use of a daily contract and status of the class board • After modeling an ineffective and an effective conference for the class, Kristi realized that she was holding onto too much control Tasha A. Thomas

15. Power of the Pen • Students keep track of their own progress through a conference record sheet • As they confer, Kristi chooses one element to focus on and make suggestions for improvement • The student controls the pen maintaining ownership of the piece and the responsibility for improvement

16. Record of Individual Student Conferences Student Name: ___________________________

17. Reflection Leads to Better Instruction • Kristi keeps her own anecdotal records for each conference using a class record sheet • Brief observations allow her to reflect on student performance over time • Reflections lead to more focused instruction and planning Tasha A. Thomas

18. Record of Student Conferences Class Sheet for 3rd Block ELA

19. Conference Notes and Reflections for Third Block ELA

20. Circular Planning:How Conferences Drive Instruction • Conferences are a writing workshop teacher’s best planning tool.   • Through your student conferences you can discover your students’ strengths and weaknesses • In reading their writing, and in the one on one interactions with your students, you can determine what they need next and where your mini-lesson will take them tomorrow.  • It is authentic data-driven instruction at it’s very best!

21. The Next Step: Peer Conferences • Again, through fishbowl demos, students develop effective procedures for peer response and reflection

22. Peer Conferences • Be Prepared • Writer: circles, question marks, underlining, margin notations, strengths & needs • Reader: handout of guide to BEGIN • Both: free-form discussion • Point Out Positives • Search for Suggestions • REMEMBER! THE WRITER POSSESSES THE PENCIL

23. Student Reflections • Ask the writer what he/she needs help with – Olga • Spend ENOUGH TIME with a partner’s paper – Preston • Ask, “Do you feel good about this paper?” – Goldie • Think of meaningful things to say to the writer – Erin • Listen to ideas, both the writer and the peer – Lisa • Ask, “What will you do next?” – Kennidy

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

25. Problems, Questions, Concerns? • Does anyone actually have time to conference? How often? How many per student? • What works in your classroom? • How do you manage conferences? Individual? Peer? Small Group?

26. Resources • Anderson, Carl. How’s It Going. Heinemann, 2000. • Burke, Jim: The English Teacher’s Companion, 1999. • Jago, Carol: Papers, Papers, Papers, 2005. • Ray, Katie Wood: The Writing Workshop, 2001. • Zemelman, Steven and Harvey Daniels: A Community of Writers,1988.