Writing conferences with students can feel overwhelming, and it can become a tedious practice when trying to track all the things. However, starting small and focusing on the benefits of writing conferences with students will make all the work worthwhile. Don’t forget that practice will make writing conferences more effective; don’t give up and read on to explore the five reasons writing conferences with students are essential for success.
Looking for a guide to help get you started (or refresh) on writing conferences? Check out Writing Conferences: A Beginner’s Guide to Confer with Confidence.
Build Relationships in the Classroom with Writing Conferences
One of the most effective strategies for student success is building relationships. Easier said than done for some educators, but writing conferences are a simple way to build a relationship that will improve student achievement and classroom culture.
Writing conferences are 3-7 minute one-on-one conversations between student and teacher, where the teacher listens! The teacher and student are involved in a conversation and are working toward the same goal. Nothing is more powerful than listening to another person and working toward the same purpose.
At first, it may feel awkward, and both participants may feel unsure about the conference’s direction. Start by asking the student how their writing is going. Then listen, and avoid inserting your ideas and thoughts into the conversation. Practice restating and questioning, then wait and listen for the response. Listening and asking questions is where the magic will happen – do not be too hard on yourselves; this will take practice, and with each conference, you will improve, and so will the relationship! This practice will build relationships in the classroom, which is just one of the benefits of writing conferences with students.
Individualized Writing Instruction
I don’t know about you, but individualized writing instruction feels like a daunting task. I mean, sure, each student is different, and each student’s writing needs are different, but tracking, teaching, and planning for all these needs can lead to analysis paralysis.
Writing conferences will help you notice patterns in writing, making it easier to identify small group needs and individual student needs—another benefit of writing conferences with students. Check out the guide Writing Conferences: A Beginner’s Guide to Confer with Confidence for information on patterns in writing.
Implementing writing conferences just once a week will provide students with individualized or small group writing instruction, and students’ writing will begin to improve.
A simple way to track conferences and student needs is to make a class roster with three columns. Column one is the student’s name, column two is the date of the conference(s), and column three is writing needs and strengths.
Facilitate Writing Decisions in Conferences
Writers make decisions and are intentional about those decisions. Most students need to be made aware of their writing decisions, and then they can start to articulate why they made a writing decision.
When writing conferences with students begin to occur with some consistency, it will become common practice to analyze the writer’s craft in student writing and what decisions are most effective for their writing.
Facilitating writing decisions is a chance for the student to explore their writing and explain why they are doing what they are doing. Refrain from jumping in and making decisions for the student. The conversation may lead to some suggestions for the student, but ultimately it is the student’s decision. It is essential that the student can explain why they made their decision and that they are aware there are other options – this will improve writing!
Exchange Feedback
Writing conferences with students is an exchange of feedback or information. The student is sharing information or providing feedback on their writing, and the teacher is processing this information to provide feedback in the form of questions and suggestions, which the student responds to, providing more feedback. It is a cycle of feedback that is acted upon immediately.
Writing conferences with students is a huge benefit because the feedback is immediate. The student is making revisions and edits in real-time, and the teacher is taking note of the student’s strengths and needs.
Guide Instruction
Standards and student proficiency concerning the standard, guide instruction – writing conferences with students provide a road map for lesson planning. All the hard work of implementing conferences will pay off when it comes time to plan – it will clarify the direction of instruction and lessons for the whole class, small groups, and individuals.
It also helps eliminate lessons that do not need to be taught but maybe need a short review. Think about all the time your class can spend mastering standards the students need and emphasizing quality over quantity.
There are many benefits to writing conferences with students – go ahead and get started!
The magic is in the process!
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