Schoolwide Blog

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Some of the most frequently asked questions and concerns are, “How can I get better and keep my conferences shorter?” I need to meet with so many of my students, and make sure they are on the right track, how can I do it effectively? I just don’t have time to conference; there are so many distractions and interruptions….

This is not uncommon. Many teachers struggle with conferencing. You are not alone! You need to find a system that works for you. Just keep 3 letters in mind R, D, T. First Research your students work. Ask him/her to read it to you and find something to compliment them on. Next, Decide what is the 1 skill or strategy the child needs you to model to help with his/her writing. Then, Teach it to them. Have them practice the skill or strategy after you leave.

Some helpful tips:

• Keep it short. Try to keep it to 5-10 minutes. That way you can be sure to conference with 3-5 students each day.

• Leave a post-it on the page with the compliment and the teaching point that you have covered that day. That way the child has a place to look to be reminded of the conference.

• Make sure you keep good notes! I keep a folder for each student and write the compliment, teaching point and follow-up- what I want to address next on a mailing label so I can hold the students accountable for the work we have done. I also use that information to share with parents during parent teacher conferences, and to help with report card grading. Some teachers keep their notes on individual index cards, whole class sheets or in a notebook. It really doesn’t matter, as long as you have consistent record keeping and it works for you!

• Last but not least, if you are having difficulty, especially those teachers with large class size, have 5 students a day leave their notebooks out when they leave for a special or lunch. Then without any distractions you can read through their notebooks, and post-it a compliment and a teaching point. When they return you can meet with those students and model the teaching point for them. This will allow you touch base with every notebook, every week, and you will feel more in control and knowledgeable about your student’s work.

What conferencing techniques or strategies are working for you?