Salch & Marino (Conferring in the Writing Workshop)

Take home message: Conferring about writing is not easy, it is a “learnable skill” which takes just as much focus on listening as it does on discussing and teaching.

This article focuses on the difficulties of conferencing during writer’s workshop. This article mentions ways to becoming closer to an expert conferrer. It mentions the power of listening, demonstrating emotions while reading, focusing in on one issue and creating an environment that allows the student to become an active participant in his/her own writing conference. Salch and Marino focus on the importance of creating an environment that is favorable to both the student and the teacher, paving way to mini-lessons, beneficial conversations and learning avenues. This article reveals the significance in finding specific areas in a student’s work to praise while teaching the writer, not teaching the writing. Conferences should focus on the work the student is currently working on as well as how it is they are to become better writers. The article mentioned the essential piece of reflecting on such conferences and being able to name directly what it is that we have done to help the student become a better writer.

This approach would definitely be beneficial in my classroom. Currently the students have writer’s workshop and the teachers navigate around the classroom to discuss with students about their work. However, there does not seem to be much discussion around the processes of the students. Rather, I have seen discussions merely focused on content of the students’ work. During this time of independent writing, it would be beneficial for the teachers to meet with individual students and discuss processes, content, and further development of writing abilities. This allows teachers to understand where writers are coming from in the realms of processes and techniques. It will create an environment that is personal yet responsive to each students’ needs and wants.

In order to fully understand, visualize and participate in writing conferences, it would be beneficial to see more teachers engage in this particular activity. In order to carry out such plans, I will need to work on classroom management skills that will create an environment that is conducive for independent work. I will need to create an atmosphere that students are dependent and free to work by themselves as well as discuss with myself without hindering others opportunities to clearly think and reflect. I will need to focus less on the specific “plans for the day” and focus more on listening to students and “going with the flow”. It is important to sometimes navigate away from clear plans and written dialogues, and focus more clearly on where the students are at, and where they may need to be.

This module has allowed me to concentrate and reflect on writing in my own classroom. I was able to start understanding assessments and the variety of avenues in which these can be taken from. I have understood the importance of pulling from a large variety of assessment means in order to provide students with a multitude of different means to convey what they may know. It is important to begin to assess the students’ work in writing as it contributes and integrates into many other subjects including reading and language development.