Hannah Keever Blog #5: Conferencing

I chose to write my fourth blog on conferencing because it is something that I am trying to implement in my classroom.  I am still working on how exactly this will look, but I feel like I am moving in the right direction.  So far, I conference with my students about their writing during our writer's workshop time.  I give my students the choice to write about whatever they would like.  This choice has kept my students engaged in their writing.  If I see a pattern that students are struggling with the same thing,  I will usually look for someone who is doing it correctly.  I use this to guide my mini lesson for the next day or during share time.  This has been a simple, yet very informative way to see where my students are and identify their needs as writers.

During my reading conferences, I have tried completing them during my daily five rotations, which I didn't like because I felt like it took time away from me reading with someone.  Next, I tried doing them during my independent reading time. This worked better because the students knew I was going around to talk to them about books so I was quickly able to see who is truly reading and who isn't reading.  It also gave me the opportunity to offer individualized immediate feedback for them to apply right away.  I have been able to learn my students as readers and see what their specific needs are.  I hope to become more comfortable with taking notes during conferencing.  I feel like writing the whole time takes away from the relationship that can be built during conferencing.  I do however, see the need to keep records so I can see how much my students are growing in reading.