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Changing Tack: Learning from a Writing Conference | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Changing Tack: Learning from a Writing Conference | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Changing Tack: Learning from a Writing Conference
Changing tack: To change the direction of a sailing vessel
Amidst a quietly humming seventh grade writing workshop last week, I sat down next to Brandon. At my elbow was my colleague, whose professional goal is to improve her conferring with writers. "What can you tell me about your writing today, Brandon?" I began. As I peered down at Brandon's table, I could see multiple pages of a flash draft spread out before him, as well as a text set of articles about competitive sports his teacher/my colleague had provided. In my hands, I held my trusted writer's notebook (which doubles as a demonstration notebook sometimes). In my head, I held some predictable feedback. The setting for demonstrating a conference was idyllic. Until it wasn't.

"Well," responded Brandon, "I'm working on my argument piece."

"Can you say more about that, please?" I prompted.

"Um, well, I think sports are good for kids, so I'm writing about why I think that." I glanced at Brandon's introductory paragraph and jotted a quick note on my conferring post-it.

"Great, so what are you working on specifically today?" I prodded. This conference had begun to take on a familiar arc. I quickly placed my index finger on the mentor text I was about to show Brandon. I had a teaching point in mind already!

"I think sports help kids be healthy, so I'm looking to add some evidence from these articles. I'm not quite sure what that should be, though." Silence. Bam! I was ready to move this conference forward.

I began with a compliment about the clarity of his claim, couching my affirmation in language I wrote about in my a few weeks ago.

Fast forward now to the "Can I give you a tip, Brandon?" Brandon nodded his head. I then launched into the teaching portion of my conference with great confidence, explaining with an example (from my demonstration) notebook how writers use a variety of evidence to support their reasons and claims- facts, statistics, quotes, examples, etc. Having put my preset feedback into motion, I must admit I was feeling pretty great about this interaction so far.

Then it happened.

"So, Brandon, let's take a look at your argument piece here...how might you try this?" I pulled up my sleeves and refocused my eyes on Brandon's draft. "Can you show me the section in your paper where you're writing about the health benefits of competitive sports?" Slowly, Brandon began scanning with his finger, a bit aimlessly, around on his flash draft. First page...nope, not there. Second page...hmm...not there either.

Then: "I haven't written that."

Uh oh. I regrouped.

I cleared my throat. "Okay, so Brandon...what do you think your next step might be for today?" Brandon instantly told me he thought his next step was to write that body paragraph, the one about how sports help you stay healthy. I concurred, linking the conference to his writing life by reminding him that when writers have done a lot of smart thinking and research about their arguments- like he had- they sometimes must check to be sure that thinking got into their draft.

What I did right: I arrived at my conference with Brandon that day "prepared," having brought something I knew would be supportive to most writers. And my compliment was solid.

When conferring on the run like this, I need to be sure I'm working to be What I would change: truly present to each individual writer. In my effort to demonstrate a "good conference," I over-relied on a preconceived idea I had brought with me. And this works- sometimes. But my real take-away is that while being prepared is valuable, so is being present to the writer. In writing workshop, we teach the writer, not the writing. So being present to each unique writer is essential if we are to move each of them forward.

Here's a quick list of tips I generated after this experience (please add your own in the comments section!) for remaining present to writers:

Management - Establish a no-interruption culture. We can't be present if there are three kids occupying our peripheral vision or sitting with hands raised. A simple chart like this can help:

I was lucky to be working in a room with Brandon that day where the conferring culture was solidly in place. Writers were working independently.

Someone once told me we were given Listen- two ears and one voice for a reason. What is the writer really saying? Lean in, make eye contact, let them know you're really hearing them.

Get a sense of the writing - for those of you who can split your brain a little, take in some of the writing. Maybe have the writer read a little aloud, or take a moment to do so yourself ("Let me have a look," or "Would you show me where you tried that? Let's take a look...").

Another point here is that conferring, like life, can be messy. It doesn't always go perfectly. It definitely didn't for me that day with Brandon. Sometimes we are forced to change tack. Being prepared and being present are two different things. I learned that from a student, a student who unknowingly helped me outgrow myself as a teacher and coach that day. Which, I suppose, is not a bad thing at all.

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Changing Tack: Learning from a Writing Conference

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Changing tack: To change the direction of a sailing vessel Amidst a quietly humming seventh grade writing workshop last week, I sat down next to Brandon. At my elbow was my colleague, whose professional goal is to improve her conferring with writers. "What can you tell me about your writing today, Brandon?"

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Menu and Sticky Note Conferring Strategy - YouTube

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Menu and Sticky Note Conferring Strategy - YouTube

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Menu and Sticky Note Conferring Strategy

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An easy strategy for conferring with students about reading and writing using menus and stciky notes

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Conferring with “If… Then… Then… Then…” in Mind | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Conferring with “If… Then… Then… Then…” in Mind | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Conferring with "If... Then... Then... Then..." in Mind

My daughter's swimming instructor, Coach Annie, has a gift for teaching in a string of very specific strategies. Instead of trying to teach my daughter how to "do a stroke" all at once (which was how I was taught), Annie breaks it down into one small piece at a time.

First, she taught my daughter's group to focus on their kicking. Using a pool noodle to float, they practiced kicking with "floppy feet" versus kicking with "tight feet" for an entire lesson. The next week, they moved on to the spine. No more pool noodle-instead they practiced pushing off the side of the pool underwater and gliding, keeping their backs nice and straight, over and over. Finally in the third swim lesson, Annie showed her students how to push-off and glide, kick, and pull their heads up for air. I was amazed when I realized that what the kids were swimming!

For three lessons, I watched curiously, wondering where it was all headed. It was so different from how I was taught to swim. Annie clearly had a plan all along. Instead of planning just one lesson at a time, she was thinking in strings of lessons.

This reminds me of conferring in the writing workshop. I've often conceptualized conferring using an "If/Then" model. (In fact, I'm a coauthor of a book titled If... Then Curriculum... Assessment Based Instruction). Using this framework, you study student work and think to yourself, "If the student already is doing _________ , then I'll teach _________."

But in reality, conferring is far more effective if we switch our thinking to something more like "If... Then... Then... Then..." For example:

Student writes a summary, rather than storytelling the event.

Coach the student to tell the story, bit by bit, across her fingers, saying as much as she can for each "microevent." Encourage her to rehearse the story several times aloud. Then write the story with the same level of elaboration.

In a subsequent conference on a different day, coach the child to sketch each part of the story, including key details: who was there, where were they, and exactly what were they each doing. Then write the story so that all of those details are included.

In yet another conference, coach the child to generate a list of craft moves from a mentor text. Teach her to use this a checklist to plan and revise each part of her writing. The checklist might include: dialogue, sensory details, internal thinking, specific action. She can use the checklist to set a very specific goal to continue to work on.

My own swim lessons consisted of a camp counselor jumping in, saying, "Here's how to do the ___ stroke - now you do it." The only "If...then..." they were thinking was "If you can't do it... then too bad." I hated swimming. I was a sinker. I couldn't glide. I felt clumsy, and had no idea if I was doing it right.

Our students need not feel that way in writing workshop. We can all be a little more like Coach Annie, and a little less like my camp counselors.

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Conferring with "If... Then... Then... Then..." in Mind

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My daughter's swimming instructor, Coach Annie, has a gift for teaching in a string of very specific strategies. Instead of trying to teach my daughter how to "do a stroke" all at once (which was how I was taught), Annie breaks it down into one small piece at a time.

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Conferring Tip: Listening Closely | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Conferring Tip: Listening Closely | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Conferring Tip: Listening Closely

A wise person once told me, conferring is the heart of the writing workshop. And much has been written about how to go about conferring effectively. Guides and professional books abound, videos, websites (this one included), and there's even an app or two out there complete with drop-down menus and spreadsheets.

But all of the whistles and bells aren't much use without listening closely to what kids are showing you in the conference. Personally speaking, in the hustle and bustle of real-time writing workshop, my eye is always on the clock, and my attention is always divided. In any given conference, I'm juggling checklists of teaching moves, the steps of a conference, rubrics, mentor texts. Heck - I've got a whole bag full of conferring toolkit materials I'm itching to use. It is easy to lose sight of the most important part of the conference. Listening closely.

Here are a few tips from a recent brainstorm with some wonderful colleagues at Hiawatha School:

Begin with open-ended questions. Asking a leading question isn't really researching. Start big, then ask follow-up questions. If your conferences jumps straight to following-up on the minilesson you'll miss out on hearing what the child was actually thinking about.

Resist the temptation to over-multitask during a conference. I'm always tempted to read one student's work while listening to another, while simultaneously jotting notes about the table across the way. It's in my nature. I was trained to do this, in fact. While every teacher needs to have eyes on the back of the head, and certainly needs to use time efficiently, I've also been working to focus on what the student in front of me is saying.

Look at the student and observe their body language. Be empathetic toward how the student is feeling in that moment. Do what we often teach students to do: repeat back what you heard the child say. Ask clarifying questions. Don't assume.

Last, but not least, leave plenty of wait time. Literally count out five seconds of silence silently in your head before you say anything. (Trust me, five seconds feels like an eternity if you have not been practicing!)

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three...

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A wise person once told me, conferring is the heart of the writing workshop. And much has been written about how to go about conferring effectively. Guides and professional books abound, videos, websites (this one included), and there's even an app or two out there complete with drop-down menus and spreadsheets.

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Five Words to Get You Started with Conferring | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Five Words to Get You Started with Conferring | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Five Words to Get You Started with Conferring

What is the hardest thing about teaching writing? Conferring.

What is the most important thing about teaching writing? Conferring.

As I coach teachers who are new to the workshop model, I sense their hesitation to confer one-on-one with students. Their list of worries is long, and I know learning to confer is an art form. If you are new to writing workshop, here is a tip to get you started quickly with conferring: Listen to the writer talk about his or her writing, and then say, " O ne thing writers do is..."

These five words have saved many writing conferences. These words:

help make the teaching point clear to both teacher and student

can prevent your conference from turning into an editing session

remind us to teach the writer, not the writing

One thing writers do is write words to match their pictures.

One thing writers do is organize their writing using paragraphs.

One thing writers do is write a thesis statement.

One thing writers do is use their notebook to play with an idea.

As I coach teachers who are just learning to confer, I tell them to keep these five words in their back pocket.

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Five Words to Get You Started with Conferring

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What is the hardest thing about teaching writing? Conferring. What is the most important thing about teaching writing? Conferring. As I coach teachers who are new to the workshop model, I sense their hesitation to confer one-on-one with students. Their list of worries is long, and I know learning to confer is an art form.

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Teaching Students to Get Better at Conferring | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Teaching Students to Get Better at Conferring | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Teaching Students to Get Better at Conferring

In my last post, I wrote about giving students the inside scoop on writing workshop in order to boost their confidence, productivity, and independence. I'll aim to continue the meta in this post. If writers benefit from understanding the structures and rationales of writing workshop as a whole, they can also benefit from understanding the structures and rationales of one of its most important elements: conferring.

Certainly, you can teach students to get better at helping a partner get better at writing, so to get better at taking on a teacher role. But just as, or perhaps even more powerful, is to teach them how to get better at being the conferee. In order for writers to get the most they possibly can from a writing conference, they have to be active participants. They have to listen well, to make sure they understand the instruction, and to plan how they will put what they are learning into action. If they don't understand the instruction, they must speak up. If they feel stymied at the end of the conference rather than energized for writing, they must take steps to fix this.

Connection
You might start a minilesson on teaching kids how to get better at being in a writing conference by sharing a story about your own experience as a learner or a participant, and how choosing to be active rather than passive helped you. For example, I might tell the story about a time I took a really hard math class in college. I spent most of the first part of the semester sitting in quiet confusion. When midterm grades came out and I saw I was in danger of failing, I forced myself to take action. I went to the teacher for conferences. I asked a lot of questions. When I still didn't understand, I asked more. Though the class was still hard for me, I got so much out of it more because I took charge of my own learning. Then, I'd explain that taking charge of one's own learning is important no matter the subject, and is so important in writing, especially during conferences.

To demonstrate being an active participant in a writing conference, you might ask one student to role play the part of the teacher, while you play the part of a student. Give the student a list of possible research questions a teacher might use at the start of a conference, such as:

- How's your writing going?
- What are you working on as a writer?
- Can you tell me a bit about your process?

You might post these questions, so that other students can see them, and can use them during the active engagement.

Then, role play scenario one, where you demonstrate what not to do in a writing conference. When the student assuming the role of teacher asks you questions, you might really play up your the role of a reticent student who isn't doing his or her part to contribute to the conference. Refuse to answer questions, or give very short, unhelpful answers such as, "I don't know," or "I"m not really working on anything." Students will likely laugh, but may recognize some of their own behaviors in your role play.

Then, in scenario two, role play a more productive conference. Once again play up your part, this time giving a wealth of information about your writing process and what you are working on as a writer in ways you hope your students will emulate. For example, you might say, "I'm working on making my introduction more interesting in my information book. It feels kind of dull, and I'd like some help thinking of other ways I could start." Or, "I have a hard time with setting. I know I'm supposed to add setting details, but I don't know how to make them interesting.

Active Engagement

During the Active Engagement, let students take turns role playing not-so-productive and productive conferences. If you have time to allow partners to switch parts, do so, as most students will find it hilarious (and memorable!) to play the part of the reticent student.

Debrief, asking students to share what they noticed about the more productive writing conference with their partners. What did the student do to make the conference go better? Note: If you are short on time, you can skip the role-play portion of the active engagement and move to asking students to share what they noticed from your demonstration.

Capture some of what you hear students saying on a chart that will serve as a reminder of how they can get the most the possibly can out of their conferences.

As you send students off to work, remind them that remembering to be an active participant will help them not just in writing conferences always (and it will!), but in all of their learning experiences, even when they are grown ups.

Mid-Workshop Teaching Point

It's crucial to stress and uphold your expectations for the whole class during conferring time. A mid-workshop teaching point might be a good opportunity to let your students know that unless there is a fire or a medical emergency (yes, you are being a bit facetious, but some drama helps to underscore the point that conferences should not be disturbed), they are not to interrupt you while you are conferring with another student. You might also explain any systems you've set up for them to get help if needed, such as a place they can sign up for a conference if they are stuck rather than interrupt you if you are working with another student.

Happy conferring, and I wish you many productive writing conferences.

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Teaching Students to Get Better at Conferring

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In my last post, I wrote about giving students the inside scoop on writing workshop in order to boost their confidence, productivity, and independence. I'll aim to continue the meta in this post. If writers benefit from understanding the structures and rationales of writing workshop as a whole, they can also benefit from understanding the structures and rationales of one of its most important elements: conferring.

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Aim Higher: Conferring and Student Goals | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Aim Higher: Conferring and Student Goals | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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So, you've studied your students' writing, analyzing their work for strengths and next steps. Maybe you took home a giant stack of writers notebooks, or a huge pile of on-demand writing assessments, or maybe you've just finished reading their published pieces. In any case, you have a pretty good idea of what each student needs to do to become a stronger writer. Hopefully, you've narrowed it down a bit, honing in on just one or two bigger goals for each student.

Well, hopefully the answer is not to simply file away those pieces of writing and never look back. Hopefully there is a plan in place for sharing those goals with kids.

For example, your next round of conferences could involve sharing feedback with students. In those conferences you might:

1. Do a little research. Ask the student, "How do you think this went? What were your biggest strengths as a writer? What do you think are your next steps? What are your goals now?" You might ask students to use a checklist to self-assess their work to help them to talk about their work in a focused way.

2. Reinforce a strength that you've noticed. Compliment the student on one strength that you know can transfer to many other pieces of writing. Not only that, show the student examples from her own writing where she's already doing that work.

3. Share one attainable goal ( maybe two) for the student to continue working toward. Name the goal clearly and explicitly. Write the goal down, or if you're using a checklist, highlight the goal. Share examples of writing that you'd like the child to emulate. Show mentor texts. Show the student places in her current or past writing where she might lift the level of her work. Make it known that over the next days and even weeks you'll be working with her on the goal. You'll be asking, "So, what are you working on as a writer?" and you hope that she'll be working on her goal.

4. Leave behind something visual to help the student remember to be thinking about her goal. It might be a Post-it, or an index card. It might be something that you tape right onto the student's desk so it can't ever get lost.

After conferring with kids about their goals, it helps to have a system in place that makes it a little bit easier for you to help kids follow through.

For example, on my favorite conferring note-taking sheet, I have a space at the top of the sheet to write down each student's goal-this way I don't forget to check in on their goals.
my favorite notes chart
In some classrooms, teachers have pocket charts set up, where kids place their names next to the goals they are working on. This makes it possible for kids to seek out other kids who have the same goals. This makes it a little easier to manage small groups-you could meet with all the kids who have the same goal in one or two little groups.

Another group of teachers that I work with uses the last few pages of the writers notebooks as a place to list reminders for kids. Each time they have a conference with a student, they write or draw a little reminder on the back page of the notebook. Kids love to share their back pages, and like to compare their notes. In several schools where I have worked, the teachers print out pictures clues on mailing labels, and use those as 'stickers' in the back of the notebook. The pictures are usually just clip art that signify common reminders such as "use dialogue" or "show don't tell" but the kids love them, and want to collect them all. When I was a kid we wanted to collect all the Garbage Pail Kids stickers. The kids in Ms. Valdez's class want to collect all her conferring stickers.

One teacher I work with partners kids up who have similar goals so that when she confers individually with one student, that kid can teach his partner what he just learned-and they both can benefit from the conference. Another teacher I know partners kids up with different goals, for the same reason!

Once you have a system for goal setting up and running in your classroom, your conferring and small group work feel like they are more like ongoing conversations, rather than one-shot deals. Your conferences might begin with, "So last time we spoke..." rather than starting from scratch over and over again.

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Aim Higher: Conferring and Student Goals

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So, you've studied your students' writing, analyzing their work for strengths and next steps. Maybe you took home a giant stack of writers notebooks, or a huge pile of on-demand writing assessments, or maybe you've just finished reading their published pieces. Now what?

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Conferring with Young Writers | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Conferring with Young Writers | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Conferring with Young Writers

I am working with a brilliant first grade teacher during her writing workshop. Mrs. B.'s writing workshop runs like a well-oiled machine and is the kind of workshop you read about in professional books. When Mrs. B. approached me for a coaching cycle, I wasn't surprised. She is the kind of teacher who is always looking to refine her craft. Mrs. B. wanted to improve her writing conferences with kids. We are using Carl Anderson's book, How's It Going? A Practical Guide to Conferring with Student Writers to guide our learning. In Chapter 3, Carl writes about the importance of teaching students their role in a writing conference. He recommends several minilessons to help students understand their conference roles.

Mrs. B. and I began by doing a fishbowl conference in front of the entire class. During the fishbowl, I played the role of the teacher while Mrs. B. played the role of the student. We sat in the middle of the carpet and role-played a conference while the class gathered around us and watched. Afterwards, we made a chart to record their observations:

After we discussed each of these observations, Mrs. B. and I modeled a non-example of a conference. Mrs. B. played the role of an inattentive, unprepared student who barely talked about her writing. The first graders immediately noticed the difference and were quite amused by this "student" who was not taking her writing seriously! With this minilesson in mind, we sent the kids off to write while we conferred individually with several writers.

Mrs. B. and I knew we wanted to teach into the chart; we wanted to capitalize on their observations and build on them. We decided to turn their observations into learning targets. For example, our next minilesson centered on the idea that "I can talk a lot about my writing." We spent a few days exploring this idea. What does it sound like when a writer talks a lot about their writing? Mrs. B. modeled this kind of talk for them using her own writing. They practiced talking a lot about their writing with a partner. We even videotaped Mrs. B. conferring with a student during writing time, and we used the recording as the minilesson for the next day. "Wow! Listen to Charlotte talk a lot about her writing!" we said to the kids.

We also turned the last observation on the chart into a minilesson. "I can try what my teacher teaches me right away" became our next learning target. We told the students that during a writing conference, the teacher will teach them something about writing, and it is their job to try that thing right away. "For example," we said, "yesterday we taught Joshua that writers of informational books sometimes use pictures to explain an idea to their readers. Today, Joshua is going to try to do that in his writing. We'll check back in with him during our reflection time to see how he tried it right away." Sure enough, during reflection time Joshua proudly shared his illustrations showing the differences between gorillas and monkeys.

Mrs. B. and I are both pleased with how her students are taking ownership for their own learning during writing conferences. We have noticed they are talking about their writing more than they ever have before. They are eagerly trying our teaching points as we walk away from a conference. These students know they have an important role in a writing conference.

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I am working with a brilliant first grade teacher during her writing workshop. Mrs. B.'s writing workshop runs like a well-oiled machine and is the kind of workshop you read about in professional books. When Mrs. B. approached me for a coaching cycle, I wasn't surprised.

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Coaching Conferences in the Writing Workshop | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Coaching Conferences in the Writing Workshop | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Coaching Conferences in the Writing Workshop

It's January, at the top of a mountain in Vermont. Ten six and seven year olds are lined up on the side of a ski trail. Their skis all pointing toward me, ready for me to guide them down the mountain.

"All right everyone, HOT CHOCOLATE!" I shout.

Kristin, the tiniest one, in the front of the line, knows the drill. She turns and points herself down the trail. With her belly button pointing straight down the fall-line, she tips the tops of her ski boots from side to side. This sets her skis on edge, and she carves out beautiful turns, gliding easily from left to right. Bobby follows her, then Tucker, Marina, and the rest of them. I ski alongside my group, calling out to them:

"Tip those boots!"

"Pinkies! PINK-EEEES!"

"Lift that big toe!"

"Knees! Knees! Knees!

"Poles up in front!"

Where our trail meets another trail, my kids pull to a stop and line up again. "Wow! Nice work! I can see you've really been working hard on linking those turns! Nice turns kiddos! Give me five! Ready to do some more?"

Fast forward about fifteen years. I'm in a kindergarten classroom, sitting side by side with Alfred, a student who is working on labeling his pictures in his story. This is new work for him. He's working hard on writing down at least a letter or two for each word. From time to time I whisper to him.

"Point to something. Say the word slowly. What sounds do you hear?"

"Find the sound on your alphabet chart. Write it."

"S-tr-e-tch the word out to hear ALL the sounds."

"Do another one."

"Reread it."

Alfred finishes labeling his picture and lets out a big sigh, and smiles a big grin. "Nice work, Alfred! Give me five! You just wrote all that all by yourself! Ready to do another one?"

I often say that I learned everything about teaching from my experience as a ski instructor in college. While this is only partially true (I learned a lot from, well, actually teaching... and by having more than a few really amazing mentors along the way...) there are a few very important skills I did pick up from teaching skiing. One of those is how to be a great COACH.

Coaching skiing and coaching writing both involve reminding kids to use all the skills and strategies that I've taught them in the past. The trick is using key phrases that are meaningful to the student. For example, when I shouted "HOT CHOCOLATE!" to my skiers, they already knew that meant to tip both your ski boots to one side, as if you are pouring hot chocolate out of the tops of them. I had demonstrated it many times, enough times that all I had to do now was remind them to practice it.

Likewise, in writing workshop with Alfred, when I said, "S-tr-e-tch the word out to hear ALL the sounds," he knew what I was talking about because he had seen me demonstrate this numerous times as well, and knew exactly what my prompt meant.

When kids are working on their writing, it's not all that different from practicing a sport. Your minilessons and demonstrations have provided explicit direct instruction, and your coaching helps them put everything in to action as they practice, practice, practice during writing time. During independent writing, one way to confer with kids is to do "coaching conferences."

Some things to keep in mind for effective coaching during independent writing or reading (and yes, this also applies to to skiing):

When you say too much, the student is busy thinking about what you're saying, and it takes them away from the task at hand. Instead of thinking about the story they've been trying to write, they are now trying to figure out what you're saying to them. Less is more when it comes to prompting. In fact, when possible, you might even use gestures instead of words. Just pointing to the page can prompt a child to write something there without having to say a word.

2. Give wait time. Five seconds is usually appropriate.

It takes time for kids to think about what you've said, what it means, and then figure out how to do what you are asking. Count inside your head, "Butterfly one, butterfly two, butterfly three, butterfly four, butterfly five," to make sure you really are giving kids a full five seconds of wait time. If you haven't been practicing this, it might feel like a very long time, an uncomfortably long time, and you might feel a burning desire to fill the silence somehow. Just remind yourself, you're simply giving time and space for the student to think.

3. Coach into independence.

When you're coaching, let the child do all the work. For example, if you say "S-tr-e-tch out the word to hear ALL the sounds" than let the child be the one actually to say the word slowly-not you. Sure, they can listen to you stretch out words, and then write what they heard you say, but that's not the same as doing it on their own.

4. Make your teaching transferable.

Choose your prompts so that the words you are using apply to many, many pieces of writing the child might do. Instead of saying, "What did you do first when you went to the birthday party?" try prompting, "Write what happened first." Notice how the first prompt is more specific to a particular story, and the second prompt is more transferable. Think of your words as the voice in the student's head that will linger after you're gone. (I often wonder if my little skiers still think of hot chocolate when they carve turns down the mountain).

5. Be responsive.

Try to analyze the child's strengths and weaknesses and coach in a way that prompts students to strengthen the areas they need help in. For example, if a child is attempting to reread his/her own writing and is trying unsuccessfully to sound the word out, instead of prompting "Sound it out" (they are already trying that!), try coaching them to use the picture instead by saying, "Check the picture. What would make sense there?"

When I was getting trained as a ski instructor, one of the key concepts that we were taught was something called "Strength ID and Enhancement." To have success as a coach, we were to first identify the student's strengths, and then build from there. For example, if a particular student was really good at swinging both skis around into a sliding stop, we could then harness that ability to teach how to make parallel turns. Instead of trying to correct everything the skier was doing wrong, we could focus on the strengths as a jumping off point for next steps.

So, it really is true, I guess. Everything I know about teaching, I learned it from being a ski instructor. Well... maybe not everything. But this coaching stuff sure has come in handy.

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Coaching Conferences in the Writing Workshop

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It's January, at the top of a mountain in Vermont. Ten six and seven year olds are lined up on the side of a ski trail. Their skis all pointing toward me, ready for me to guide them down the mounta...

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Tips from Amanda Hartman, Conferring Guru | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Tips from Amanda Hartman, Conferring Guru | TWO WRITING TEACHERS

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Tips from Amanda Hartman, Conferring Guru

Amanda Hartman is the Associate Director for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and leads the Project's work in K-2 reading and writing. Amanda is a top staff developer who has helped hundreds of schools and districts establish gorgeous reading and writing workshops across all grades. Amanda leads the TCRWP's coaching institutes and content area and has presented at conferences around the world. Among other titles, she is co-author of One to One: The Art of Conferring with Young Writers (2005), Launching the Writing Workshop (Heinemann, 2013) and Lessons from the Masters (Heinemann, 2013). Amanda believes wholeheartedly that all children deserve the absolute best literacy instruction possible, and this belief comes through in her practice.

Watching Amanda at work in classrooms is breathtaking. During independent writing time in writing workshops, she moves effortlessly and with incredible efficiency from writer to writer, offering exactly the right coaching for each one, often in classrooms in which she is not familiar with the children. I once witnessed Amanda give fifteen children individualized instruction in a single 45-minute writing workshop, through conferences and targeted strategy groups. What's more, Amanda left each of the fifteen with some concrete tips, and, best of all, with them feeling a little better about themselves as writers. In this interview, Amanda shares some of her current thinking and tried-and-true beliefs about conferring, the heart of the writing workshop.
Q: Your book, One to One: The Art of Conferring with Young Writers, co-written with Lucy Calkins and Zoe Ryder White was published in 2005. What are a few bottom line beliefs about conferring that you believed then that still hold true today?
A: That's a nice question. There are so many things! One thing that is really important is that a conference is a conversation with a student. Our job is to really listen to the student as we are conferring. In other words, follow what the student is trying to do, and coach him or her toward skills that are within his or her grasp. Also, the architecture of a conference continues to be important. Research the writer, offer a specific compliment, then teach next steps that will support the writer not just that day, but on many days and even for the rest his or her writing life.
Q: What are some of your newest thoughts and ideas about conferring?
A: It's hard to decide whether these ideas are new or whether I've just been thinking more about them lately. One thing I've been thinking about is the length of my conferences. Depending on the time I have and the kind of research I have done, my conferences will be different lengths. If I've been spending a lot of time studying student work and I know where I want to go with a student, I don't have to spend as much time researching. I can jump right into my teaching. Or, I might want to spend more time researching, possibly looking for more than one thing I want to teach. I might ask a student what she is working on, and she might tell me she is working on revising her piece. I might know what I want to teach her about revision, but I might also want to understand other things about her as a writer. I could help her with her revision work right then and there, but then file away what else I've learned for later teaching, such as a future conference or small group.

Something we have been working on a lot as group at the Reading and Writing Project is following trajectories and pathways of learning. Rather than seeing each conference as an isolated event, each conference is part of a line of teaching. So, my small groups might follow from my conferences, or I might have a conference to follow up on small group work.

Finally, I've been thinking lately about teaching methods and tools. As an organization, we have stronger rubrics and checklists, and these tools can really help teachers to know what to teach and can help kids to make choices independently about what they need to do next.
Q: Should teachers prepare for conferences, or is it better for conferences to happen spontaneously?
A: I would say both. Certainly teachers should prepare. The better we know our students' work and look across our conferring notes, the more we are ready to talk to writers. People ask me how I can confer so quickly and concisely with kids, even if I don't know them. I've had a lot of experience studying student work and that has really helped me to understand how trajectories of skills go, and what students often struggle with. Preparation and spontaneity go hand and hand. It is preparation, like studying student work, that can really help teachers become better at conferring spontaneously. Also, we can prepare ourselves all we can, but we must make sure we are listening carefully and following students. I worry a little that if we are too prepared for conferences, we might not listen to our kids well enough.
Q: What are your favorite conferring tools and resources?
A: Writing toolkits are really helpful. In my toolkit, I have mentor texts that are the genre that we are studying, I have my own writing folder with a couple of pieces that I could work off of in a conference, and I also have some blank writing paper and post-its so I can demonstrate in the moment. Additionally, I have mini-charts or strategy cards I can leave with students after conferences. I sometimes also have have copies of student work because it's nice to be able to show kids what other kids have done. It's important that students have a variety of mentors to use. Some teachers also create mini-charts, or cheat seats, for themselves with lists of top skills to teach, or reminders of what they want to check in on. These might be volume goals, or spelling tips, or strategies that will help kids better elaborate.
Q: Many teachers say it is difficult to find time for conferring. How do you aim to reach more writers during independent writing time?
A: I really believe that it's important to know where the time goes. Pay attention to how you spend time in your workshop, and in particular to how you spend time in conferences. Do you spend a lot of time researching? Or teaching? When you have an idea of how you spend your time, you are able to control time better in the classroom. Also, balancing conferring with small group work really helps to be able to reach more students during one workshop.
Q: What are ways that teachers can help students to get better at being part of a writing conference?
A: Oftentimes when we ask kids things like, what are you working on? They answer that their story is about their mom, or playing in the park. They haven't necessarily answered the question we asked, and they may not know how to. It's important to model for kids ways that they can talk about their own writing process. We might even give them a list of possibilities, asking questions such as: Are you working on stretching out important parts? Are you trying to plan how your story will go? Are you working on putting spaces between words? Are you wondering if your piece is done? Kids won't say these things unless we give them the language. You don't have to just accept their first answer when you are researching, you can explain what you mean.

I think follow is up is really important too to help kids understand how seriously we take our conferences. I follow up with kids to see if they are using what I've taught. If we want kids to learn to use our feedback in conferences, we have to make sure we take notes on our conferences and we follow up.

Q: You are a master at conferring and it is always inspiring watching you in the classroom. What are your top three tips for teachers who would like to get better at conferring?

A: One: Confer with a friend. Invite a teaching friend in practice conferring in front of each other. Pay attention to how you each spend your time and methods you use. If you are unable to do that, videotape yourself and study how you confer. Study your energy and the way students respond to your teaching.

Two: There is nothing like studying student writing and thinking about next steps for a writer. I often hear teachers say they don't know what to next teach a student. Study work with other teachers and think together about goals for writers. Look at what the kids are really trying to do, and think about where you can move them next. Make list of possible teaching points and carry this with you as you confer. The more you add to this list, the more confident you will be.

Three: Practice listening to kids. Think about what they are trying to do in their writing, what they are approximating, and even what their interests are. Notice which questions really let you in to their world.

Before you go, check out this video of Amanda in action: http://vimeo.com/album/2192378/video/55954402.

We'd love to hear from you.

1. What questions do you have about conferring?

2. What are your bottom lines beliefs about conferring?

3. What are some conferring goals you have for yourself and your classroom?

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Tips from Amanda Hartman, Conferring Guru

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Amanda Hartman is the Associate Director for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and leads the Project's work in K-2 reading and writing. Amanda is a top staff developer who has helped hundreds of schools and districts establish gorgeous reading and writing workshops across all grades.

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The Architecture of a Conference - Google Docs

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The Architecture of a Conference - Google Docs

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Architecture of a Conference | The Life of a Workshop Teacher

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Architecture of a Conference | The Life of a Workshop Teacher

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Hello Workshop Teachers!Hopefully you have found yourself getting into a powerful workshop routine with your readers and writers. In thinking about your time with your readers and writers, perhaps the most powerful part of that is the time you can spend conferring with your students. This is a time for you to check in with...

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