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So after using CC Pensieve myself and hearing feedback from teachers about it's use, I've been trying other options to see if the CC Pensieve really is the best tool to record notes about 1:1 conferring sessions and small-group conferring sessions.

Sooooo, this summer I have been playing with an app called Confer Lite. I didn't want to purchase the full version at a $25 price tag (which is comparable to CC Pensieve), because the makers of Confer are coming out with a new and improved app called Snapfolio...someday, very soon...I hope. They have stopped offering tech support for Confer and I don't want to invest in something that is on its way out. Regardless, Confer Lite is pretty amazing and you are able to collaborate and share information with other students as well. One of the really great features of the app is that you can take a photo of student work and attach it to your notes for that session. I cannot wait for Snapfolio to come out this year and see what it has to offer. The developers' "teaser" about the app is pretty enticing, I must say.

CC Pensieve of course, has it's pros and cons. There are a million pros and that is why I still prefer it over Confer Lite even, but there is one con that we have struggled with at McGrath. In the CC Pensieve, You are not able to create a small group from students that have been shared with you by other teachers. This proves to be a challenge when you have intervention staff and other support staff who pull students from different classes to work with them in a small group and you are unable to group them and complete a log of that small group session. The official solution is to simply "copy" the notes from one student and "paste" them onto the other students in the group. Yes. This works, but when your network is already maxed out and just navigating CC Pensieve and inputting info in general is time-consuming and not without bumps and long waits while the little wheel spins, the above solution is not very efficient.

We have come up with another "work around" for next year, but again...it would be so easy if ONLY you could just group those shared students. The CC Pensieve developers are working on this and have been for some time, but have not presented the fix as of yet.

Stay tuned...:)

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Chapter 1 - Introduction: The Beginnings of the CAFE Menu & Chapter 2 - The Conferring Notebook

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Chapter 1 - Introduction: The Beginnings of the CAFE Menu & Chapter 2 - The Conferring Notebook

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Hello everyone! Danna here. :) I will usually check in and start the discussion on Monday evening/night of the week the readings are due. If I can check in earlier I will, but with summer vacay I'm wrangling kiddos and being their "chauffeur" around town, taking them to and from their athletic obligations and playdates. :) We will have those teachers who feel comfortable jumping in on the Padlet, joining the discussion, and then there are those who are watching and reading in the shadows. Both styles are perfectly fine! So here we go...

CHAPTER 1!

First off, if you ever have the opportunity (and the funds) to see the Sisters in person, their Daily 5 and CAFE workshops are a must. I have been twice to both, in addition to being involved in their online webinars and honestly, I could go again (and plan to) and still manage to take away something new.

This first chapter is all about the evolution of the CAFE system, which is the work we do with our students, while they are engaged in Daily 5 or literacy centers. The CAFE system includes whole group instruction (brief, targeted, brain compatible focus lessons), flexible, small group instruction (once again, brief, targeted, strategy based reading lessons based on the CAFE menu of essential reading strategies), and one-one-one conferring sessions. Once you move to flexible small group instruction and 1:1 conferring, the work you do with students really begins to evolve and "what is fair, is not always equal." This is what we call "instructional fairness." I know for many teachers this is the first, and possibly the most difficult, precept to wrap your mind around...that when you are truly addressing the needs of your students, you will not meet with every group, every day, nor every student each week. Your reading groups will not be 4 groups of 6 students each, where you teach the same lesson 4 times in a row. With the CAFE system, you analyze students' deficits/needs and plan your small group lessons and 1:1 conferring sessions around just that. Your instruction becomes very intentional, yet fluid and responsive.

CHAPTER 2!

In the second part of Chapter 1 and in Chapter 2, the Sisters go over their Conferring Notebook or Pensieve. This book was published in 2009 and since then, the physical, hardcopy Conferring Notebook now has an online alternative called the CC Pensieve (or CAFE Conferring Pensieve). They took the everything on paper and made it digital. The online CC Pensieve is truly a game-changer. If you have more than one person working with a student, especially with your intervention kiddos, the online CC Pensieve allows you to share students with other staff members. You can then "see" the goal, observations/instruction, next steps, and touch point(s) immediately after it has been entered and modify your instruction to simply pick up where that other teacher left off. This works beautifully, allowing the RSP teacher and/or RSP aide, intervention staff, administrative staff, and the child's teacher to collaborate and provide what the Sisters call, "just in time instruction" that is the perfect next step for each child. I will do my best to share how the Conferring Notebook and the CC Pensieve are one in the same since the book does not talk about the CC Pensieve at all, but truly, it's pretty amazing. :)

So here is where you jump in. Take a look at the guiding questions for both chapters. Is there something that really resonated with you? What questions do you have? We will be chatting about Chapters 1 and 2 all week, so there is plenty of time. Be sure to  check the Padlet at least once daily for new posts. And remember, this book study is what you make of it...so let's make it worthwhile!

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I am hoping this book study will provide some structure and guidance for your reading of The CAFE Book. The book is a very easy read and there will be 1-2 chapters to read and discuss each week. Here are some helpful pointers!

1. Check the Chapter Reading Schedule post and be sure to have the chapter(s) read by the date given.

2. Read through the questions on the "The CAFE Book Study" PDF before and after you read a chapter to help frame your reading and thinking.

3. After completing a reading assignment, way-share your thoughts by creating your own post. Be sure to title your post with the correct chapter so it can easily be referenced by others. Feel free to ask questions, make comments, post ideas, etc. Don't forget to add your name so we can chat back and forth!

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Week of 7/18
*Chapter 1:  Introduction: The Beginnings of the CAFE Menu Assessment System
*Chapter 2:  The CAFE Notebook and Record-Keeping Forms

Week of 7/25
*Chapter 3:  CAFE Step-by-Step:  The First Days of School

Week of 8/1
*Chapter 4:  Conferring with Children:  Principles and Examples
*Chapter 5:  Eavesdropping on Some Conferences

Week of 8/8
*Chapter 6:  Whole-Class Instruction
*Chapter 7:  Strategy Groups
*Afterward - Last Words:  The Never-Ending Stories of CAFE--Ours and Yours