Writer's Workshop Chapter 5--Student Conferencing

Doreen Kaleiwahea 6/20/2011

Writing Workshop:  Chapter  5 Conferring with Writers

          Conferencing is a component of my writing block within my classroom for the past year.  The many great suggestions listed in this chapter give to improving something that I believe in.  I like the suggestions for “talking with the student, affirming the child and being present to the reader.”  I like the suggestions for listening effectively to the child and making deep listening as part of a teacher’s best practices.  These deep listening practices consist of a teacher’s true interest in the writing piece,

laughing and enjoying the writing piece with the student, ultimately demonstrating  that the writing has affected the reader; the teacher.

          This chapter challenges the reader/teacher to convey clearly to the student that their writing is important.  The body language, level of listening engagement, exchanging energy, and knowing the student’s progress are key to the student noticing the teacher’s interest.  Hopefully, this kind of engagement will demonstrate support and the student will respond positively to new genre, exercising new skills and taking new chances.  This chapter encourages me to see the student writer with new eyes.  Building on strengths is key to solidify skills that work; it’s the new habits that will take student initiative to implement.  The new habits are hopefully new interest, self-assessments, and taking new chances in writing. 

          The intimate on- to-one “encounters” can make all the difference for the new writer.  “Teach the Writer” not the writing.  The ultimate desire is to focus on one skill at a time, suggestions are; adding to the drawing, sounding out words, spacing words and improving the presentation, adding details, increasing length of writing piece, and sequencing beginning, middle and end.  I personally have use several common strategies; chunking, most important part, adding, anticipating and sharpening a lead.  I will use shortening my conferences, talking through and beyond the story, empowering the student to be a problem finder.  The “Making it Work” page in the classroom is a poster that I will hang in my classroom to remind ME to improve on writing.  I think it would look like this:

·        Check the Writer’s Conference Schedule

·        Listen with your heart

·        Always give Praise liberally

·        Short conferences, long patient environment

This chapter is the beginning of a new kind of Writing block for me.