Conferring is arguably the most important part of writing workshop. It is definitely more important than the minilesson, although I’m not sure it is more important than sharing. That’s not the point of this post, though.
I’ve noticed sometimes I don’t teach in a conference. Yes, yes, I know I’m supposed to have a teaching point in every conference. Still, sometimes I don’t. Now this isn’t anything new . . . when I first started conferring, there were many conferences I led that didn’t have a teaching point. The issue then, though, was I didn’t know what to teach. Thankfully, I don’t have this problem very often any more. Usually, I have several possible teaching points and have to choose just one.
Yet, there are still some conferences I walk away from before teaching the writer just one thing. I’ve come to believe this is okay. It isn’t ideal, but sometimes it is necessary. Here are some valid reasons for leaving a conference without a teaching point:
- I spend the time responding as a reader. Sometimes you come across powerful, passionate, heart-tugging writing. When this happens, it is our duty to respond as a human. I allow the writing to move me and talk with the writer about the way their words have impacted me.
- The student is super-excited about an almost finished draft that is confusing or difficult to follow. If I teach into this situation, often the student loses energy for writing. Instead I make a plan to meet with the student the next day when he will be starting a new writing project and will be in a position to better receive the teaching point.
- Sometimes I get into the teaching point of the lesson and the student is confused. If I try a few different approaches the teaching point and it still isn’t making sense to the student, I choose to smile and walk away. I make a note about the student’s need for a later date.
How about you? What valid reasons do you have for walking away a conference?
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All I can think about is that song.
“You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away, know when to run…”
You have a great point Ruth.
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I appreciate the recognition that the teaching point is
just having confidence in the child’s ability to be a writer.
Christy’s comment above about giving compliments is so important as
well. Sometimes I would sit down next to a kid and just watch them
write. I wanted to see how he was processing or what kind of detail
he was putting into his writing. It gave me insight into what he
could do.
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Thank you so much for posting this Ruth. This has happened a few times to me and I always felt that I had let the student down by not doing a teaching point. It’s a teachable moment just maybe scheduled for a later date. 🙂
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Such wisdom here! I absolutely have walked away, totally puzzled about the best approach to take with a student. After some encouraging words, I am on my way to the next conference (but feeling like I have not done my job.) However, I know I am often in a better place to move forward, after the time away from a piece of writing – a student’s or my own. Thank you for the affirmation.
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I attended a one-day workshop with Carl Anderson in which he discussed conferring. He talked about saying to the child, “It was nice talking to you” and walking away when you are at a loss about what to teach. Although I wouldn’t want this to be the norm, it was reassuring to me to know that it’s not a totally horrible thing if I have a moment when I just don’t know what direction to go in. He did also say to follow-up by doing some research or talking with colleagues to figure out what the next steps should be with the child. It was great hearing an expert on the subject of conferring talk about walking away.
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I am a new teacher and have a hard time conferencing. I
teach five periods of kids with about 25 kids in each class. How do
you structure your lessons / activities so that you keep them all
busy while you conference? Please help!
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Everything that’s been said rings true for me. Another reason I have made a conscious effort to walk away without teaching comes from a lesson my students taught me. I always have them complete a reflection form after working through a piece of writing. I noticed that in response to my question about how my feedback helped them as a writer, most of my students were mentioning how positive feedback I had given them pushed them forward. So, I started mixing complimentary conferences in with my teaching conferences.
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I think it also depends on who initiated the conference. If the child requested it, I tend to try to put the ball back in their court ask them something like, “How can I help you with your writing today?” If I am conferring on the fly, I might be looking for evidence of something that has been recently taught. If I initiate a conference and I draw a blank on a teaching point, I use Barry Lane’s words and talk about what sticks with me about their piece.
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Amen, ladies! This allows future success with a student. I had to apologize sometimes when I tried to teach something and couldn’t help myself. A student would usually smile, and then we would go back to what was important–What’s important at that time to that student? Tam
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Like you, if a student is emotionally invested in a piece, it is better to be human than a critic. I am constantly surprised what students will say in a piece of writing that they won’t say anywhere else. I always feel that if I try to create a “teachable moment” during that time they will believe I don’t care and that is never the case..
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