"If you think of a conference as any time you respond, provide support, ask questions to gain understanding, and/or give feedback, you will begin to feel less pressure about having a correct set of procedures or structures in place." (pp. 206)
This chapter reaffirmed my use of student conferences. I was relieved to read that Routman considers whole-class share time as a conference - - which it is really, as long as I'm covering what I would cover in an individual conference. I was also relieved that she considers roving conferences legitimate because I conduct many of those.
One strategy I immediately implemented after reading this chapter was to ask permission prior to writing on a student's paper (pp. 212). The light bulb went on for me with that statement, and I think my students truly appreciate my asking before I write on THEIR papers. Another useful idea from this chapter was to limit my teaching points to one or two per conference. The purpose for making said teaching points is simply to move the writer forward.
Routman's tips for successful conferences included some good ideas, specifically her suggestion to first listen to the student read the paper before looking at it. That will "force" me to focus on content rather than mechanics. Great idea!
Her expectation that students must thoroughly edit their papers prior to asking for a conference makes a lot of sense and saves precious time. Additionally, it forces students to take responsibility for their work rather than relying upon the teacher to complete the editing for them. Routman's comment, "And again: when we comment first on mechanics . . . , we may give the message that students' ideas are secondary to correctness." (pp. 225)
And finally, the most precious piece of advice from this chapter: " . . . be relentless in refusing to do for students what they can do for themselves." (pp. 234)
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5 comments:
I too was glad to read about roving conferences and share conferences.
I like the reminder that we should limit our teaching to one or two points.
I also liked the idea of having the student read it to me first.
I never thought about asking permission either, but will do so now. They do own their work!
Ditto on the don't do what they can do for themselves. Love your students, but don't be an enabler:)
I too like the idea of asking permission before writing on a student's paper. I do this sometimes, but not consistently. Something I do along this same line is when I give students suggestions for their writing I always tell them they may "use it or lose it."
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