Workshop Overview

There are many avenues for a teacher to convey information to a student; an individual reading or writing conference is one place the student may convey information to a teacher. 

Gholdy Muhammad, in Cultivating Genius (Scholastic, 2020), recounts how in the 19th century, African Americans formed literary societies of their own in response to anti-literacy laws and policies. They defined one of their primary goals, or learning pursuits, as identity development through literacy. When we consciously balance what-the-words-on-the-page-say with what-you-the-reader-thinks, not prioritizing one over the other, students feel more engaged and think more deeply. Similarly, when we approach the teaching of writing as a place for students to develop and express their own unique perspectives, cultures, and points of view, they experience writing as a mode of personal expression and work harder and with more investment.  They also develop a sense of their own individual reading and writing personalities. Am I the sort of reader who compares my decisions to those of the main character? Do I mix in talking-to-the-reader with facts when I write persuasively?

The key to conferring successfully is listening to children, but in a different way than we may be used to. Naturally it is important to assess through the lens of standards and year-end expectations—but it’s also critical to understand who each individual student is as a reader and writer.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will: 

• learn a concrete, practical, step-wise approach to conferring in both reading and writing;

• be provided with strategies for formative assessment in literacy;

• develop a repertoire of “go-to” conferences in reading and writing;

• generate concrete, classroom-ready organizational systems for keeping track of student work in conferences;

• leave with practical tips for helping students make reading-writing connections through conferring.