What is Conferring?

What is conferring and how exactly does it work? 

Different teachers may approach the writing conference in various ways. As with many educational practices, there are a variety of perspectives to the conference approach. But almost all research says the student ought to be the focus of the writing conference, regardless of the technique.

According to Lucy McCormick Calkins, conferring is essentially having a discussion with the writer (1994).  Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi tell us that writers need response (2007) and as teachers our first response ought to be to react naturally to our students’ writing. Instinctively, we laugh when the piece is funny, cry when it is sad, and so on. Sounds easy enough, right? But here's the twist...during this essential one-on-one conversation with writers, the teacher does not act as an editor. Rather he or she encourages the writer along in the writing process. 

In her book, No More "I'm Done!" (2010), Jennifer Jacobson notes that in order to fully listen to the message of the writer, she always has the student read his writing to her first. Jacobson says, 

If I look down at a sheet of writing, my brain becomes a convention detective and notes every missing capital letter, punctuation mark, or misspelling of a frequently used word…So instead, I ask students to read their work aloud and that allows me to focus on content.

Oh how I can relate to the pitfalls of becoming a "convention detective"! Can anyone else?

After the conferring discussion, Fletcher and Portalupi remind us “...the conference is simply the next utterance in a longer conversation." Ideally, that conversation continues once the student leaves the conference through dialogue with himself or with his peers in regards to his piece of writing and any future writing he does.

When it is a new concept for a writing teacher, conferring without a constant focus on editing can seem difficult and even awkward, at times. But, “...conferring with students is a skill we can all learn” (Fletcher & Portalupi). Effective instruction is linked to the gradual release of responsibility. During the conference the teacher gives individualized guidance within the student’s zone of proximal development. The level of scaffolding provided by the teacher is determined by the specific needs of the writer. Donald Graves (1994) suggests a “good conference” consists of the student speaking 80% of the time and teacher speaking just 20% of the time. 

Linda J. Dorn and Carla Soffos say the success of the writing conference is based on the teacher’s knowledge of the writer and the teacher’s knowledge of the process (2001).

So...there's more to conferring than just "simply" meeting with a student one-on-one. And there's so much more to conferring than editing a student's piece of writing. As I continue to research and learn about conferring, I aim to become more of a writing coach and less of a convention detective. 

What does conferring look like in your classroom?

References:

Calkins, L. (1994). The art of teaching writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Dorn, L. J., & Soffos, C. (2001). Scaffolding young writers: A writers’ workshop approach. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2007). Craft lessons: Teaching writing K-8. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2001). Writing workshop: The essential guide. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Jacobson, J. (2010). No more “I’m done!”: Fostering independent writers in the primary grades. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.