Conferencing...What's That?!

So lets ask the question...

"Why Conferencing?"  

What drives conferencing and why is it so important in the Writer's Workshop/Writing time frame of your day?  It provides the opportunity for direct and immediate teacher feedback towards the student.  One thing our district is really pushing this year is frequent feedback from teacher to student.  Students constantly need feedback from the teacher, not just to reaffirm anything they are completing in class but to help guide their learning into the direction where they need to ultimately end up.  Conferencing also helps students focus on the complex processes and skills involved in writing.

"When am I going to be doing this conferencing?"

Here are some ideas to help with organizing your conferencing time in your Writer's Workshop.  You can conference as a whole group druing your modeled/shared and interactive writing.  In my mind, this is an OKAY way to conference.  You are able to catch misconceptions right there during the lesson, however, I feel as though time management wise, it may not be the best option.

My favorite way to conference is ONE-ON-ONE with students while they are working in their independent writing time.  I will only stay maybe a few minutes, but I always start with 2 stars (compliments) and a wish (somthing to fix).  If I notice several students are struggling with a similar writing skill/strategy/point, then I will pull the group into a small group and try to conference as a small group to meet all the kids at once.

"What am I conferencing with students?"

You should be listening to your students talk about their writing.  Listen to how they are processing their own brainstorming, drafting, and revisions.  You also are giving feedback to your students and having dialogue with your students.  This way you will have a deeper understanding of your little writers.