Effective Student Conferences:

(taken from Mosaic of Thought, Keene and Zimmerman)

Conferences are lifeblood to comprehension teaching. It is through conferences that we come to understand each childs strengths and needs. In conferences, we tailor instruction to promote new learning and new levels of comprehension at the moment a child demonstrates a need. As uch as we might like to believe that small-group instruction can meet individual needs, there is not substitute for one-on-one conversations. Conferences are far more than nice chats about the book the child is reading. Because they help identify specific needs, they are a vital tool to help children become increasingly independent in using everything from skills like decoding or use of quotations to more abstract concepts like inferring. Effective teachers use conferences to assess a childs use of what has been taught and to lead them to explore new applications and challenges. Teachers conclude conferences with a discussion about exactly what the child will attempt next in his/her reading. When conferring the teachers job is to listen intently and understand each childs current use of skills and strategies, and to get to know their passions, needs, and interests. In kicking off conferences, teachers may identify children who are struggling and work with them more intently for the first few days of the strategy study. They may require the most support to work independently, but investing time in them early will pay off down the line. It is the teachers role to be agile and responsive to the insights gained from the conversation and to create personal horizons toward which each child can advance.