Lucy Calkins states that teacher student conferences and peer conferences are at the heart of teaching writing. It is through them that students learn to ask themselves questions about their own writing. The teacher models to the student how to interact with their own writing to revise it. The students eventually
A teacher's first priority is to know their students before knowing their writing.
This is tricky. The questions initially should be about the process that writer experienced to produce this writing. How is the writing going? How long has it taken you? What do you think about it? What part was difficult
These "research" questions should lead into more conversation about the child himself and hopefully lead to some ideas about what the student needs next. The teacher sifts through the options and then teaches the one thing that it seems the student needs next-a strategy to implement.
The motto is: Produce a better writer, not produce a better writing.
I find this a new way to think of conferencing and asking questions. I would like to explore and read more ways to ask these "research" questions.
Virginia: I've enjoyed conferencing with my students. It sure beats just writing comments on their papers.
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