Conferring

The chapter on conferences was probably one of the most helpful things I have read this semester. Most of what I do in my classroom during the writing period is individual conferences with students. We talk about their writing... or we sit in awkward silence while I try to think of a probing question.

I especially struggle with the question "How do I get them to talk?" I cannot count the number of times I've thought those words. I do not have many students who enjoy writing, and those who do enjoy writing do not always want or know how to talk about what they're writing. My classroom contains many struggling writers. Are they struggling because they don't know what/how to write? Or are they struggling because they don't understand how to fit their ideas into The Writing Process?

When I really think about it, there is an uncomfortable writing atmosphere in my classroom. Students come to conferences with the expectation of having their work critiqued and fixed for them. How do I conference and dialog without writing for them? I want to help them, but I want them to be independent writers. I still just feel torn in different directions when I consider my writing instructional style. Clearly, I have no conclusions or clarity right now about how I want to teach writing. Updates on my thought progress to follow...