Conferring

The writing conference is at the heart of teaching writing and is the core of the writing workshop. The writing conference is a one-on-one strategy, that takes place between the student writer and the teacher. Conferring is perhaps the best opportunity for direct and immediate teaching of the complex processes and skills involved in writing. Individual conferences generally are short, about two to five minutes, and occur while the other students are involved in their own independent writing projects.

One of the primary purposes of the writing conference is to help students take a deeper look at their writing and ask themselves questions such as, "What else do I want or need to say?" "What can I add?" "Does this make sense?" "How can I change this to make it better?" and "What kinds of questions will the reader ask?" Teachers, listening and asking questions during individual conferences, help students look at their own writing with a critical eye while also helping them begin to ask themselves these kinds of questions. Conferences can occur at any stage of the writing process. As a result, they can be an avenue for one-on-one instruction covering a wide range of writing skills, strategies, and concepts.

Some great information about writing conferences http://www.strategicwritingconferences.com/faqs.aspx