{"id":797,"date":"2017-08-25T04:03:13","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T04:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/?p=797"},"modified":"2017-08-25T04:03:13","modified_gmt":"2017-08-25T04:03:13","slug":"preparing-for-effective-one-on-one-conferencing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/preparing-for-effective-one-on-one-conferencing\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for Effective One-on-One Conferencing"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Dawn Biehler,\nGeography \n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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One-on-one conferencing yields the best results if you<\/span><\/p>

  • Prepare well so you can think on your feet during the conference.<\/span><\/li>
  • Convey a strong message to students about the strengths and weaknesses of their draft.<\/span><\/li>
  • Ask students questions to encourage critical thinking about their own writing.<\/span><\/li>
  • Think of this as a chance to learn about your students as human beings.<\/span><\/li>
  • Begin working on revisions together during the conference.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>


    Planning and preparing for great writing conferences: A model timeline<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

    When<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p><\/td>

    What<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

    Pre-semester<\/p><\/td>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Plan out when conferences will occur, factoring in time for grading.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

    First day of class<\/p><\/td>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Collect information about students on note cards or other medium.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Explain that you take writing seriously, that conferences are mandatory, and that feedback is an ongoing process. Perhaps mention \u201coptional\u201d conferences for assignments where conferences are not mandatory.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

    One week before due date<\/p><\/td>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Remind students that next week they will sign up for writing conferences\u2014they should bring their calendars.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

    On the due date<\/p><\/td>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When setting up time slots, allow yourself some breathing room between conferences.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pass around a sign-up list; instruct students how to prepare for conferences.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

    While grading<\/p><\/td>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keep in mind that you cannot comment on everything; make sure the top two to three issues stand out clearly.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Note instances of strengths or problems by page number for easy reference.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

    Minutes before the conference<\/p><\/td>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Briefly review the student\u2019s note card, the draft, and your comments.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be ready to talk about the top two to three issues in the paper.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

    The conference<\/p><\/td>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Establish rapport by greeting your students and asking questions.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Explain the agenda of the conference.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ask the student about what aspects of the draft they like and which they want to change.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Return the draft while explaining your overall comments.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Allow the student to read your comments, and then allow them to ask questions. The whole rest of the conference may flow naturally from the student\u2019s own questions and concerns.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Coach your student to plan revision strategies, and begin implementing those strategies by working through a small piece of revision together. See page 4 for examples.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ensure that students will take appropriate next steps. Make sure they write down ideas, strategies, and actual revisions.<\/p>

    \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 End on a positive note, remind students not to throw away the draft, and encourage follow-up if appropriate.<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Dawn Biehler, Geography One-on-one conferencing yields the best results if you Prepare well so you can think on your feet during the conference. Convey a strong message to students about the strengths and weaknesses …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[16,130,31,132,134,133],"class_list":["post-797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conferences-and-peer-review","tag-advice","tag-conferencing","tag-general","tag-office-hours","tag-semester","tag-talking-about-student-writing"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=797"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":800,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797\/revisions\/800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dept.writing.wisc.edu\/wac\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}