Loving the Book so Far! (Ashley)

Although we have talked much about writer's workshop, I've approached this book = with a different experience now that I'm teaching third grade. From its opening, I could really relate to the author as he told about his lack of conversations that he had with students during his first year of teaching (which was similar to my first year and the beginning of my second). However, as I move throughout the school year, I'm developing these conversations and growing closer to my kids.

As it relates to writer's workshop, I really learned a lot from reading the first two chapters of the book. I realize that students should take the lead of the conference first as oppose to the teacher jumping right into the conversation. "The conference begins with students in the lead role, setting the agenda for the conversation..." (p.20). This gives us as teachers an insight as to what the student is already thinking of, excited about, frustrated over, etc...about their writing. I like the idea of the student taking the lead because it gives us "a way in" to their thinking without us as = jumping to conclusions on what we think they are thinking or what they should be doing with their writing.

It was also very insightful to read that our primary goal should not be to control students' writing but we are teaching them skills to become better writers. "If we take control over a student's writing and make sure that the draft has our perfect lead or our brilliant dialogue, all we've done is given a demonstration of our expertise as writers" (p.9).

Another helpful section was the suggested research questions listed in chapter two. Two main research questions that stuck out for me were Questions About Students' Writing Strategies and Questions About a Student's Decisions. These topic research questions were helpful to read because they are questions that I need to be more mindful of when conferencing with my students and making sure I ask more of these types of questions during our conferencing.

One thing I'm still thinking about is the list of conference types on page 27. How often should we conference with students to make time for all four conferences? Are we constantly revisiting all four conference types or can we start to incorporate some peer to peer conferencing for some of these? (I believe there was a section on this and I will go back and check).

Overall, I'm really pumped about this book! It has really been a helpful refresher for me to continue the discussions about writer's workshop. Last year, I felt that I was exposed to a lot of strategic thinking about writing, but I could only apply very little in my pre-k classroom (even though my young writers told their stories through pictures :). As I begin to restructure my writing block for homeroom, I'm going to use this book to guide my writer's block and conferencing structure with my students. I'm eager to see how it will all play out in my classroom and to see what great writing my students' produce!

Reflective writing

By Joy Harrison

Like everyone else has said thus far, I really enjoyed reading from these first few chapters because it reminded me of the things that I already know and also pointed me in new directions. Although I have not read this book before, I have read other things by Carl Anderson so I am familiar with the "conference as a conversation" framework. This year is the first time that I'm conferring with my writers (yeah, don't ask me what I was doing last year...) and I have loved it so far. I have been struggling with figuring out how to find the time to meet with each one of my students at least once a week, but I have enjoyed the conferring process. There have times when it has been awkward, frustrating, and overwhelming, but I have already seen a lot of my writers gain confidence because of the attention that I am giving them during our conferences.

"Another way we help students become better writers is by teaching them to be reflective about their writing" (9). I think that this is one of the hardest skills to develop -- to be able to reread your writing, reflect on what you did well and how you need to improve, and then identify the strategies that you must employ to reach your goals. This is something that our kids are not accustomed to, because they are used to being told by the teacher what they need to work on. As teachers we are natural reflectors (after all, we are always reflecting on our practice) but what happens is that we do the reflecting for our students and we don't know how to empower them to become more self-aware and independent in their academic goal-setting and progress. Before reading these chapters, I hadn't considered that asking a child "How's it going?" or "What work are you doing as a writer today?" are questions that require reflection. What I have experienced is that it is pretty awkward at first with some students because they just say "good" or "I'm just writing." But I hope that over time, like Anderson mentioned, students will become accustomed to the structure and the process of writing conferences.

I didn't realize before reading these chapters that the students were supposed to set the agenda -- whoops! Of course being the control-freak that I am, I have been the one who has been setting the agenda for the conference. I can tell that some students already have experience with setting a goal and working together with the teacher to reach that goal, but other students have never been asked to set goals for their writing. It's been hard to figure out how to empower my students to set a schedule and set their goals, especially when some of my students have no confidence in their writing or can't write much at all. I know that over time their confidence will build (I always remind myself to compliment them first!) and it will become easier.

Another part of the chapters that pointed me in a new direction was the section on the types of questions that we might ask our children (pgs. 41-45). I have never thought about the categories of questions and how it's important to push our conferences by asking different types of questions. I will definitely be reading this over a few times and maybe even taking some notes for myself so I don't forget in my conferences to ask research questions or questions that are connected to my mini-lesson.

Como te va?

By Laura Arce

Wow! this was a very eye-opening reading for me. I remember hearing Dr. Fisher talk about writing, and how it gave me a whole new perspective as a teacher, and push to see myself as a writer and to see my students as writers. She def. gave me the best introduction somebody could get  to a writer's world, especially for a person that teaches writers and writing. But reading just the first two chapters of this book has given me a broader understanding of my role as a Writer teaching writing. 

To be completely honest, even though Anderson started his book talking about simple conversations, it wasn't until the middle of the first chapter, that I stopped feeling completely lost, and things started to make more sense. Before, I had no idea what a conference was, I did not understand the purpose of a conference, or how to have a conference. Anderson has a whole chapter in which he focuses on how easy and natural conferences should come to us, simply because conferences are conversations, and according to him, we have been practicing conversations that matter with people that matter, for our entire lives. (and he is right).

"It's intimate, personal, shared. This is the kind of feeling I want to create as I talk with students about their writing" pg 7. This quote really struck me, because when I think back of "the conversations" or "conferences" that I have previously had with my students, they definitely do not look and feel like the way he describes. There is a lot of refocusing that needs to happen in my classroom, especially when it comes to approaching my students' writing. 

"Conferences...are the working talk of fellow writers sharing their experience with the writing process." pg 7 Anderson mentions that one of our roles as teachers, and especially as we are conferring with students, is the fact that we need to help our students become personal reflectors. This is a challenge. Especially when we are talking about writing. Simply because I don't even know how to reflect upon my own writing, but I think this book is really going to help me to think through the necessary questions so that I can strengthen my writing, and I can help my students strengthen their own writing. I need to constantly be asking myself questions such as: How is it going? What am I trying to do here? What do I need to make this work?.  As I write and as I confer. When I am working with students I should ask: How is it going? What work are you doing as a writer today? What can I help you with today?. By constantly asking these questions we are scaffolding their growth into reflection writers, and so are we.

 I really loved that Anderson pointed out the characteristics of a conference. He was very clear on the focus and the foundation of conferences, and the importance of us as teachers, being clear about the focus of each conference we have with every child.

He also reminds us to stay focus, simply because it is so easy to start a sidebar conversation about what is happening in the story, or where those ideas may be coming from, and we might even convert our writing sessions into venting sessions, or healing sessions. But we must remember that that is not the point, we are simple writing teachers, helping our students become better writers, and targeting their writing needs. The purpose of a conference is to help students become better writers. The focus must maintain unchanged, and if the children you are serving present deeper emotional needs, your job as a teacher is to refer them to the right person for this, aka, counselor, psychologist, etc…Even though we must stay focus on the purpose of conferring, we  must know that this conferences allow us to build strong relationships with our students. Through these conferences we show them we are genuinely interested in them as writers, we give support and encouragement, and we nurture the genuine connections between us and our students, and those connections have so much to do with the success of our conferences.

Understanding the academic and social importance of the conferences, will definitely lead to more success in our students’ writing. 

Tell me more!

by Tenagne Turner

Writing workshop is a very special time for my students and I. It is something we take very seriously and pride ourselves on. We know that staying on task and staying committed to our writing during this time will help us become better writers. And so I asked myself, what am I doing now to help my students become better writers now that the foundation and the structure of writing workshop has been laid?

Reading the first couple chapters in How's it Going really gave me some important things to think about and reflect on as I continue to build and strengthen the young writers in my class. One of the most important things I have chosen to reflect on is how conversations with a writer helps to build confidence. It is an opportunity to show that we care about the creativity and ideas that thrive in young minds. Too often do I catch myself focusing my writing conferences on the product instead of the writer.

I want to begin to refer and conceptualize these conferences as conversations. I want to set goals for these conversations so that they can flow naturally and that both the student and myself can feel responsible for our role in the conversation. I think that these conversations can highlight what the writer is thinking as the plan their writing and can also focus on how to become a better writer. It is just as important to record these conferences for future planning and reminders of what students are working on. I am going to be more diligent about utilizing a writing conference record sheet.

My goal for these conversations will be how focused on helping students become better writers. I used to view the conversations as opportunities to allow the student to talk in circles about what he or she was writing about today. These kinds of conversations are important as they allow the child to express herself and makes her feel important, but at the end of the day, it did not help the child become a better writer.

I have been really trying to step back and examine my role as one who facilitates and guides learning in the classroom. Specifically, during writing workshop, I often expect my kids to independently use strategies that I've modeled without giving them space and opportunity to practice using those strategies while I am guiding them. My first step this next couple weeks is to make I sure I check in with every writer and just ask them the initial question of "hows it going?"

Conferences Are Conversations

By Allaisia Cotton

I have been attempting writing conferenced with my students since last year, and it seems like I can never get it just right.  If my conferences feel really productive, then they were too long.  If I'm able to get to 6 students in one writing block, I feel like my conferences were rushed, or that I neglected my students in some way.  When I follow a conference protocol closely, conferences can feel stale and impersonal.  When I don't follow a protocol closely, my conferences can feel unfocused and less productive.  To say the least, I have felt discouraged about writing conferences!

One of the best things I pulled from "How's It Going" is that writing conferences should feel like conversations and that they should be based on what kids tell you about their writing first.  I like the idea of the student setting the agenda for the writing conference by describing their work.  Too often, I have started right in on what I think that student should be doing better based on notes I have taken on them or on some strategy I think the class should be focusing on.  This reading made me realize that more often than I originally thought, opportunities will still arise for me to address things I've noticed when I let students set the agenda. And I realize that if those opportunities don't present themselves sometime, it's okay.

Another really overwhelming part of trying to conduct writing conferences is the number of things I notice the student needing help with.  Just by reviewing one writing piece, I might notice some huge deficits in spelling, grammar, developing ideas, flow--and sometimes there are so many important aspects of writing that the student needs guidance with that it feels as though I could never address them all!  This anxiety of feeling like I could never do enough ironically makes me try to do more.  So many times, I have jam-packed conferences with pointers for the kids. Even though I know how overwhelming it is for me when I receive too much feedback at one time, I forget how overwhelming this must be for my students.  I love the way Anderson encourages the use of a line of thinking in conferences-- ONE thing that comes directly from what the student has expressed, to focus on and help the student with.  Just as Rome wasn't built in one day, it takes time to help students develop their writing.

The third most important thing I took from the reader was the importance of listening during conferences.  Even when I begin my conferences by asking kids how things are going, I find that I am often too busy thinking about which strategies I should work on with them, or reviewing notes on where we left off to actually listen to what they are saying.  And as I ask probing questions, I am usually ignoring their responses as I read through their work to determine what they need my help with on my own.  It's so important that I start showing my students that I care about their writing, by listening intently.  When I show how much I care, it motivates them to work even harder and makes them feel as though their writing is important--and it is.

What is a writer's conference?

By Kelsey Mitman

As I sat down to read this book I realized that writer's conferences are not something I officially do with my students. They partake in morning journalism and informational writing about math or science but I never actually sit and really conference with them as part of the writing process. While reading these few chapters I realized that conferencing with my students is really something I need to do even though I do not technically teach writing.

I really took to the part about conferences merely being conversations between you and your student. Each person plays a lead role, first the STUDENT THEN THE TEACHER. The two partake in a discourse and simply converse about what the student has created through his or her writing. The book talks about the different types of conversations you have had and where the most meaningful conversations have taken place. Meaningful conversations are comfortable, they have a point to them , and they matter to both parties. This is the type of conversation I want to create for my students at all times in my classroom, but specifically for writing conferences.

I know that when I have conversations with my students about work that I see or that they turn in, I am quick to correct it for them rather than ask them what they were thinking or why they did it the way they did. Anderson says “I finally realized that my role in conference is to find out from students what work they are doing as writers and then teach them how to do that work better.” Pg 25 Writing conferences are not a time to pull out the red pen and make corrections all of the student's work. They are a time set aside to have a conversation with your student, to set an agenda and begin to understand your student as a whole and as a writer.

I think a difficult thing about writer's conferences, or looking at student's work in general, is to remember that you are here to help the student and do what is best for the student. You are NOT here to do what is easiest for you as the teacher. Beginning a conference by hearing what the student has accomplished and nudging them to grow from there is success. The goal is that a child uses what we taught them or discussed in their conference not only in their current work but again in the future. This shows real growth as a writer. I am eager to begin conversing with my students on a more personal level regarding the writing they do in my classroom.

Deciding WHAT to Teach without Nitpicking

By: Kelsey Ferguson

After reading Ralph Fletcher’s The Writing Workshop, I began to see writing time in my classroom in a whole new light.  Instead of writing being a silent working time, I began to teach my students to confer with one another on their writing, use their experiences as ideas, share their stories with the class and conference with me about their writing.  The result has been much higher engagement in writing block.  My students are enjoying what they are writing much more when they have the choice to write about any topic of their choice and guide themselves through the writing process.  I was excited to further the progression of my students’ writing and the success of writing block by reading How’s It Going? by Carl Anderson.  I feel like this book hits the high points of what I struggle with as a teacher in writing time.  Conferences are by far the most difficult part for me as I struggle with the line between pushing my students to become better writers and fighting the urge to correct their writing.  Three things in particular in these chapters informed my practice as a writing instructor – the idea that conferences are based in conversation, questioning processes, and deciding what to teach.

Often times, my conferences turn into me talking to my students about their writing rather than my students talking to me about their writing.  According to chapter one of How’s It Going?, conferences are to be used to give students the opportunity to talk to you about what they are doing and their thought processes in their writing.  Teachers listen carefully, ask clarifying questions, and then pursue the line of thinking that the student is already on.  The guidance comes from a place of student guidance.  I am going to work this week on stepping back more in my writing conferences so that my students are the main proponents and are responsible for the brain work going into what’s happening.

Secondly, I was pointed by the questioning guidance on page 42-43 of How’s It Going?.   Questioning comes from a place of understanding where the student is and working with what they have given you already. The questions focus on strategies of a writer and how they view themselves and their work as writers.  They are not pointed at grammatical skills or generic writing “rules” or structures.  Instead, they are concerned with guiding a thought process and broader ranging skills.  The skills span from different pieces to work as well. For instance, asking a child “Have you done some of the revision work that you tried on your last piece?” connects the student with work that they have already done while furthering their work, practice and understanding on a new piece of writing.

I also struggle with deciding WHAT to comment on with my students’ writing.  What skill do they need most at this time to help them become a better writer?  How would this piece of writing benefit most?  Anderson points out sources of knowledge to guide these decisions – what we know about good writing, what we know about the writing process, what we know about how children grow and develop as writers, and what we’ve learned about the student as a writer thus far.  I definitely need more development in these categories.  It requires a lot of understanding of where students need to be in order to be on grade level but also how children develop as writers.  I am coming to more understanding of where my students are as writers as the year progresses.  I am coming to more understanding of what they need to be successful as writers. 

Now the struggle is to fight the urge to nitpick writing conventions but work with my students to develop into lifelong writers.  I like this jumping board to change how my writing conferences are going with my students.  I want to work more with and think more about exactly what skills I want to help my students develop over the course of this year so I can have more of a plan going into the conversations – not as a way to guide the conversation myself but to fuse them with what my students are saying and working on in their own pieces.