4 Methods of Teaching Reading and Writing for Conferring All-Star Teachers™
Can I just take a sec and just say that being a teacher is no walk in the park. Don't get me wrong, I loved teaching in the classroom. But man, the stress and overwhelm of learning new teaching methods is REAL!
With new methods of teaching reading and writing; comes a whole lot of professional development, book studies, new tools, and more expectations. You want to help your students meet end of the year reading and writing goals. But you only have a few short months left to do it; and you want to make the biggest impact possible.
One of the best and quickest ways to support ALL your students no matter if they have fallen significantly behind or are ahead of the pack is conferring with students. Using the RIGHT BALANCE of 1 on 1 conferences and small groups is when you become an unstoppable literacy teacher. Grab my Conferring with Readers & Writers guide and get 9 MUST HAVES to deliver effective 1 on 1 conferences and small groups every single time.
Here’s the thing. There are so many different types of 1-on-1 conferences and small groups you can use to give your students the strategies they need.
Choose the best method of teaching that will make the biggest impact and stick to that structure.
Each method of teaching reading and writing has its own predictable structure. When conferring with students; the main thing is to choose the best conferring method you think will make the biggest impact and then STICK TO THAT STRUCTURE.
For example:
If you want to build up confidence and give compliments to students because they used a certain strategy; then a COMPLIMENT conference would be the best conferring method to choose.
If you want to have your students set new goals and actionable steps to reach those goals; then a GOAL SETTING CONFERENCE or REFLECTION GROUP would be the best choice.
All three conferring methods above have a very unique purpose and predictable structure. When you stick to that structure; you will give your students the clear, responsive teacher feedback they will need to move along to the next skill.
If you are a teacher who has little to no experience with these methods of teaching reading and writing; you might be thinking:
“Desirée, when I’m conferring with students about reading or writing; there are so many different types of conferences and small groups to pick from. Where in the world should I start?”
No worries, teacher friend. I've got you.
I would recommend you start in this order:
Conferring Method #1: The Compliment Conference
The Compliment Conference is a super quick conferring method that builds up your students' confidence in themselves as readers and writers. What I love my compliment conferences is that they are quick wins for you as a Conferring All-Star Teacher™ in the making. They are very short 1-on-1 meetings where you give compliments to students by quickly noticing a strength they are close or already proficient in. Then you name that strength in the form of a compliment or helpful praise to encourage them to continue using the strategy in the future.
The structure is very simple and because they don't take very long; you'll be able to learn it and start using pretty quickly in your classroom. Now Conferring All-Star Teachers™ don't just give any old compliment to students. They give the most transferable compliment when conferring with students. Inside The Conferring All-Star Teacher™ Course; I will teach you the structure and timing of Compliment Conferences. And how to give the most powerful compliment you could ever share with your students.
Conferring Method #2: Coaching Conference
When you are sure of what to teach a student, Coaching Conferences help you save time. And I know you want to know how to save time so you can meet with more students, right? Maybe you saw a student the day before, taught them a new strategy, and noticed they could use more support. You might choose to do a Coaching Conference the next day.
So what are Coaching Conferences? It's when you offer a student a strategy….it can be a new one or old one. Then you give them teacher feedback and support as they practice. Pretty simple huh? You will spend most of the time… COACHING. Hehe, which is why they are called coaching conferences.
Conferring Method #3: Strategy Groups
When you group your students together because they would all benefit from instruction and guided practice around the same strategy. No more teaching a strategy to 3 students separately. If all 3 students need that same strategy; now you can group them together and teach them all at once.
Your lesson can begin with a quick burst of explicit teaching, then offer coaching and teacher feedback. I have a quick tip for you though. If you haven't used strategy group lessons yet; I would recommend starting with a Coaching Conference. Watch this video below to find out why.
Conferring Method #4: Research-Compliment-Teach Conference
In Research-Compliment-Teach conferences, you do NOT know what you are going to teach before you start the conference. Whew…this can be a little challenging sometimes because you have research or figure out what the student is doing and what the next step would be. And you do all of this AFTER you start the conference. One quick tip is to remember to keep the student's reading or writing goal in the back of mind. This will help you focus your research. But once you decide on a strategy, then you're ready to compliment, teach, and give powerful strategy focused feedback.
Don't forget to grab my Conferring with Readers & Writers Like a Pro FREE Guide.
Even if you feel like you don't have time to fit all these methods of teaching reading and writing into your already packed literacy block. Guess what, teacher friend? There is no ceiling on what you can do and how many students you can reach. In this FREE guide, you'll learn the 9 STEPS for any literacy teacher who wants to become an all-star at 1-on-1 conferences and small groups.
I'm sure you have some students who are significantly behind, some right where they need to be, and some ahead of the pack. Am I right? They are all over the place…I totally get it. But if you're ready to reach EVERY student, every single week… then grab my free guide right here and change your conferring life forever.
Your Conferring All-Star Teacher™ Journey is a marathon and not a sprint.
There’s so many different types of 1 on 1 conferences and small groups you can use with your students. I remember when I first started out conferring with students in writing and reading over 16 years ago; I only knew how to do Research-Compliment-Teach conferences and strategy groups. It takes time. Your #Conferring All-Star Teacher journey is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. You're on your way, teacher friend!
If you’re looking for even more FREE training, strategies, and resources on conferring for students; come on over to my Facebook page or Instagram and grab my Conferring With Readers & Writers Guide. This guide will give you the 9 must-haves to meet ALL your students' needs in 1-on-1 conferences and small groups every single week.
Have an awesome year, teacher friend!!!
