I've really been trying to get conferences in with my students. At the beginning of the year, I kept a notebook and did a short running record, discussed the book with my students (taking notes about what they were able to retell, probing with more questions, talking about connections...things that went along with what I had taught). This worked well to allow me to have conversations with my students and to learn a bit about what they were struggling with as well as their strengths. It also gave me some information about fluency. However, having just open ended lines did not help me track progress and skills as well as a form. So, I switched to a conferencing form. There were some things I liked about the form. It allowed me to see what types of books my students were choosing and what interested them as readers. It also showed me that many of them needed a refresher in choosing just right books, or choosing interesting books based on things beyond just the cover. I also realized that most of my students were interested in chapter books, but for whatever reason, were shying away from them. So...I am getting ready to incorporate literature circles where they will be reading and discussing chapter books together which they had a hand in selecting. Hopefully by experiencing the books together, they will get more out of them and develop more as readers.
The form I was using also allowed my students to self-assess, identifying their own strengths and weaknesses. Interestingly enough, a few realized they were choosing books which were not challenging enough for them, even though at first, they said they were just right. A few realized they needed help figuring out what unknown words were, which tells me there's a need for a mini-lesson in that area. One wanted to work on reading with expression/voice when reading the quotes from different characters. Without conferencing, I would not know my students were having any of these insights into their development as readers.
Despite the positives, the form I was using didn't really help me track skill development. It did a great job of tracking overall comprehension, but I felt that I need something that goes more in line with the standards so that I can make sure I'm touching on all of the things that I need to cover over the course of several conferences. For that reason, I'm going to modify the form I'm using to cover both of these areas. Overall, no matter what I'm doing or what form I'm using, conferencing with my students gives me so much insight into how they're developing as readers, and better yet, holds us all accountable for that ever so important independent reading time.
Stephanie, I love talking to my students about what they are reading! It helps me get to know them so much better. I would love to see the form that you are using, as well as what you are working to create if you don't mind sharing. When we used to turn in our conferencing logs each week, it seemed like such a struggle to get the conferences in and recorded. I remember rejoicing when we didn't have to turn them in anymore. (Shhh! Don't tell Lindi!) However, when I cut back on conferencing to save time for other things that needed to be done in the classroom, I felt the loss. Rotating my students through balanced literacy with small groups has really helped me to find that balance (ha ha) that I needed in my classroom. It doesn't feel like a chore to do the conferences, and I know my students much better, academically and personally, than I did before.
ReplyDeleteStephanie, the fact that you are taking the time to conference with your students is a wonderful way to encourage reading and assess progress. It seems like you are learning a lot about your readers through your discussions. I just emailed you a reading conference form I worked on with Ashleigh. It is similar to the forms Lindi made for us and some prefer it to help them keep track of the standards. I liked using them because I often needed the reminder to cover certain topics. This combined with your original form may help you get the information you're looking for with your kids.
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate so much the ways you are utilizing conferencing as a formative assessment. I too, value conferencing as one of my most effective tools because it not only provides me with valuable data that I can use to guide my instruction but it also provides the student with the unique one on one time with me that can grow them as a reader, as a writer, and it builds community. Thank you for sharing how you are using conferencing data to guide your instruction. Sincerely, Dawn