When I first began reading Chapter 7 of Anderson's How's It Going, I immediately began to think that this man has clearly been in my classroom and knows exactly what I am dealing with and how I am feeling. His anecdote about the initial feelings in terms of the structure of Writer's Workshop was almost identical to how I felt. In first implementing the workshop, my students seemed to be extremely dependent upon me during this time and relied on me for everything, sometimes even before attempting to start on their writing. When planning for conferences, I found it so frustrating to have students crowded around me while I was conferring with one student because they wanted to ask something as simple as "Can I sharpen my pencil?" Also, similar to Anderson, another issue I noticed was the fact that while I was conferring with a student, the students that would be at their desks working on their writing would be talking loudly so it made it very difficult for me to hear what the student I was conferring with was saying. Because of this, I began straying away from conferencing and spending more time walking around the room monitoring students' noise level. I found this to not be very beneficial for the students and it was also exhausting for me as a teacher. However, by conferences with my coach and reading this text, I have found some really helpful insights that will assist me in the management of my conferences moving forward. Below are the main points that squared with my thinking, pointed me in a new direction, and things that are still circling in my mind:
Square
"Unless our students can work independently, it can be almost impossible to conduct conferences."
This quote squared with my thinking mainly because I have known this to be evident in my classroom. When students are constantly being needy and asking questions and seeking assistance from the teacher, it only insinuates that there is no structure present so that students know what to do at all times during the workshop. When students learn to navigate through the workshop independently, conferences are much more productive.
Triangle
"We begin our envisionment work by imagining how students will make the transition from the mini-lesson into writing time. When we effectively manage this transition, students have more time for writing, and we have more time for conferring. Managing the transition requires us to create predictable routines."
This idea pointed me in a new direction because at first I felt as if since I started the workshop too late in the year, that it would be impossible to manage and students would never be able to run it themselves. However, when Anderson points out that we must envision how writer's workshop will look in our classroom, I thought about how helpful doing this would be for me. My students need predictable routines they can rely on so by implementing them and being consistent in the implementation, students will be much more successful at being independent during writer's workshop and more will get accomplished.
Circle
"When writers come to their writing each day with a sense of purpose, they're much much less likely to get off track or be distracted. We need to teach students to be the kind of writers who begin writing time by making plans for what they're going to do that period."
This is something that I am still thinking about because sometimes it seems as though my some of my students can be distracted during the conferences and it seems to be very frustrating because I feel as if they are off task. However, I like how Anderson points out that we must teach writers to come to the workshop with a sense of purpose and assist them in finding ways to make plans for their writing.
I wanted to read Chapter 7 first, only because I felt that the issue of management was more pressing in my classroom. However, in reading Chapter 6, there were a lot of helpful tips that Anderson suggests as you learn to choreograph conferences with students. The following consist of the main points that squared with my thinking, pointed me in a new direction, and are still circling:
Square
"When I confer, I choose to go where students sit in the classroom. While conferences are not conversations between equals, students seem more at ease talking with me when I meet them where they feel most comfortable, at their desks or tables, even on the floor in a corner if that's where they're writing. By going to students to confer, we show them we are interested in talking about their writing."
This squared with me because I never liked it for students to have to lug all of their belongings to my desk to conference with me about what they were working on. I have found it to be extremely comforting for students to be able to feel at ease and relaxed in conferencing because then the conferences are much more likely to be successful. Also, this is a great way to build relationships with students.
Triangle
"I usually take notes in three areas of interest. First, I write down what I learn about a student as a writer: the work he is doing and insights I gain into who he is as a writer from what he says or from looking at his draft. Second, I record what I teach him in the conference. And third, if I think the class might benefit from hearing what the student and I talked about during the conference, I jot down "Share" or "Mini-Lesson" to remind me at the end of the period to refer to our conference in that day's share session or to return to it when I plan the next day's mini-lesson."
When I read this, I found it to be very helpful! Although I had been taking notes during my conferences with students, I still sometimes found myself unsure on what exactly I should be writing and in doing so it was hard for me to determine how to be helpful to students the next time we conferred. I think by using the template for note writing that Anderson provides, it will be much more easier and beneficial to keep track of conferences.
Circle
"I try to see four or five students during writing workshop period, which means that each conference is on average five minutes long. Five minutes is enough time to have a quality conversation with each student, and (in a class of thirty students) see each of them every six to eight days. If I'm able to make a teaching decision quickly, a conference might take only three or four minutes. Or if I need to give a student a lot of assistance during the have-a-go, then a conference might take seven or eight minutes."
I am still wondering about this component of writer's workshop because I still don't have it timed perfectly. Sometimes I feel like my conferences are too long and other times I feel like they aren't long enough. It is sometimes a struggle to make sure that the conferences are meaningful and making sure that you are maximizing the time spent conferencing. In using Anderson's suggested format, I am hoping to become more successful in this area.
All in all, I think that this book has become instrumental in helping to inform my planning for Writer's Workshop. The way that Anderson has so eloquently mapped out the logistics and struggles of making the workshop possible while simultaneously having successful conferences have been extremely beneficial. I plan to continue to use this book as a resource moving forward and I am excited to see how future writing workshops will look in my classroom.
