ABSTRACT
This chapter explores another tactic for giving students feedback on their writing: verbal writing conferences about student work. A writing conference is a one-on-one meeting between teacher and student designed to check on the student's work and offer suggestions. These conferences are typically held while a piece of writing is in progress, providing formative assessment opportunities and facilitating close interaction between teacher and student. There are three especially important reasons why writing conferences are important to strong writing instruction: they build relationships between teachers and students, they provide opportunities for clarification, and they help teachers differentiate instruction. The chapter examines two suggestions that can maximize the effectiveness of the writing conferences: document the conference and establish a classroom routine for holding conferences. The most effective writing workshop classes prioritize independence: students' abilities to work independently on their works and teachers' opportunities to confer independently with students and provide them with individualized instruction.
