Conducting Student-centered Conferences
Purpose: These strategies will help instructors organize and structure effective student-centered conference sessions.
Description: This information is intended to help instructors have productive student-conferences within a limited time frame. These strategies are intended to make students active participators during their conferences.
Suggested Time: 20-30 minute sessions per student
Procedure:
1. Get started by setting goals for the session: Before beginning the conference, ask students if they have any specific concerns about their writing or questions about the assignment. Try to set specific goals with the student that will structure the conference session. For example, a student may raise concerns about integrating research into the paper. The instructor can then say “During this session we will be addressing all elements of your writing, but we will especially focus on your concerns about research.” You might have students submit this information to a discussion board beforehand.
2. Have the student do the talking: One of the best strategies for achieving student-centered conferencing is to have the student read the paper out loud (pencil in hand). During this process, students will often find and correct many grammatical and sentence-level mistakes on their own. A good way to structure this activity to have the student read one paragraph at a time, and then pause from reading to reflect and address problems. This process also may prompt the student to remember questions or particular difficulties they had drafting the paper. Allow the student to ask questions, and take the opportunity to create a dialogue with the student about their writing. The instructor can also stress that this is an effective strategy that the student can do on their own.
3. Ask guiding questions: Instead of identifying and correcting problems for students, ask questions that will help guide the student to think critically about their own work. These questions should require more than “yes” or “no” answers and should challenge the student to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their writing. Students will retain information learned in the session better if they have an active role in addressing their writing issues. Guiding questions will also help set the pace of the session and help keep the student on topic.
4. Stay positive: Set a positive tone for the session. Help the student identify their strengths as writers, not just their weaknesses. If you do need to correct the student, don’t make it personal. Instead of saying “you are bad at transitions,” say “in this paper the transitions between paragraphs can be stronger.” However, be realistic with students while also providing them with solutions so they can achieve their goal, "I know that your goal is to get an 'A' and I want you to know that is possible but you have a lot of work to put in to make that happen. I would also recommend that you meet with a tutor in the RWC or consider coming to my office hours."
5. Review the session goals and set future goals: Towards the close of the session, allow a few minutes for reflection. Make sure the goals you set for the session have been met. Ask the student to briefly demonstrate what they have learned during the conference. This is also a good time to set future goals for the student to complete. This will emphasize the importance of drafting and that writing is an ongoing process.