Conferring in the Writers Workshop-Salch and Marino

This article describes some common issues teachers experience in trying to use writing workshop time to effectively converse with students in a way that promotes progress in their writing ability. The article acknowledges the fact that there really is not a fool proof template or script to be used in writing workshops which puts a lot more responsibility on the already busy teacher to make the conversation worthwhile. Many suggestions are offered in the article, including but not limited to; respond first as a reader, find specific things to praise, learn to listen and take a reflective stance.
I definitely think the ideas presented in this article could be applicable at my grade level. We have already been doing writing workshop for about three weeks and I have found myself struggling at times to figure out the best way to give feedback to students that leaves them wanting to write more, rather than disappointed or feeling like they messed up. One suggestion in here that I already found myself using was finding specific things to praise. I think that although it’s easy to point out forgotten periods or capital letters in the wrong place, it’s important to take the time to dwell on the positive aspects of the students writing. This allows the student to take some pride in their work and it also encourages them to do more of whatever it is that worked in their writing, which is exactly what we would hope for our students.
I feel that I have a lot to learn as a professional in order to maximize the potential of writing workshop. For example, I can generally find some positives in a students piece of writing, however, I would prefer to be a bit more well informed on how the writing process develops in students so I could have a better idea of what traits to be looking for and encouraging in students. The ideas in this module have taught me a lot about the range of options for assessing students writing. I have learned that assessing writing may be a lot more subjective and thus a bit more difficult for the teacher. However, the open context in which this possible is beneficial to the student as long as the teacher is able to realistically determine where the students strengths are and use those strengths to encourage the writer to continue writing as it is really a continuous process.