Writing Conference

A structured 3–5 minute conversation between teacher and individual student about their writing-in-progress. The teacher asks, listens, and responds to exactly one thing — not everything that could be improved. The writer stays in charge of their own piece.

Procedure

1. During independent writing time, teacher circulates. Pause at one student.
2. Ask first, don't read yet: How's your writing going? Tell me about it. Where are you now?
3. Let the student explain. Listen carefully.
4. Read only what the student chooses (the best part / the stuck part / the whole thing if short).
5. Respond to one thing:
   • A strength: Your opening grabbed me. That question made me want to keep reading.
   • A craft point: I noticed you used "very" four times. Is that the effect you wanted?
   • A strategic choice: What do you think your reader needs next?
6. Leave the student with ownership: do not rewrite, do not over-direct. The writing is theirs.
7. Move to the next student. Total: 3–5 min per conference; reach 4–6 students per class.

Conference Stances

Stance	When
Celebrate	When the writing is working; name what's working.
Nudge	When there's a craft move just beyond the student's current version.
Clarify	When the writing is confusing; ask questions that reveal the writer's intent.
Assign strategy	When the student is stuck; teach one concrete next move.
Listen only	When the student is emotional or frustrated; sometimes that's what they need.

Why It Works

• Individual attention in a group-instruction format.
• The writer stays in charge: the teacher is a reader, not an editor.
• One-thing discipline: writers leave with a manageable focus, not a panic list.
• Builds craft vocabulary: conferences are where specific writing moves get named.

Good Conference Questions

• What's this piece about — for you?
• Which part are you most pleased with? Why?
• Where did you get stuck? What did you try?
• Who will read this? What do you want them to feel?
• What's the most important sentence in this piece?

Variations

• Peer conference: trained students conduct conferences with each other using the same question bank.
• Goal-setting conference: end the conference by agreeing one concrete revision target.
• Progress conference: at the start of a cycle, conference is about goals; mid-way, it's about obstacles; at the end, it's about what the student learned.

Tips

• Keep a conference log: brief notes on each student (date, one theme discussed, one thing they'll try). Track patterns over time.
• Sit beside, not across. Physical position matters; across feels assessed, beside feels collaborative.
• Don't touch the pen. The temptation to edit is strong. Resist. Student holds the pen.
• Conference for 3–5 minutes, not 15. Short focused conferences > long exhaustive ones.

Source

Graves, D. (1983) Writing: Teachers and Children at Work. Heinemann. Anderson, C. (2000) How's It Going? A Practical Guide to Conferring with Student Writers. Heinemann. Core practice of Writers' Workshop globally.