Student-Led Writing Conferences

I believe students should become as independent as possible. I would not be doing my job if I never encouraged them to take risks, step out of their comfort zone, or push them to problem solve before asking for help.

During our Writing Workshop, I conference with students about their writing. This is heavily guided with most of the prep work on my end. I realized that this went against everything I preach daily to my students about taking ownership over their work. It hit me that I needed to flip the roles and allow students to lead the conferences.

I provided a mini lesson on what a successful conference looks like for both student and teacher as well as how to thoroughly prepare for one. I knew that students needed more prep time than I did when I ran conferences because they had to squeeze this in during writing block when they also had to complete an assignment. So, I encouraged students to take 2 minutes at the end of each writing block to begin filling out their conference sheet (click here to purchase). By the end of the week all answers would be completed on the sheet.

At this point in time, students could go up to the board and sign up for a  conference time with me.

We are slow moving with the prep side of things, but like anything worth waiting for you must be patient so that it can be its best. With that said, the conferences I have taken part of have been …AMAZING! It is the cutest thing to watch these children morph into teacher-mode! I hear my language and tone in their voices. It cracks me up when they hit the nail on the head with phrases like, “I know I can do better, but it will just take some time,” or “Don’t worry, I’m really going to focus going forward.” They are maturing and growing! I am so glad I realized I had to let go of the control in order for this transformation to happen.

I highly encourage you to switch roles with your students and let them be the teacher. You’ll be surprised at how much they have been listening and care to become their best selves! Try it out and then come back to tell me how it went!

What went well? What did you need to tweak?

(If you created additional documents for this process, leave your link below!)

About the author, Gretchen

I am a teacher trainer and coach. Working elbow to elbow with teachers and teacher leaders to ensure instructional proficiency and student achievement soar lights me up. We have a real need in our nation for strong educators to remain in the field. My blog, book, podcast, courses and instructional materials are geared towards empowering teachers (and those that lead them) to receive the support needed to grow and thrive today, tomorrow and always.

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