Crafting Writers 10-12 and 'Dilemmas & Discourses'

I like that these 3 chapters work together to show teachers how to effectively assess a student's work. Conferencing is a technique that I had never heard about until discussing it in this class. I really like this concept because it gives the teacher one-on-one time with the student, rather than simply handing back a paper with red scribbles on it. It also allows the teacher to focus on the individual progress of each student.

While conferencing students, the most important thing (I believe) is making sure the student's strengths are mention. When students feel overwhelmed and pressured, they can sometimes shut down all together. Creating a balance between praise and suggestion is key to a successful conference.

After accessing the students a teacher can get a better grasp on what they need to teach next. A conference is beneficial to the teacher because it can help determine what issue needs to be addressed in the next mini-lesson.

As we learned in previous chapters, it is not only important for a child to properly develop skills in the technical aspect of writing (punctuation, spelling, sentence structure), but 'tweaking' how they write and the emotion that their writing portrays. Development of each student's individual craft can be achieved through proper conferencing and assessment techniques that are supportive of the student's writing style.