Deciding Whom to Confer with Next

Fair is not always equal. Some students need to meet with us more often than others. We want every student to get the level of support they need. To make sure we meet this goal, we do the following every day before moving to one-on-one conferring.

First, we check our calendar for preset appointments. These are follow-up conferences that we set the last time we conferred with a child. We meet with these students first. If we don't have an appointment, we move on to the next sheet in our conferring notebook.

The Keeping Track sheet shows each date we have met with a child. We refer to this next to see whom we need to meet with. Some teachers list students in alphabetical order. Courtney Tomfohr, a first-grade teacher in Washington State, lists them in rank order, from those who need the most support and direct instruction to those who are her strongest, most independent students. Now when her eyes scan down the list, the first names she sees are those who need her most. Courtney feels this keeps her from letting anyone slip through the cracks. Other teachers leave their list in alphabetical order but highlight the names of their tier-two and tier-three students. This keeps students with the highest needs clearly visible so they can be met with more often, providing the support and instruction that will help them be successful.

Lastly, we sometimes offer students the opportunity to request a conference by placing their name on the board (see photo). After meeting with the students on our calendar and those who are a priority on the Keeping Track sheet, we check in with students who have specifically requested a meeting with us. When we teach students to use this option thoughtfully and responsibly, they meet those expectations well, asking for conferences when they are ready to publish a piece of writing, are struggling with a strategy, or want to demonstrate proficiency with one. 

Having a system in place for determining whom we meet with keeps our conferences intentional and helps guarantee that every student receives the differentiation they deserve. 

Ready to go digital? 

If you do, check out ConferringNotebook.com. It does everything a paper-conferring notebook does, with the added benefit of real-time sharing with other teachers, which makes curricular coherence an efficient and possible reality. We are so sure you’ll love it that we are letting you try it for free.