Teaching strengths in writing conferences
September 2008
Liz Hale was a first-year student when during a formal observation her lesson plan crumbled. She dreaded going to her principal's office the next day, expecting the worst, when she was pleasantly surprised: her principal began her evaluation by pointing out the positives she saw in Liz's teaching. "Cheryl started our conversation telling me the specific strengths she saw in my teaching," Liz recalls. "She believed in me when I was at my worst, my most vulnerable, which helped me to believe in my potential."
Liz took this experience to her own classroom and writing conferences with students. "Every student in every conference gets taught a strength, whether it takes a few seconds or a few minutes to find one," she writes in her recent book, Crafting Writers, K-6. "Showing students what they do well, regardless of whether a strength is on grade level or not, can affect not just self-perception, but motivation."
Mark Overmeyer, author of When Writing Workshop Isn't Working, agrees that pointing out students' strengths is essential. "I believe even our youngest students can shut down if we offer suggestions prior to pointing out strengths. Writing differs from reading because it is created by students, so even if the piece of writing is a summary rather than a personal narrative, it is still personal in that a student put words on the page," Mark explains.
"It is key that all kids see that they have strengths," says Max Brand, author of Practical Fluency. "During a writing conference I may also ask the child to tell me where they think their writing is strong or working well."
Students will take away the most from a writing conference when the praise they receive is honest and very specific. "The best way to be genuine is to be specific," explains Mark. "Instead of saying "your piece is really interesting' or 'I liked your story', it is important to say something like: 'When you described your puppy's fur, you made me feel how much you must love to hug her'."
When specific strengths are hard to find, Max says that he makes sure to recognize even the "baby steps" his students have taken. "I do not praise the kid, just for the sake of praising," he says. "Children see through that." To better prepare for writing conferences with struggling students, Mark often reads students' work at home or before school so that he has time to think about specific strengths he wants to honor and specific suggestions he wants to make. "If I hear a piece 'cold' and struggle to find a strength, a student may notice this and my comments may be so general that they will not support student growth in writing," he says."
Mark also advises teachers to look beyond the writing when searching for strengths. He often comments on strengths in the student's writing process, rather than in their product. "If I am reading a research-based piece and have difficulty finding writing strengths to point out, I might begin with a process strength: 'Jason, when you chose this topic, I noticed you did exactly what so many writers do: they write about their passions and interests'. Then I will typically follow up with this question as a lead into any suggestions I may have: 'Can I ask you a question about your piece?'"
Writing conferences allow teachers and students to build relationships that help students become more confident writers. "Honest reactions to writing are important here," says Mark. "I think the best way to build relationships with students is to read their writing and then confer with them for many purposes." Mark says that at times he might read a student's writing to praise a strength or the piece of writing as a whole, at other times to find a teaching point, or to just react as a reader. "If we read students' work often enough, we will find moments when we just want to say, as a reader, that we admire their work. We do not mark a rubric, or give suggestions, but we just say 'thanks for letting me read this.'"
Max says that during a writing conference he is there first to listen to the student, then to comment on the writing. "My conferences with kids are personal conferences. Each one deepens the relationship I have with kids. I feel that kids learn to trust me, know I am someone that cares about them and wants to help them first as a person, then as a learner," explains Max.
Mark believes that knowing when not to say anything about a piece of writing is just as important. "I have had moments when students have written about painful experiences such as the death of family members or pets, and I am careful about asking them to revise these pieces. I typically let them know that if they want to work more on these pieces to let me know and I will provide suggestions. But I also let them know that often, when we write from emotion, it is best to just leave the piece alone for a while."
Read more about Max Brand.
Read more about Elizabeth Hale.
Read more about Mark Overmeyer.
