There are so many critical components to the writing process, but in my opinion one of the most important pieces of the puzzle is conferencing. Conferencing provides the formative feedback that students need to hear throughout the process. However, one of the biggest challenges is time. How can one teacher meet with every single student, while simultaneously managing the classroom environment and fielding questions from those who need immediate help? One of the tools that helps me meet this challenge is Google Forms.
I usually write 2-3 questions on the form, have students fill it out for homework, and then have a focal point for the next day’s face-to-face conferencing. This focus helps me conference with my entire class in one class period. I also feel that the act of filling out the form helps students realize whether or not they have met certain targets of the writing piece, and this gives them a chance for self-reflection and revision.
Another tool that I use for conferencing is Kaizena.com. This is a voice feedback tool and it lets teachers or groups of peers leave voice feedback, comments, or links directly on Google Docs. I usually begin the year with leaving all of the voice feedback, but as the year progresses students are put in groups and can easily provide peer-to-peer feedback. The screenshot below shows what a group feed can look like between students. It does not show the actual voice feedback, but I assure you that it is a fantastic conferencing tool for when you are unable to have focused meetings with your students due to time constraints within the classroom.
These are just two strategies, but I feel that they are strategies that can be used across many grade levels and disciplines. The result? A great process that leads to quality products.
Natalie Priest 