Speaking Up: Manageable, Meaningful, and Student-Driven Conferences

One-on-one conferences have become a cornerstone in many language arts teachers’ elementary classrooms as an effective method to foster individualized student growth. But how do educators make conferences manageable, meaningful and student-driven in the secondary English classroom? In this practical, teacher-friendly text, we consider strategies for managing the logistics of conferencing with 100+ students, and moving the preparation, and direction of conferences from teacher to student. Readers will walk away with specific tools to create, develop, or revise their practice of conferencing leading to greater student ownership.