*What, for you, is the value of conferences?
As an ENGL 106-I instructor, I know that second language writers in particular benefit from writing conferences. These students learn to express their thoughts in a foreign language; therefore, they appreciate the individual approach that we give them through these conferences, during which they have a chance to receive personalized feedback suitable for their language proficiency.

Each semester I receive positive feedback from my students about one-on-one conferences. It seems to me that many students find conferences one of the most helpful and productive elements of the course.


*How do you communicate this value to students?
*What is one of your conferencing success stories?
Conferences facilitate mutual collaboration between the teacher and the student. They demonstrate that revision is a collaborative effort, a mutual process, in which the students and I are partners. Although this process obviously maintains my supervising role as a teacher, the students are no longer the mere receivers of my instructions, directions, or guidelines, but they actively participate by reflecting, analyzing, asking, and revising.

One student of mine shared that writing conferences helped her realize that the teacher is not only someone who is supposed to evaluate her writing, but the teacher is also a curious reader who is interested in her ideas and responds to them. Because our conferences were more like friendly dialogues about her writing, during which we addressed some of my comments and discussed particular parts of her draft, she felt that we both were involved in a collaborative revision.


*What is your favorite activity to do in conferences?
*What strategies do you suggest for peer work shopping/peer writing groups?

I like to combine peer review with individual conferences. This is how it works: I have three students for the day. Before we begin, students receive a peer review sheet and a classmate’s draft. For example, Student 1 receives a draft from Student 2, Student 2 receives a draft from Student 3, Student 3 receives a draft from Student 1. I start an individual conference (about 15 minutes) with Student 1 while Student 2 and Student 3 are working on peer review. Then I work with Student 2 while Student 1 and Student 3 are doing peer review. And so on. At the end, all three students have a 15-minute conference and about a 30-minute peer review activity. Combining peer review and individual conferences not only helps me use time wisely, but it also gives students a chance to receive feedback from multiple readers.
*What is one of the biggest problems you've faced in conferences, and how have you addressed it?

I’d like students to come to the conference with their own agenda, but some students expect me to tell them, “You need to do this and that.” I found a solution by having students fill out a pre-conference preparation sheet with specific questions. By doing this, I believe, they are able to better point out for themselves certain aspects of their writing that need to be addressed during the conference, so most of them come with a specific agenda to each conference, and we have a productive conversation about their writing.