I have finally found an easy way to manage my conferring schedule! I am now in my fifth year of teaching reading, writing, and math in a “workshop” format (mini lesson, gradual release to independent work, conferring, group share) and there are a lot of kinks I am still working out. The tip I have to share today is one that has made it so much easier for me to keep track of who is next on my conferring agenda.
When I am conferring, my clipboard is with me everywhere I go. It has all of my notes for each student regarding what they were working on the last time we met, what areas I hope to see improvement, reminders for compliments, etc.
Since it is always with me, I keep my handy dandy clothespin organizational system on my clipboard.
On the right side, I keep all of the names of the students who I have not conferred with in this “round”. As I get to the student, I move their name to the top of my clipboard. Sometimes I will also put a student’s name at the top of the clipboard if I KNOW that I want to meet with them in my next conferring session.
After I have finished all of my conferences in the periodfor the day, I move the names of the students I met with to a little sign at the front of my room near the sharing rug. Occasionally I will pull one of the names of the students I have conferred with already in this round and put their name back on the clipboard because I want to check in on them sooner. But in general, this keeps everything fair and lets the kids know about how much time they have left before meeting with me again. Super easy!
I am curious about how other teachers manage their conferences and conferring schedules. Reach out and let me know if you an awesome system to share!
