Donna,
As Elisa mentioned, time IS the tough one here. I
have found my conferences even tougher to get in along
with guided reading, so I've extended my reading time
by 15 min. (In primary grades, I can get away with
stealing from content area...which I teach
thematically anyway, so the content is embedded
throughout the day.)
I keep a 3 ring binder with tabbed and pocketed
dividers. I have a recording/notes sheet for each
student and always a pack of stickies. Obviously, I
make notes from our meeting, and I jot down any
reminders/teaching point/goal for the student on the
sticky. It is usually just a little note about our
conference, and the next time we meet I will ask, "How
did that work for you?" I've found these visual
"reminders" work nicely for younger kids. (I do this
for writer's conf. as well) The pocketed tabs are
great because when I collect sticky notes from kids or
other evidence of thinking, I can put them in the
binder to discuss with kids as future conferences, or
I can see where they may need a bit more help...e.g.
making relevant connections that enhance
understanding. I am NOT an organized paper person, so
this has worked very well for me. I say, know your
weaknesses, and work with them! ;0) A good friend of
mine used a small timer because one of HER weaknesses
was having a 30 minute conference! She said it helped
a lot, and now she doesn't even need to use it.
I do let my kids sign up, but it is very simply: put
your name on the whiteboard. I call the first student
and then they quietly go erase their name and get the
next for me. When I notice a child isn't signing up,
I will ask him to put his name up or I will simply
call him first.
Hope this helps a little. Good luck...and don't be
shy about using this list. I would've LOVED to have
this resource when I was student teaching...so MANY
questions crop up!
Lisa
2/3 IL
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