Chapter+11

//A group conference is when a small number (2-5) students are pulled together to discuss a specific reading strategy they may all benefit from; they may be all reading different texts. A guided reading group is when all the students in the group are reading the same text and the meeting is discussing what they're reading. The benefits of a small group conference are many. One positive thing about group conferences are that the kids are never thought of as being "tracked" as being in a particular groups. Sometimes students can feel traumatized by being a bluebird or a robin, knowing that the robin is the best group in the class. Those students in the lower groups can begin to feel distraught, especially if they're in that group all year. But with the group conference, student groups are always flexible and students are rotated all the time. This puts all students at an even place within the class; no one group is better than another. This is at least true in the student's eyes. This way, those students that are at a lower level, may be in a small group conference with the highest readers in the class and may help to make the lower level reader seem not so bad after all. Even if we don't think so, students know who's the smart ones and lower ones of the classroom. With group conferences, this would be allevaited.// //Cara1212﻿// Chapter 11 from Bobbi Friend #1 The main benefit of a small-group conference is that we can meet with multiple students at one time while focusing on a skill that all the students need. When I work with 2-5 students at one time I can work smarter, not harder. When I pull a group together it can be based on the research portion of a conference, the result of active engagement in a mini-lesson, the result of observing a partnership work, or when watching what readers are struggling with during independent reader’s workshop. I have found these small-group conferences helpful with groups of students who are having similar distractibility issues, fluency issues, or comprehension issues. It also is valuable to pull groups together as a result of running records miscue analysis. When students are having similar struggles, it makes sense to pull them together to work on a strategy.
 * __Chapter Eleven: Working Efficiently: Group Conferring__**
 * 1) 1. We as teachers need to work smarter not harder. Strategy group conferring is a great example of one way to do this. Jen and Gravity are very precise about the features of a small group conference. You have to be careful not to confuse these group conferences with guided reading groups. Comment on what you feel the benefits are of a small group conference and how you would use them in your classroom.
 * Respond Here:**

Small group conferring will allow me to group children with similar challenges. These groupings will be ever changing. I like that. I struggled with teaching a group of children who have been in "that" group forever. The idea of working with children with a specific strategy makes sense. All the children do not need "that" strategy.

Margaret Fox

I read through this chapter a couple times because I really had to get this straight in my mind. I am guilty of overusing the term guided reading group to encompass anything I did which involved reading with small group. I have a clearer idea of the differences between small-group conferences and guided reading groups. A small-group conference needs to be specific to a particular skill that all the readers will benefit from working on. In guided reading groups the task at hand is the particular text that the group will all be reading. I do believe there is a valid reason to use each of these formats but we need to have done careful research before deciding which will be of most benefit for our students. Many times there is a couple of students who need to work on a skill at the same time and this makes better use of our time if we can streaqmline some of our teaching to assist more than one student at a time. I also like that this does not mean static groups. I like that you observe your class and pull a strategy group, have a small-group conference and they go on reading. --Jodee Tuttle

I feel the benefits a small group conference are you have a small group that works on the same strategy that don' t even have to be on the same book or even the same level. Also, these groups change with the different strategies taught. When the groups are pulled together the intent for the conference is stated and a quick demonstration using a familar read a-loud is done and then they practice that strategy in their own books. I think another benefit is the small amount of time spent on the actual conference. You can coach them at this point for a short time and then repeat the strategy to make sure they have completely understood then back to independent work. Ronda

I heard Cara say that small group conferences are a positive experience for building classroom rapport. Our students don't feel they are being "leveled", they are being taught the same skills and strategiesthat their friends and classmates are being taught. They are getting "extra" teaching just like everyone else. I think that is a powerful way to keep students engaged and positive about their learning. It really is differentiated teaching and learning. Helping multiple students at different levels think and learn about a strategy at their own level. Sure makes sense. I also focused on what Bobbi said about"teaching smarter, not harder.' Any time I can get more bang for my buck, and it makes good teaching sense, I'm for it. These small group conferences still follow a predictable routine, the students know I will hold them accountable, and I teach them explicit straegies to help them become better readers. I'm excited to see how this works this year. Mike

Having conducted a handful of strategy group conferences last year, I agree with Cara and Margaret that it is a great way to teach a strategy quickly to more than one child and groups are of mixed reading ability. There were a few instances last year where one of my top readers was in a conference with several lower level readers because that was a skill he needed extra support to master.

I will use these group conferences when my research, rather by observation, conferring, or running record analysis, indicates that two or more students need practice or reinforcement of the same strategy. The group conferences will not only save me time and allow me to work with more students during my conferring time, and save myself from repeating the same conference more than once, but show students that they are not the only reader struggling with a particular strategy. That could be a confidence builder for several students, especially if they are sitting in a conference with one of the “smart kids.”

Stephanie Cooper The other responses on the wiki explain well the difference betweenstrategy groups and guided reading groups. One benefit of strategy groups isthat the focus is on the reading strategy more than the reading ability levelof the group. This means that the students in the group use their own storiesat their own level but are focused on the same comprehension skill. Thisnaturally avoids the problem of hurt feelings by some students who are veryaware when they are grouped by reading level. I also see the benefit of beingmore efficient with time since individual conferences can take up huge amountsof time. Strategy groups help address similar reading goals for a few all atone time. To do this though you have to conduct strong research about your class and determine similar goals for a group of students. - Garth As others have stated, pulling students from different levels to a small group conference is a way to target several children who are working on the same skill even if they are reading on different levels. I like that the groups will change and students will not be in the same group all the time. Having students work with different people will help build a community of readers. Sue Ronning

There are many benefits to using small group conferring. This is so similar to Writer's Workshop. Find students with the same weakness and work with them together. Same thing with reading. I like how Margaret mentioned maybe looking for common miscues from running records as one way to group them up. Pull those students together to work on those certain strategies. The great thing is not all students have to be at the same reading level reading the same book. You can help so many more students doing this than all one-on-pone conferring. TGaribay

Cara did such a great job summarizing the difference between strategy groups and guided reading groups. The most important thing she said was how students are not labeled. This can be so lessened by the use of strategy groups. Wow I’m in a group with 2 benchmark students. The more adults pretend students don’t know that they are struggling the worse students feel. But look I ‘m in a group with “good readers’ raises there self esteem and that can make all the difference. KDN Both approaches to forming groups are appealing to me. It’s efficient to form a group based on previous data collected, such as running records and unit check-brics. On pages 157-158, the authors suggested analyzing past record-keeping once a week in order to prepare for “follow-up instruction” for a few students or a “string of a few mini-lessons” for the whole class. My goal this year is to also be more proactive with planning for my conferences. In the past, I haven’t been the greatest at analyzing all the notes I collected. The authors remind us on page 167, to “put to use all of those notes that you spend so much time taking!” My goal is to use my notes to plan and implement at least four small-group conferences for the following week, as the authors accomplished. I also like the idea of spontaneous groups that are, as Bobbi mentioned, “flexible and fluid.” But as the person who commented in blue (I don’t see your name) it can be very challenging as I, too, like to have the data in front of me and make decisions ahead of time. Sara Sabourin
 * 1) 2. There are different ways to form these small groups. They can be pre-determined or spontaneous. What might work for you and what ideas appealed to you and why?
 * Respond Here:**

Chapter 11 from Bobbi Friend #2 I have already answered this question to some extent in my last answer. These types of groups can be formed to be flexible and fluid. Most of the time the groups would be created spontaneously, but I would plan them ahead of time when working with miscue analysis groups because those issues would not come up due to observation but rather due to data. Small groups, as I stated earlier, help teachers to work more effectively and efficiently. //I would entertain some of the methods mentioned in the text. I particularly remember the authors stating that they use the students' book logs and reading notebooks as a method of quick assessment. By looking these over the teacher is able to tell what might be an area of concern regarding the student and their reading. For example, the student may be reading too few of pages during independent read aloud; the teacher may come to the realization that the student may be having difficulty reading the passage or that they need assistance with comprehension. The teacher may look at the post its to find similar information. If the student isn't making a meaninful entry in their reading notebook, the teacher may find this as a red flag also. // //I also liked the ways the authors suggested to keep meaningful records. They suggested two formats; one with a list of all the students with reading strategies along the top and a grid-like system that had each student and what was a compliment and teaching moment for that specific student. I guess I liked the first strategy of record keeping better; it used the results as a whole class instead of just individual records. This type of record keeping allows for the teacher to see the class as a whole and gives an instant view of what could be used as a small group conference and a whole class lesson. This would lend well for a more efficient way of keeping records. // //Cara1212 // //I think making spontaneous groups according to what you are observing seems very challenging! However, I though the authors did an excellent job of explaining just exactly what to do to make this successful in your classroom. I, myself, like to have the data in front of me to make decisions about groups. I think I'm more effective when given time to think, process, and plan. Our intervention groups are groups of 3-4 students who have similar needs. We look at formal data to determine who should be in each group. But after the groups are formed, I have to use my daily observations, their reading responses, informal running records, and other forms of anecdotal data to determine what to teach the next day both whole-group and individually. I liked the authors' idea of using sticky notes as data, but it isn't applicable to me since my kids don't do alot independent reading during our sessions. However, I might be able to incoorporate them more into my lessons and maybe even stop in classrooms and take a peek at the sticky notes they keep during their classroom independent reading time. I appreciated the authors suggestions on how to keep all of this information organized. Like Cara, I like the author's idea of having the T-chart for a compliment and a teaching point. Since I only have 3 students at a time, I have all three on one page, similar to the class grid, and it helps me see what the group needs as a whole. // //I think if you have the time to spend analyzing all of the data you already have to help you put them in pre-determined groups would be the best way to approach proper group make up. If there isn't enough time to sit down and sort and analyze all of your conference notes, running records or artifacts from their reading then I think the best way to quickly form small groups is to do an on-the-go assessment to form groups based on quick observations. I love the idea of the paper divided into four boxes to jot down student's names under the categories of support. I feel that this approach will be the most beneficial to me as I always tend to be short on time. I feel that this would help me to do a good job of dividing up the kids based on their needs. Ronda// //﻿// One way I might organize to make the groups is the following. I would have a list of skills I want to cover that theme, unit or marking period. I would match the skill with the students that where on the verge of mastering that skill and I would construct a 2-5 student group that could cover that skill. At times it might also be spontaneous. I tend to me spontaneous. On a certain day it might be obvious to me that some students were not getting a past skill that most had mastered. Then at that time during the day I might pull or ask the Title Teacher to pull an impromptu to group. KDN //﻿// //- // In the past I have been working on improving my conferences with individual readers. I see the balance working like this: during independent reading time, I will mostly confer with individual students. At times, I would pull a couple together or a small group. However, I see myself conferring more with small groups during partnership time. This is when I would form more of my strategy and guided reading groups. During partner work, I may still work with just one child more than the others. This may be an opportunity for others to listen in but not receive a direct lesson from me. Of course, I would use both small group and individual conferences as needed during both times (independent vs. partnership reading). The authors suggest to try “only one or two” small group conferences per workshop so that there is time for meeting with individual students (page 167). I agree and that will be my goal this year. I also like the suggestion on page 167 to keep the structure same as a mini-lesson or small-group conference. Students (and I!) need this predictability. There is no sense in recreating the wheel! Again, a predictable structure frees up a child’s brain for new learning to occur versus thinking about how the lesson might go. Sara Sabourin //The authors mention the importance of maintaining a balance of the two types of conferences. An easy way to keep this going would be to make sure to keep a structured type of record keeping, may it be from different types of grids or using more formal assessments such as a running record. If it is apparent that one strategy is only being misused from one student, an individual conference would be appropriate. It would not be a good idea to just give more instruction; students should be practicing a few skills at a time instead of many strategies here and there. The first point would allow the students to practice the skills more in depth. Another way to maintain the balance between individual and group conferences would be to keep track of how many types of conferences you are giving. It may seem like a "forced" way of giving conferences, but I may just have to count the number of each type of conference given and try to balance them out by giving more or less of which ever type of conference is lacking. At least this way the type of conference would be more evenly given to the class, group or individual student. // //Cara1212 // //My record keeping will be my guide. If one child is stuggling in a specific area, I'm not going to pull groups together, it will be a one on one with another mode of teaching and practicing. The group situation occurs when groups of children are in need of revisiting a strategy. Cara, I agree with you when you see an imbalance of conferences. It would be time for me to step back and reflect on what I'm not doing. // //Margaret Fox﻿ //
 * 1) 3. The authors make a good point on page 166 when they suggest maintaining a balance between small group and individual conferences. How will you maintain this balance in your classroom? Explain.
 * Respond Here:**

I feel the strategy I used last year really helped maintain a balance between my individual and group conferences. I typically started independent reading time with a group conference. At the completion of the day’s mini-lesson, I would dismiss the students I wanted to confer with to the back table before dismissing the remainder of the class. After conducting the group conference, I would move into individual conferences. An added bonus of this method for me was that students had a chance to become engaged in their reading for the day before conferring. They were often able to record some thoughts to share when our conference began. If time permitted, I also conducted a group conference at the end of independent reading time. Stephanie Cooper

I can see the concerns that the authors mention on page 166. It isvery tempting to rely too much on strategy groups and group conferencingbecause they are efficient. It is important to stay focused on performingindividual conferences because those are where you get the most in depth and relevantreading information about a student. I need to have good calendars andconference schedule record keeping to help me stay “in check” and to havebalance between the two types of conferencing. - Garth

I can see where it would be easy to fall into using group conferences and small group conferences more often, as all students would be seen more often. I will have to have a good system for monitoring my use of individual conferences and group conferences. While a small strategy group will target several students at once, individual conferences will allow me to work more deeply with each child. Focusing on a balance will be an aera that I will have to be conscious of this year as I being my reading conferences with my students. Sue Ronning

Since I have never conferred before in reading, this is going to be difficult to guess. In writing, I did do more individual conferring. I used Daily 5, which freed up time for me to do so. I am thinking about what Stephanie said about starting with a group then moving on to individuals conferences. Planning ahead will help me as well as keeping a list of names marking who I have conferred with and how for the week. TGaribay