Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop

by Patrick A. Allen

In his years of teacher workshops, author Patrick Allen has heard it 'I don't have time! 'I don't know what questions to ask! 'I don't know what to write in my notes, it's too hard! In his book The Keystone of Reader's Workshop, Allen argues that the benefits of conferring outweigh the challenges and that teachers must put forth the effort of learning how to do it well. Inside, he shows teachers how to overcome their perceived obstacles and shows them how they can make conferring tangible.' Conferring lays the groundwork for effective reading instruction. Conferences with students are purposeful conversations that scaffold reading comprehension strategies to guide the reader's progress. Ultimately, through the gradual release of responsibility, you will create engaged and independent readers. Starting with what conferring isn't, Allen unpacks the essential components of the the social context of conferring the cognitive context of conferring the analytical context of conferring' With his guidance, you will be able to set goals for student conferring and elevate student reader conferences from start to finish.

Genres: Education, Professional Development, Teaching, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Adult

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Megan Lindemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I would have read this book either coming into my first year of teaching or during my first year. I love book conferences and I always enjoy talking to kiddos about books, but I always felt like something was missing or that I wasn't doing enough. Patrick Allen really helped me fill in some gaps and I'm really exciting to use some of his practices in the fall.
I highly recommend this book to ANY level of reading teaching. There is always something new to learn.
The only downside in my opinion is the length of the book. Allen can get a little wordy.

[Tony Keefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and thought provoking book. Affirmed many of the things I believed about te power of conferring with readers, but also challenged me to look at conferring differently. Allen's writing is marvelous. Must read for any teacher who works with readers.

[L11-Sharri Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book that inspired me to have deep and meaningful reading conferences.

[Julianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally! This needs my deep thinking and attention. Only during summer off, when I have time for this, could I digest this wonderful book. Always digging deeper into the workshop model, trusting and encouraging students to take control of their own reading life. This is a great how-to book which I will refer to over and over again 🙂

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good "why conferring is important" text. Not only did I come away from it with that thought confirmed, but also a framework for where to refine and improve conferring in my own classroom.

[Tanya Windham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource! Allen shares his experiences as he improves his ability to do one-on-one "conferences" (conferring) daily with his students. The first part of the book spends time developing the purpose or philosophy for conferring. Allen then begins giving examples and strategies. This is one of several books written by members of the Public Education and Business Coalition. These strategies help students to become better readers, writers, and thinkers. This book is not just for reading teachers. I can see these strategies being used across the curriculum!

[Dawn Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book on my TBR pile for a while. I had the opportunity to hear Patrick speak at the All Write Conference last week and thought I should have a little background. This book affirmed some of my thinking about reader's workshop and the importance of conferring, but also challenged me to think about how to make conferring work in my school with my students. A conversational read, Allen is pleasantly passionate about this keystone to reader's workshop.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of ideas and things that affirmed my beliefs about teaching reading. Found a few things to try. Used some words I've never seen before.... I suppose this shouldn't be a complaint in a professional book for teachers... but I've seen A LOT of words, so perhaps the author might have been able to find a word that didn't make me have to stop reading to figure out what it meant. Nevertheless, definitely recommended for teachers.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

After attending a conference where Patrick Allen was a speaker, I picked up a copy of Conferring: The Keystone of Reader's Workshop. His focus on conferring with students during reader's workshop served as a reminder of the power of really listening to student thinking and giving students the time and attention necessary to truly think deeply. In an era of one minute fluency probs, documenting and encouraging deep thinking to guide instruction needs to be at the forefront of teaching reading.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was only OK. My favorite chapter, "The RIP Model," gave me great ideas about the three most important parts of any reading conference. I also appreciated that the author suggests tbat each conference can last between three and five minutes. This is something that I can do. Unfortunately, most of the book seemed less focused in purpose.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So thoughtfully and passionately written. I love his RIP model for structuring a conference and his scripted conferences to get a feel for how to encourage kids to become more strategic in their reading without doing all the talking. I know I'm light-years away from conferencing like Mr. Allen but he has given some great building-blocks for getting to his level at some point.

[Sheryl Coats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Awesome book! While I have been doing a reader's workshop for nearly 5 years along with conferring, this book really challenged me to take my conferring deeper. It's a easy read and it is full of wisdom, powerful quoters and real world application.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good thoughts on how to use conferring in your classroom and how it should look. It is a key to students learning how to read. I like that Allen doesn't make it sound super easy. He tells us that it is a skill that takes time to learn and refine. Really enjoyed this book!

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good exploration of conferring for teachers who are not sure how to begin. We read this as a department book study.

[Mindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me lots to think about as I plan my reading/writing workshop for next year. Definitely worth the money.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book still was just re-reading before starting workshop conferences second semester.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for any teacher of reading.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me a lot to think about when conferring with students during reading workshop. I got lots of good notes and ideas from it.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly useful, even for this high school teacher.

[James Craig]

Excellent little book about workshopping.