Does your school use reader's workshop? Do you have to do reading conferences? My school has just implemented these tools this year.
I started this school year by setting up my reader's workshop. I stocked my classroom library (after spending a lot of my own money and time) and educated myself on how reading workshop works. Then, I began.
The students loved having choice in books. They loved having time to "just read." They also loved being able to sit wherever they wanted. Those are the parts of reading workshop that I like. The kids were happy. They were reading. I could meet with groups as long or as short as I wanted. I could pull individual kids and test them without interruption. On the surface, it looked good.
But that was all just fluff.
The kids were reading; but were they thinking? Were they learning and using the skills from my short mini-lesson? Were they going deeper with the text? Probably not.
So, we began doing the highly recommended and amazing reading conferences. It was supposed to be a real game changer.
Basically, I was told to get a clipboard and go from kid to kid talking to them about what they were reading. Conferences were supposed to last 2-3 minutes, and I was told to leave them with tangible feedback. Basically, in 2-3 minutes, I was to teach them a skill, understand if they understood what they were reading, and give them a sticky note with feedback. I have 24 students in my fourth grade.
AND don't forget to pull your intervention group, reteaching group, and skill group. All of this in about 45 minutes. Sure! I smiled and thought to myself- if other teachers are doing this, then I can do it!
Problem #1: I hadn't read any of the books the kids were reading. Well, maybe I had read one or two of them. But overall, I was clueless. I would ask them questions, and they would respond with answers that were logical. Then, I would quickly jot something on a sticky note and give it to them. On the outside, this looked amazing. Kids were getting one-on-one teaching and their teacher knew exactly what they were reading. On the inside, I knew the truth. I had no idea what the heck they were saying. They could tell me anything, and I would smile and say: "Great! I'm so glad you told me that inference. Here's a sticky note to remind you of what an inference is."
I carried on like that for about 2 months. Spending my time racing from small group to individual conferences, to the next small conference, until I finally had enough.
Problem #2: The students who were struggling did not improve on their reading tests. Talk about a downer. Here I was, months into reading conferences, exhausted from racing around the room. Kneeling, sitting, standing, dodging chairs, making notes, giving sticky notes, etc. The strugglers did not improve. How is that possible? They were reading what they wanted. They were reading where they wanted. They were in my small intervention groups. They were getting one-on-one conferences. The answer is obvious. They weren't really understanding what they were reading.
Problem #3: I did not know the books that my strugglers were reading. When I conferenced with them, they told me what I wanted to hear. They knew from the mini-lesson what my expectation was. They also thought they were answering my questions. Which they were. To the best of their knowledge, they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. I was the one who was clueless. I wasn't familiar with the stories they were reading. I couldn't tell you if they made a correct inference or not. It was a terrible realization.
I was a worse teacher than I was 18 years ago, when I taught for the first time.
My high kids did great. Their test scores improved. But, let's face it, the high kids always do well on tests. They naturally know how to read and think. They benefit from ANY type of instruction. The middle kids did okay- most improved. But the strugglers? Not so much.
Reading workshop turned my instruction upside down. I was a good reading teacher last year. I was great with struggling readers. I could differentiate with the best of them. Now I was a pathetic reading teacher. I wouldn't put my own kid in my reading class.
Why didn't it work? Well, let's examine that.
1. I was working too hard. I was literally running around in circles. With kids sitting wherever they wanted, it got even worse. I had my cute little clipboard that was super organized, but I struggled to find the kids I needed to meet with. I also had my little timer so I could keep those conferences short. I also had a list of statements to use that would make my conferences meaningful. All that in just 2-3 short minutes.
2. I didn't know what the kids were reading. I love to push kids to think deeper and outside the box. I am a huge proponent of the depth and complexity questions and thinking maps. You cannot push kids to think deeper about a topic, or a book, that you know nothing about- or have never read. YOU JUST CANNOT. I tried.
3. Mini lessons were too short and were too hard to connect to independent reading time. Sure, we got out sticky notes and we worked on thinking maps while reading, but once again, I was not familiar with the 24 different books the students chose. So, they could tell me almost anything and I would agree with them.
4. I lost my mind. Finally, after months of running around in circles and trying my hardest, I lost it. I dumped reader's workshop and walked my tired self down the hall to our amazing book room, checked out my 4 favorite books, and put the kids into reading groups. It's been Heaven ever since. We have had DEEP discussions, we have written about our thinking, AND, I feel like I'm breaking the law saying this, the kids even had time to read their own choice books!!! WHAT? How can they choose their own books when they are NOT doing reading workshop? Lol... ask any experienced reading teacher, reading groups do work and you can foster independent book choice while conducting them. It's not rocket science, people.
Anyways, I have given up on reading workshop. You cannot convince me that these reading conferences are a good idea. It is just fluff, and it is using up time that a teacher could use to REALLY teach kids.
If you have an opinion on reading conferences, I would love to hear it. Please leave your comment below.
If you have an opinion on reading conferences, I would love to hear it. Please leave your comment below.
