Confessions of a Struggling Conferer

I have a confession to make: I am a struggling conferer. I'm getting better, but it's still hard for me. I do best with thoughtful, self-reflective students who talk through their process with me, those that have a specific question in mind when I sit next to them. These students listen carefully, are more than willing to try out my suggestions, and show evidence that they are making progress. After those conferences, I mentally pat myself on the back, congratulating myself on my brilliance as a teacher. Yay me!

I'm also not too bad with struggling students who are trying their best. I usually have a plan in mind already when I sit down next to them: scaffolding the day's lesson, re-teaching a previous lesson, or filling in a gap that I know they have. They sometimes squirm and wiggle, giving me the "yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it" message when I know they don't really get it, or try my suggestion and still get it wrong. After these conferences, I tell myself to be patient, that they will get there, that my persistence will pay off in the end. Keep it up, me!

I struggle most with nonproductive students. These are students who are capable and don't have big reading and writing gaps. The work they produce is on the right track, but there just isn't much of it. I touch base with them a lot, checking in on what they've done so far, giving them the "keep going" message. We make plans, which they break more often than keep, so we make more plans. After these conferences, I sigh, and console myself that they did get a bit more done than they would have if I hadn't checked in with them. It's OK, me!

But then I stop and think: what did I really teach them that moves them forward in their learning? Usually the answer is: nothing. Not OK, me!

It's a bit of a Catch-22 actually. I am not sure what to confer with them about since they haven't produced much on which to base my conference. But they won't produce what they need to, at the quality I'm looking for, if I don't confer with them and move their skills forward. And they must be as tired as I am with talking about their work habits instead of their process or product. 

I need to monitor myself when I approach the nonproductive students. What am I talking with them about? Is it moving them forward as a learner or only getting them to get more done during work time? Both are needed. They deserve the same the amount of coaching as the other students. Adding a little reminder at the end, an encouraging "you can do it!" message as I leave, might be all that it takes to nudge them into productivity. And I can leave the guilt at the door.