conferences

This section covers scheduling conferences, choosing a location for conferences, and what to do when actually holding a conference. We've also got some advice from experienced Fellows, detailing the insights they've had about making conferences run smoothly and effectively.

scheduling conferences

Students sign up for conferences on the day you give back the drafts with your comments. When you visit class to return the drafts, you will also pass around a conference sign-up sheet. Some Fellows have found it helpful to send the conference times to students over e-mail before class, so that students have a chance to look at their schedules in advance. We recommend, though, that you do not use e-mail for the actual conference sign-ups.

The sign-up sheet should include:

• Your name, phone number/e-mail
• Where you will be conferencing and how the student will recognize you (i.e. red baseball cap, etc.)
• If you're one of two Fellows assigned to a course, add the names of the students who are assigned to you, in case they have forgotten your name
• A few more conference slots than student writers, but not too many more (since offering too many choices may force you to spend long periods of time waiting between conferences)
• A space where people who can't make any of your conference slots can leave their names and phone numbers

Take a look at our sample sign-up sheet.

You will most likely want to schedule 20-minute conferences, with 10-minute breaks in between. This means you will have two conferences an hour. That time frame, however, is not set in stone. If you are working with 16 students (the maximum number), for example, you might want to experiment with scheduling three conferences an hour, perhaps making them 15 minutes each with only five minutes in between. We don't recommend that for your first time conferencing; you need to leave a few minutes for introductions and you don't want to rush through your comments on drafts. You may well discover that you need more time for some students than others; one person may really need 30 minutes, while another person may ready to depart after 15 minutes. Try to be flexible, while also respecting students' schedules. And remember that no conference can address all the writing concerns that a writer might have; you simply don't have time to spend an unlimited number of hours with each student. Besides, overly long conferences run the risk of overwhelming and frustrating the writer you are trying to help.

Don't schedule conferences too close to the day the final versions of the papers are due to the professor. You have to give students time to revise the drafts in response to your comments.

choosing a location

Where should you hold your conferences? You can meet in any easily accessible public space that is quiet enough, that feels comfortable and safe, and where you can find a table and a couple of chairs. Some potential conference sites that spring to mind are the Writing Center, the libraries, the ARCHes, Memorial Union or Union South, and the coffee shops on State Street. Never hold conferences in dorm rooms, apartments, or other private living spaces. And never hold conferences later than 9:30 p.m.

If you choose to use the Writing Center for your conferences, you should check in with the receptionist at the front desk. You also need to make sure the Center is open when you want to hold your conferences. It's open from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays. For the first five weeks of the semester, however, the Center has slightly shorter hours; during that time, it closes at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

holding conferences

You will receive plenty of guidance in English 316 about strategies for conferencing. There is no single right way to conduct conferences; every conference is slightly different, and every tutor has to develop his or her own personal style. We do have some basic suggestions, however:

Try to ensure that student writers (and you) are as comfortable as possible. Students won't know what to expect when they show up for their first conference; you may be surprised by how many are nervous about talking to you. Stand up, introduce yourself again, use the writer's name and ask if you aren't sure how to pronounce a name. If you aren't sure how to address a writer, ask ("Do you go by Becky or Rebecca?"). You can make some small talk (the weather is an old standby; Madison's climate lends itself to a lot of friendly commiserating) or begin by asking how the writer feels about the assignment or, more generally, how the class is going. If you've asked students to fill out a cover sheet, you can use that to jump-start the conference.
• Ask the writer what he or she is most interested in working on before you begin sharing your own insights, and ask whether he or she has questions about your comments. And write down what the writer says! Asking sincere questions and listening carefully to the answers helps send the message that you care about what the writer thinks. Getting this message across will make the rest of the conference much easier.
• Focus! Your goal for each conference should be to talk about two or three important issues related to a draft, and to help student writers consider options for revision. You will not have time to discuss all parts of the draft in great detail, so you have to choose the issues that seem most crucial. For example, if a draft is plagued by inadequate transitions, jumping abruptly from one point to the next, you may want to use some of the time in the conference to rework some of the transitions. However, if the draft has an even more pressing problem--if, for example, it doesn't fulfill the assignment and/or fails to answer the question the professor has posed--then you don't want to waste time talking about transitions until after you have raised the bigger concerns.
• Your comments can be a starting point for conversation, but don't simply reiterate your comments unless the writer asks for clarification or elaboration. Although you will probably discuss some of the same issues in both your comments and your conference, the conference will be more interesting for both you and the writer if you use that time for discussion and active work on the draft. Comments generally focus on what's working and what needs revision; conferences tend to feel most productive when they focus on how to make those necessary revisions. Unlike comments, conferences are ideal for working interactively; they're a great chance for writers to actually work on an element of a draft -- writing a new thesis statement, reordering paragraphs, adding topic sentences -- with you there to give them immediate feedback on the new work.
• Remember to praise. All writers are more receptive to criticism when they feel that their work is valued and appreciated. As with comments, it's a good rule to open conferences about drafts by pointing out good things, saying what you liked, what worked well, etc. Launching immediately into a laundry list of problems--going on and on about what was NOT in the draft, about what needs to be added or expanded or changed--can be overwhelming and discouraging for the writer you are trying to help.
• Try to keep your own talking to a minimum. You should not do all the talking--or even most of the talking--during a conference. Ask questions. Listen to the answers. Take notes. Ask more questions. Listen again, carefully. Often writers will say wonderful, articulate things that belong in their papers but haven't made it into their writing yet. The best moments inconferences often come when students say something really insightful that's nowhere in the paper and you get to ask, "Is that in your paper? Do you say that anywhere? Write that down!" If they smile sheepishly and say, "What did I just say?" you can repeat their own words back to them rather than worrying that you're writing the paper for them. The goal here is not to give students the perfect words, but to help them find their own. Conferences work best when students are encouraged to do most of the talking.
• Bring extra pens and blank paper. In addition to taking notes for students during conferences and then giving them those notes, it's also a good idea to urge writers to take their own notes. You can ask, "Are you going to remember this? Do you want to write that down?" And don't forget to give them time to write things down before moving on to the next point!
• Use supportive body language. Sit next to or catty-corner to student writers, not across the table from them; this way you can both look at the paper right-side up at the same time. Keep the draft between you, so you both can see it.

A word of warning: Not everyone will show up for their conferences, especially during the second round of papers. Don't take it personally; it happens to everyone. As with late papers, you can exercise discretion in how you handle students who are late or who miss conferences, but be sure to have talked about the possibility with the professor before you start holding conferences.