WATERING OUR SEEDS THROUGH CONFERENCING

WATERING OUR SEEDS THROUGH CONFERENCING

When I was in school, I remember being pulled aside for reading group, each day.  It was the time that we met and read with the teacher.  The members of the group were established based upon our reading abilities.  We were all in the same reading book and we all read the same thing.  In these groups, we were given so much time to read a certain passage and then discuss it.  I remember struggling with it, because I didn’t read as quickly as the others.  I was never finished on time.  It wasn’t that I couldn’t read every word, it was that I read much more slowly than the others. (Still do) This representation of a reading group morphing into a math group intrigues me.  How does that happen?

In her book, In the Moment, Jen Munson poses the idea of conferencing with our students during math work.  These conferences could be conducted in much the same manner as reading groups were in the 1970's/80's.  The teacher could split the children up into groups.  These groups would work together on certain tasks and the teacher would ask questions on their work.

However, I do not believe these are the types of conferences the author has in mind.  In one of the examples in the book, two classrooms are involved in a shared “write-the-room” activity.  There are pictures of famous people, along with school personnel hanging in both classrooms.  Each picture has the height of the person depicted.  Some of the heights are in inches only (77 inches), while others are in feet and inches (6' 5").  The task is for the students to convert each height into the other.  (If in inches, then feet and inches.)  The teachers move among the students and interact with each pair.  These interactions are the conferences.

In these chapters, it is apparent that how I learned to complete math, is not the only way to teach children today.  I don’t really remember having to explain why I solved a problem a certain way.  We were instructed in the standard algorithm and those were the only strategies we had.  Today, students are given the freedom to look at math in a way I could have only dreamed of while growing up.  Students are asked to reach solutions to problems in ways that makes sense to them, rather than just following the teacher’s directives.  Students today are thinking for themselves, which I have always thought was the teacher’s role.

Many of my generation and those of my parents’ generation are confused by partial sums, products, and quotients.  It makes little sense to them, as they were not given the opportunity to truly understand what place value meant.  Today, students are looking at numbers and their place values and creating their own strategies to complete problems.  The teacher’s role in this type of learning is to assist the students in refining their thought processes and explaining why they chose a certain path, rather than “drilling” facts into their heads.

The book states that an effective conference has the teacher listening to the students, as they work and observing their work product.  This work product could either written or demonstrated through the use of manipulatives.  Once the teacher has some understanding of the students’ thought processes, the teacher then asks some questions to elicit clarification of those thoughts.  A good conference will also include the teacher nudging the students for a deeper understanding of their work.  If a pair are only discussing the possible solution for a problem, then the teacher might nudge the pair to consider how they would explain their work to another student or construct a model that shows their work.  In these instances, the teacher never tells the students how to dig deeper, but gives them ideas to think about, so they remain the owners of their work and processes. It is important for students to understand what they are doing and for them to own their work.  Student ownership of the work is important, I think, as it not only builds their self-esteem, but also helps them “teach” others.  Finally, owning their work strengthens their problem solving capabilities.  Being able to problem solve is important throughout life.

It is important to remember to provide rich tasks for the students to solve.  These are the types of tasks that lend themselves to effective conferencing.  If the task is too rigid, there is not a lot of room for student creativity in solving the problem.  The tasks need to be open-ended and allow for student exploration.  The method and thinking are the important elements in the process, not the answer.  While, 2 + 2 will always equal 4, some children will reach that answer in ways that others do not.  Some will raise two fingers on each hand, others will use two red chips and two yellow chips, while still others will use a number line or draw a picture.  There are different ways to reach the same answer.  Allowing the students to explore these ways, gives them the courage to try more difficult problems and stretch their mental thinking toward greater solutions.

In these conferences, it is my job to nudge them into a deeper understanding of their thoughts and help them explain those thoughts to others.  Sharing our ideas and learning with others helps us grow and could help a friend learn in the process.