Instead of holding class this week, Karen required students to attend 20-minute conferences with myself, her, or Lindsey. Although I had met with Section 41 students before, I was initially nervous to conference with a few students who weren't in my section. However, my fears were unfounded, as these students seemed just as receptive to my help. It was an experience that reminded me of working at the Writing Center, where I was required to work with students I'd never met or interacted with prior to that moment. Ultimately, today's conferences strengthened my decision to conference twice with my English 1550 students (once in the beginning of the semester, once in the middle of the semester). I think that students are much more willing to ask questions or share their concerns in a one-on-one environment (rather than in front of the entire class), and conferences are also helpful for instructors to make sure their students are all on the same page with coursework and the course schedule.
COMMENTS:
* Guy Shebat: I am not a big conferencer myself (kind of a weakness with my pedagogy, I think), but I certainly see the value of having conferences a couple times in a semester. As long as you have a good structure for the conference – and ask the student to come to the conference prepared in some way (preferably with a written document of some sort) – things will work out well. Having the early conference might also help in generating a good rapport between you and the students, something that can go a long way toward getting/keeping the students engaged in class sessions (and in the overall work for the course).
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