Conferencing provides the teacher with information about each student's strengths and weaknesses. Individual goal setting can be done with each student at this time. Also, noting weaknesses that occur across the class can be the focus of a mini-lesson. This gives students a purpose for writing clearly and using proper conventions. Teachers frequently neglect the sharing time of the Writer's Workshop because of time constraints.
Students love sharing their writing and view it as a reward for their hard work.
Some teachers have a five minute sharing time at the end of each writer's workshop in which student volunteers share their work. Another approach is to have students share when they publish a piece. With this strategy, each student gets to share with a small group more frequently than if students share with the whole class. As part of the Sharing Process, students have a chance to practice their speaking and listening skills. Listeners show their respect to the reader by focusing their eyes on the speaker and listening attentively in order to provide the reader with valuable feedback.