Resources – Getting the Most Out of A Writing Conference with your Instructor
Introduction: Reasons to have a Conference
Meeting with your instructor to talk about your writing can be a very effective way of developing both your skills and your confidence.
There are four main reasons to have a conference:
- To discuss the central questions or set of questions in a paper assignment–and to figure out what question you are being asked.
- To ask for help shaping the direction and development of your argument.
- To get a better sense of what you’ve done so far on the assignment, and what you need to do next.
- To ask questions about grades or comments on previous papers.
Not every instructor will schedule writing conferences as part of a course, but many do. You may decide to meet with your instructor either during the process of writing an assignment or afterwards.
Preparing for the Conference
Five Things You Can Do To Prepare for a Conference with your Instructor
- Make an appointment well before the paper is due, or as soon as possible after receiving the paper back (if you are discussing previous work).
- Bring two copies of what you’ve written so that both of you can look at the paper together.
- Bring a pad so that you can keep track of comments and suggestions.
- Try to frame your questions so that the answers you get will be helpful to you–ask for specific information about your draft.
- Remember that a conference on a piece of writing that you are still working on is different from a discussion of the grade after the paper has been handed in.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- What do you want the conference to help you do?
- Select a topic?
- Decide what approach to take?
- Finish writing a draft?
- Revise and edit a draft?
- Understand the instructor’s grades or comments better?
- Do you feel like the project is going well or poorly?
- What seems easy about writing, and what seems hard?
- What do you want help with?
- What do you have on paper so far?
- Are you at the notetaking stage, or have you begun drafting?
- What do you like about it?
- What do you not like?
- What do you think needs to be improved?
Sample Questions to Ask in a Conference
“I want to know if you think my topic is a good one–I’m interested in it, but I’m having trouble saying more than what I’ve already said at the beginning.”
“I started with one topic, but when I look at my draft it seems like I changed my mind partway through. What do you think I need to do–change my topic or keep the paper on track?”
“I thought I knew what I wanted to say, but my friend read the introduction and said he didn’t understand it. Can you tell what I’m writing about here?”
“It feels like I’m repeating myself on this page. What do you think?”
“Could you show me how this passage could be clearer?”
“Did I do the bibliography the right way?”
