Conferencing Time Constraints

One of the most challenging things for myself and colleagues during reading workshop time is spending one on one time conferencing with my students.  We all know how important this time is in goal setting and monitoring each students reading growth, but meeting with (give or take) 25 kids during even a weekly period can seem overwhelming and impossible.  How do you manage conference time, yet make sure you are getting it all in? 
I have found that organization is the number one factor that helps me to keep up with my readers and which students I need to meet with and when. Keeping binders with individually labeled sections where I write anecdotal notes, goals, and needs for future meetings are key to being prepared for each conference and staying on task.  Using a conference calendar is also an essential organization tool, where I can see at a glance where I can add students to days and where I know I just won't be able to fit everything in.
In the Quick Take: Time for Conferences Video by Aimee Buckner she discusses how she limits her time with her conferences.  She says that she uses time to guide her future planning for mini lessons.  If her conferences are taking longer than 5 minutes she reflects on what she is discussing with the student and how she can address it in a whole group mini-lesson.

The following links are resources that I've found helpful on conferencing:

This site has tons of printable forms and rubrics that you can use in your conferences and that can help you stay organized and make your conferences purposeful.
http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/tools.htm