Between Talk and Teaching: Reconsidering the Writing Conference

The teacher-student conference is a standard in the repertoire of teachers at all levels. Because it's a one-to-one encounter, teachers work hard to make it comfortable and conversational; but because it's a pedagogical moment, they hope that learning occurs in the encounter, too. Laurel Johnson Black's thoughtful new book explores the conflicting meanings and relations embedded in conferencing, and offers both a new theoretical understanding of the conference and practical approaches to conferencing more effectively with students. Between Talk and Teaching is a valuable work for college writing teachers and writing program administrators, and a natural for the writing center, the TA training program, and the English Education program.