How are you conferencing?
It’s that time of the year again and teachers are prepping
the walls and scheduling their dreaded fall conferences. It’s not that we don’t like to meet with
parents/ families, but it takes time away from our teaching and most conferences
consist of teachers constantly talking about what their students are doing or
not doing. And in reality, shouldn't
parents/ families already know that?
In many schools, educators are transforming teacher-led
parent-teacher conferences in favor of a Student-Led Conferences (SLCs) formats
that engage students in the process. These conferences can provide powerful
opportunities for students to advocate for their own learning. What better way
to monitor progress than to have the student take ownership and be
self-reflective?
Though the format may vary, these conferences differ from
traditional conferences in that they place students at the helm of
teacher-supported discussions with parents about student progress and learning.
SLCs also often present opportunities for students to prepare, reflect on, and
discuss evidence of their learning and growth by way of student portfolios and
analysis of student work and assessments.
Schools that implement student-led conferences report that
they encourage students to take responsibility and ownership for their learning
by involving them in the goal-setting and assessment process. They also boast that SLCs engage families in
richer, more transparent conversations about student progress.
To learn more about how SLCs can transform conferencing at
your site, contact info@LeverageLearningGroup.com
. If you want to read more about the
benefits of SLCs, here are a few links to get you started.
Have you been implementing SLCs at your site? Love to hear your stories too!
