Student Led Conferences will be held March 11th - 12th with assigned times.
This post will share the information from Prodigy on the "4 Ways Student-Led Conferences Can Impact Your School". This is good information to have and explains why we have moved to a Student-Led format.
1. Increased parent involvement : Our spring conference attendance was minimal to say the least. With SLC's we directly engage students, parents are more likely to actively participate. During student-led conferences, parents become active listeners and learn how they can support their children’s learning at home and the school.
2. Boosted student confidence and engagement: Student-led conferences can re-frame the learning experience and get children invested in their own learning. Even struggling students can find something they’re proud of to show, and it gives every child a view of their learning progress. In the traditional parent-teacher conference, students don’t have this sense of responsibility, and they don’t have a voice in their own learning progress. Student-led conferences encourage them to reflect in their own words on how far they’ve come, where they still need to learn, and what they’re proud of.
3. A better picture of student achievement: When students are included in the conversation, they understand they need to be actively involved in their own academic and social progress. In the traditional parent-teacher conference, students are disconnected from feedback and don’t always understand big-picture learning goals. With student-led conferences, students receive useful feedback and are stakeholders in their own learning. Even with the student-led conference model, parents may want to visit with a specific teacher. If this is occurs, please come to the office and we will make share this request with the corresponding teacher(s). * 4. More information for teachers: Teachers see their students almost every day, and have a good idea of their academic strengths and weaknesses. Asking students to interact with their teachers and parents can give new insights that allow teachers to make the learning environment more effective. Teachers are more likely to be able to connect with parents who don’t always come to traditional parent-teacher conferences. This means that they’re able to build relationships with parents they can use during the rest of the school year.
These are the expected "roles" each person at the conference has: *Students are to facilitate the discussion, show their work and communicate their learning goals with parents.
*Parents need to come prepared to listen and talk with their child.
*Teachers are there to facilitate discussions and act as a mediator between parents and students. They’re also responsible for making sure the student is prepared for the conference, and often act as the first point of contact for parent questions.
We realize this is not a "traditional" way to look at conferences, but as your student grows in their own personal development, it is time. As parents you will see another side of your student that we are encouraging them to show and it will be good to see. Thank you for your support as we continue to #thrivein375.