Student-led conferences are a great way to get kids involved and keep families engaged. Not all student-led conferences are the same, but this idea from Kathryn, a 4th grade teacher, in Pace, FL includes a handy checklist that gives students guidelines as they fill in the information. While your school might require a more traditional conference, students can certainly complete a form like Kathryn suggests ahead of time. Then, during the conference, you can present it to parents to give them an idea of how their child thinks he or she is doing in school.
How to Implement Student-Led Conferences
“I like to keep students involved in conferencing,” explained Kathryn, a 4th Grade Teacher in Pace, FL. “To help guide my student-led conferences with parents, I’ve developed a Conference Action Plan Form. The form has places to record a student’s strengths, accomplishments, and preferences, as well as space to add ideas and goals for the student’s future. Because I complete each form together with a student and the student’s parents, we work as a team to celebrate the child’s progress to date while also setting a path for future learning,” she pointed out.
“Even if your school does not encourage student-led conferences, you can still include the student in this process. Just work on the form together with parents, then review each student’s form with that student and modify together as you see fit. Then share each modified form with that student’s family so everyone has shared information and goals,” Kathryn encouraged.
Do you use student-led conferences in your school? What are your tips for others who might want to start implementing them? Share with us below or on the Really Good Teachers forums!