Student-Led Conferences

One major part of effective teaching is having a constant communication with the parents in your classroom to keep them connected in their student's learning. Parent teacher conferences are a major part of staying on the same page with your parents to better develop the growth of their child's learning skills. Student-led conferences involve the student, parents, and teacher in a way that is presented by the student to show the parents how well the student has been developing over the school year. Parents are more likely to participate in a conference when they know their child will be showing them what they have accomplished, and what their future goals of accomplishment are. In my opinion this is a fantastic idea! I would have loved to be involved in my parent teacher conferences as a student, and I know my mother would have enjoyed getting to see my school work from my perspective. I will definitely use this concept in my future classroom because I believe the stronger your connection with the families in your class are, the more growth you will see develop in your classroom. I also believe the students are more accountable for their grades and actions when they realize they will be the ones reporting to their parents. This develops more student independence and responsibility, but also helps increase student confidence levels. If you choose to use a digital portfolio for your conference, this helps increase the students' 21st century learning skills and prepares them for a future where a digital portfolio is vitally important. "The format is important, but I believe the success of a student-led conference is most determined by how well students are prepared," wrote Laura Hayden, a seventh-grade communications teacher at Derby Middle School in Derby, Kansas, in Letting Students Lead Parent Conferences, an article published by the National Association of Elementary School Principals in Middle Matters.

             

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