Student Led Conference

 

A student led conference is a school organised forum designed to allow a discussion between a student and their parents (and sometimes teachers) around the portfolio of work created throughout that academic year.  With suitable guidance and support this encourages students to reflect honestly on both their work and themselves as learners.  Especially when work was often paper based, and might not make its way home, this format makes a great deal of sense.  The key objectives are:

  • To increase student accountability and autonomy concerning academics and their habits of work and learning
  • To hone student verbal communication and critical thinking skills
  • To emphasize a student centered philosophy
  • To build open relationships with families concerning student progress
  • To help students meet speaking standards
  • To teach students how to persuade by substantiating claims with evidence

 

These objectives are still important but with the development of a digital portfolio, the requirement for a specific school arranged time-space has seemingly becomes less pressing.  In reality parents, if they choose, can follow their children(s) progress at any time.   Hence, over the past few years I have seen fewer parents are attending these days – particularly with upper middle school students.

 

If the student led conference held at school is abandoned then in the best case scenario student-parent discussions at home could follow a guided student led conference model but this removes a teacher involvement.   In many cases this will reduce the high expectations and it also reduces the insight which this process can provide for the teacher about the student.  So even the best case scenario is floored and worst case scenario of no guaranteed interaction becomes far too likely to occur.

 

So I believe that schools should re-mind themselves of the original objectives and acknowledge that process should be re-examined.  This should include dialogue with the parents, students and teachers.  This should also include a re-examination of the tools used – especially digital portfolios in the form of blogs, but that is another post entirely.