 |
|
||
|
|
|
|
Student-Led Conferences
April 11, 2006 Parents Evaluation Results (PDF) Parents Evaluation Comments (PDF)
April 6, 2006 Student-led Conferences - Great Success!!!
March 16, 2006 Student-led ConferencesSuccess of student-led conferences demands active anticipation from students, parents and teachers. It creates a purposeful way for young adolescents to talk with adults about their learning and offers parents a direct and active role in their child’s school life. We look forward to seeing you all at our middle school student-led conferences on Wednesday, April 5. By now you will know the time of your appointment and we trust that your child has returned the appointment slip. What can parents expect and what role will they play during the conference
time? Parents play an important supportive role in this process. The focus of the conference is on learning and growth, not simply a "show and tell” display of work. It is a time for parents to "sit beside” their child, listen to and trust their child’s assessment of his/her own learning, and ask good questions. Parents may also work with the child to set new goals based on the discussion during the conference. The following is a guide for parents: • Parents should step back and allow the student do things his/her
way. They should save concerns until the presentation is over Conferences offer students, parents and teachers the opportunity for a sustained and focused conversation about learning. They honor the student as knowledgeable about his/her accomplishments and offer students the chance to set goals to address areas that challenge him/her. By granting students an active and meaningful role in assessing and interpreting their own learning, we provide an authentic context for self-evaluation, a context that fosters accountability and the honest appraisal of both successes and challenges. March 9, 2006 Student-led Conferences Invitation reminderAn invitation to the SLC was sent home with MS students. Please ask them for this document and check the appropriate box on the form. The filled form needs to be returned with your child no later than March 14. SLC will be held on April 5. March 2, 2006 Student-led ConferencesLate next week (March 9), all middle school students will take home for their parents an invitation to our Student-led Conferences which will take place on Wednesday, April 5. This invitation will indicate the time slot allotted for the student and his/her parents to attend. Parents, please be sure to ask your child for this invitation next Thursday afternoon, March 9. If you do not receive it, please inform the office. Thank you for your active involvement in this important event.
February 23, 2006 Student-led ConferencesAs you all know, our spring conferences will be taking
an alternative format from the traditional parent-teacher
conferences. The student-led conferences encourages students
to connect with parents, to be accountable to parents and
teachers, and to be responsible for their own learning. It is crucial
that all students and their parent(s) attend the conference on Wednesday,
April 5 for a time slot of approximately one hour. Parents, please
ensure that you keep this time free so that you are able to participate.
Team leaders are currently working on schedules /appointment times.
On March 9 you will receive an invitation with an appointment time
listed. Hopefully, you will be able to accommodate this time. We are
all busy preparing students for their role in the conference and collating
important data- their work. We so look forward to seeing you all at
school on April 5.
February 16, 2006 Student-Led Conferences- A Celebration of LearningIn this issue we have included excerpts of an article by Jack Berkemeyer (assistant executive director, National Middle School Association) explaining the benefits of student-led conferences (SLC). The article will give some insight into some of the preparation that is taking place in middle school classes as well as reinforcing why we believe this is an excellent format in which to increase student and parent involvement in academic achievement and success. In early March we will be sending home an official invitation to parents. It is our expectation that all students and their parent(s) will attend the conference on Wednesday, April 5. Groups of approximately 17-20 students will have a scheduled time slot and location for their conference. Every effort is being made to accommodate parents with two or more middle school students. After parents have had the opportunity to go through the core subjects and related student reflections, the students will escort their parents to their exploratory classes where they will focus specifically on the work in these courses. Classroom ConnectionsBy Jack Berckemeyer Student-led conferences The best definition of a student-led conference is a time when parents and students sit down and talk about one of the most important aspects of their lives-school. Students are not only the focal point of the conversations, they are the leaders of the conferences. All students will prepare for their conferences by gathering work, writing scripts, and rehearsing with their peers. This is a great opportunity for parents to see their children's work and to discuss some of their goals, strengths, and areas that need improvement. Benefits of student-led conferences - Helps parents understand what is happening in the classroom Students present their work to their parents, such as finished assignments, projects and sample tests. This is important because parents usually do not have the opportunity to see finished projects or class activities,. - Students are accountable for classroom work and assignments Because students lead the conferences, they are ultimately responsible for their actions. If they have incomplete assignments, they will have to explain why. They also can take pride in their work by discussing what they learned from particular projects or tasks. - Provide quality parent-child time Families are very busy, so being able to sit down and talk about school is a critical benefit. - Time to focus on learning instead of behavioral issues Student-led conferences are times to share work, discuss goals, and talk about actual learning. For many educators and students, these conferences are the only opportunities they have to show the progress each student is making. - We can have 100% participation Most schools have seen an increase in attendance due to the fact the students are delivering the information. Since the students have some buy-in, they tend to ask their parents or guardians to come to the conferences. If you have any “no-shows,” you can simply mail those students' scripts home. The teacher's role - Become a facilitator, not a leader - Help your students develop a script - Students role play Some class time is set aside for the students to share their scripts with peers. This is critical to the success of the conferences. Adolescents need time to prepare. They need to think about how they might present this information to their families. - Notify the families as soon as possible Parents or guardians need to know that there is going to be a new process for conferences children will need to attend and will be leading the conferences. Teachers are only there to help facilitate. If parents need more time with the teacher, an extra meeting time may be set at a later date. The student's role - Start saving work - Invite someone to the conference If some students cannot get a parent to attend, they will need to consider another responsible adult. For example, they could ask an elder sibling or relative to take part in their conference. The purpose of their conferences is for students to be able to share their work with adults who play significant roles in their lives.
February 9, 2006 Student Lead Conferences-A Celebration of LearningAs you may know we have added parent conferences to our
calendar for this spring. The middle school teachers and administration
are are truly excited to initiate a change in our middle school parent
conference format on April 5. We have decided to take advantage of this
opportunity and utilize it in a manner that is consistent with our goals
of incorporating current best practices research in our middle school
program. This News and Views information is the first of a number of
items that will be designed to educate you on how this process will take
form and how you will participate.
These are just a few of the benefits of student lead conferences. In classes students are already accumulating work samples and beginning to create the self reflective pieces to accompany them. Teachers will be helping students select appropriate samples and will spend time in both class and homeroom to model the conference format and to prepare the students for this celebration of their learning. Through News and Views we will be communicating more information on the role parents will play and tips for how parents can get the most out of this experience with their children. We are committed to always looking for new ways to enhance student ownership of learning and to involve parents in this partnership. We are including in this issue an article written by Sheryl Salem on student lead conferences (published The International Educator, December 2005). Student-led conferences give students voice in learning
By Sheryl Salem In the middle school section of the American School of Guatemala, students, teachers and parents are working together to improve student learning through student-led conferences. The practice has been in place for several years, but each year teachers and administrators tweak the process to make the conferences more beneficial to everyone involved. Student-led conferences focus the spotlight on the students so that they, rather than the teacher, can share the high points of their performance over the grading period. In addition, students examine their work and reflect on areas and practices in which they need to improve. The purposes of student-led conferences jibe with ASG's philosophy: To prepare responsible, independent, critical-thinking, bilingual students. They encourage students to analyze their progress and take responsibility for their own learning. By explaining their achievement to parents, students strengthen both oral communication skills and their sense of accountability. Parents, in turn, become more involved in the educational process. Further, the conferences reinforce the belief that the student is at the center of the educational process. By the middle school years, students are capable of articulating their learning and looking critically at the strengths and weaknesses of their academic performance to set goals to ensure future success. To prepare for the conferences, students review their work to date in subject area classes and advisory. This review includes choosing one piece, which reflects their best effort and another, which shows the areas in which they can improve. Teachers ask students to summarize the content and skills they've learned and to self-evaluate their study and work habits. This information is then collated in a portfolio, which serves as reference during the actual conference. Although teachers act as facilitators during the actual conference, they also spend time preparing students and themselves. In the week preceding the conferences, teachers devote warm-up time in classes to students choosing portfolio work and preparing their reflections. In advisory, they have their students collate the work theyve selected for their portfolios. During planning time, teachers review their advisees' midterm reports so they are aware of progress and difficulties. In grade level meetings, teachers discuss students achievement with other team members so they are prepared to coach and prompt students, if necessary. During the conference, the student begins by reviewing his or her progress in each of his subject areas and general approaches to learning. These observations are supported by the student's portfolio work. Based on these observations, the student then outlines his/her goals and strategies for improvement. The teacher encourages, helps the student maintain focus and provides a summary of the student's comments. At the end of the conference, the teacher reviews the student's midterm report with student and parents. Some parents are initially wary of students leading conferences, perhaps because they expect the teacher to assume the role of "expert" or they wish to have a private discussion with their child's teacher. After attending a student-led conference however, the majority of parents are impressed with their child's preparation and ability to discuss his or her progress. Then their child offers concrete strategies for his or her improvement, parents are willing and able to help follow through at home. The conference also provides structured, uninterrupted time for parents to talk to their child about school and to observe their student's interaction with his/her adviser. If parents have unanswered questions or concerns after the conferences, they are encouraged to make a later appointment with an individual teacher or the grade level team. We have experimented with variations on the student-led conference, for example, holding them at different times of the year, or incorporating technology by using Power Point presentations or web-based portfolios. Parents were most positive when conferences were schedules in the middle of a grading period, because they appreciate being informed of their child's progress while there is still time to improve. Although the web version of the portfolio can be visually and technologically impressive, most teachers feel that it detracts from the interaction between student, parents and teachers. They prefer for students to use a brief Power Point presentation, with explicit instructions as to the number of slides and the information they should include. Student-led conferences put students on center stage, transferring the responsibility for learning from teachers and parents to the students themselves. In addition to providing information about student achievement in specific subject areas, this practice fosters a sense of self-efficacy and skills - such as preparation, organization, reflections and self-evaluation - that prepare students for learning in high school and beyond.
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
