Student Led Conferences

What is a student led conference?

A student led conference is when the student shares with their parents their learning and progress.

The students get to share what they want to share and what they want to get better at and set goals. 

Student led conferences is a new concept. For the last century teachers have been the ones giving the conferences. Allowing the students to lead the conference allows a deeper connection for students learning. Students may not be there yet in their learning. The power of yet, it is okay because a student may not be there yet. Do not rush students. Let them lead at their own pace. Just because a student is leading the conference does not mean the teacher will not get a say in anything. 

4 Types of Student Led Conferences

1. Fresh Grade

2. G Suite for Education

3. Seesaw

4. Book Creator 

This is a great resource for teachers. Teachers get to see what students are excited about in their learning. The students get to choose the work they are most proud of. It is important for the teacher to remember that what they choose may not reflect their best work, but it is okay. It is important to allow students to feel like they have a say in their learning and take ownership of their learning. Allowing students to lead a conference starts to teach them leadership skills. It can be a time for teachers to teach the student the role of a leader and speaking. It places the responsibility on the student. They learn that they are responsible for their own learning. Students are held accountable to make sure they have everything prepared for the conference. Students grow more from the student led conferences because they get to be apart of their goals. Students gain more confidence in student led conferences. Students see the importance in learning and why they need to give their best. 

Student led conferences is awesome for ELL students. They are able to communicate to their parents in their native language. ELLs are able to see the value in their learning and teach their parents what they are learning in class. 

I will definitely implement this in my future classroom! I think this is great to use. I would have at least 3 student led conferences and at least 2 teacher led conferences a year. This allows the parent and teacher to see what is important to the student. The parents are also able to hear from the teacher to see how their student is doing.