Student-Led Conferences

When you realize conferences are a month away do you
begin to sweat? It happens to me every year. School feels like it has just
started, and we barely begin to get into our groove when I look to see what’s
ahead on the calendar and there it is, looming. That all changed this past
school year.

I was tired of dreading something that I knew held
bigger opportunity than what I was making of it. Conferences had the power to
engage families and empower students, but that’s not how I was seeing things.

I started by making a list of what I liked and didn’t like about conferences.
Seeing it all on paper really proved to me that there were things I could
change. I could make conferences a time that I looked forward to, a time
where kids felt empowered about themselves as learners and families felt
connected to our classroom. I just needed to think outside the box. I needed
to think about changes that I could make that would make all the time, the
work, the preparation worth what I put into it. Enter, Student-Led
Conferences.

Before student-led conferences I spent weeks reading
student writing, completing assessments and entering grades. All of this work
was to sit down with families just to go over a report card that they could
just as easily read themselves. I was missing the boat. The kids had done the
work. The kids had made the growth. The kids needed to know who they were as
learners. They needed to know their strengths, their weaknesses and areas
they wanted to target for growth, not the ones their teacher and parent did.

If I could get kids excited about conferences I knew
their families would be too. It was like a domino effect. The kids buy-in,
the families buy-in and the then the teacher.

A few weeks before conferences we started setting up. My
class started looking at the data, choosing pieces of work they were most
proud of, thinking about books they wanted to share when their family arrived
and getting to know themselves as learners and targeting where they wanted to
go. They immediately felt empowered in the process. They were in control and
the parameters were set so that they could be successful in this. Each day we
practiced a little through role-play with partners. We started with sharing
one piece and continually added more as we became comfortable and confident.
By committing 15 minutes to practice a few days a week each of us were ready
when conferences arrived on that calendar.

We used these pages to help guide us during our practice.

The big day:

When families come in students are prepared and know
exactly what to do. They welcome their family and lead them to their desk. A
welcome letter explains the process briefly and gives space for families to
take notes if they need to. I am with another family for the first 5-10 minutes
of the conference. The student is prepared to lead the conference and share
their learning all on their own. Learner empowered!

After our weeks of practice they are ready. They share
who they are as a reader including their strengths and the goals they have
set.

They share a writing piece and know exactly what they want to share with
their family that made them feel proud. Next up is math. They are fully aware
of the growth they have made and the facts they are working on. These pages
help keep them on track and allow them to feel successful as they run this
conference.

Right about now I join the family. Each time I am met
with excited smiles and many praises of “I can’t believe they did all of this
on their own!”. The excitement and pride fills your heart.

 Now the kids have
shared all of the most important information. My part is really minimal for
most families. I answer questions and share any academic concerns. We make a
plan for these together, and families leave feeling truly connected and happy
to see their child so excited about their own learning. Isn’t that what we’ve
always wanted, as teachers?

I personally don’t talk about behavior at conferences.
For me, if there’s something going on behavior-wise, it’s something I
communicate with families or contact them beforehand and we talk about it. I
really strictly just use this time for the kids to talk about themselves as
learners. I want it to be a really positive experience for families.

I also think it’s important to mention that I had the
best attendance at conferences that I have every had. The kids put all that
work in and they were more excited than ever to show off. I had several
parents say that their child asked all day if it was time to leave for
conferences yet. Really? They’re begging to go to school. That’s a pretty
great thing!

If you’ve thought about trying student-led conferences,
but just don’t know how to get started I hope you’ve found some practical
ideas and inspiration. I also have all the forms we used in my TpT store and
like many of my products, the best part is that they’re all editable. You can
add, change, and delete any text to make them work for your classroom and your
students. I included versions for both primary and secondary.

You can also grab these editable Conference Invitations
and Reminders. They are also provided in both English and Spanish.

I would love to hear about how student-led conferences
work in your classroom or help with any questions you still have. Post your
comments below and lets inspire one another and “Teach with hope.”