 
Many middle school students are busy preparing for conferences
where they’re the center of attention. Student-led conferences shift the
focus from talking about students to talking directly with them. Each
student leads the conference with his/her parents. Using a portfolio
representing work samples from the respective time period, the student
describes his/her educational growth. This is an opportunity for students
to make learning active, to self-reflect and evaluate performance, and to
discover who they are as learners. In a student-led conference, the student
showcases not only strengths but also sets goals to improve in areas
of weakness. The teachers play an important role in these conferences,
too. Core teachers drop in to each student-led conference to discuss student
progress. Elective/PE teachers are available before or after scheduled
student-led conferences so students can share work from those classes.
Attendance at the fall conferences was up and feedback from both parents
and students has been very positive.
Student-led, teacher-supported conferences |
