{"id":17550,"date":"2019-01-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-11T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/?p=17550&preview=true&preview_id=17550"},"modified":"2019-01-11T14:17:58","modified_gmt":"2019-01-11T18:17:58","slug":"slcs-at-leland-gray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tiie.w3.uvm.edu\/blog\/slcs-at-leland-gray\/","title":{"rendered":"Student-led conferences come to Leland & Gray"},"content":{"rendered":"

Change is hard!<\/h2>\n

And changing a school procedure that has been the same forever is even harder! Leland and Gray Middle School teachers started planning a transformation this past summer. Their goal? To increase student engagement through student-led conferences.<\/p>\n

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(Click or tap to enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Process<\/h2>\n

Start with identity.<\/h3>\n

Middle school students began the year by focusing on identity. Educators charged them with answering the question, “Who am I?”\u00a0 Specifically: who am I as a learner, a family member, a community member, and a citizen?<\/p>\n


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Identify strengths and challenges<\/h3>\n

And learning more about themselves helped students think about their\u00a0areas of strength and areas for growth. While the original plan was to have students write goals in advance of student-led conferences, time ran short.\u00a0 Instead, students asked their parents for feedback on their strengths and challenges and used then that feedback when formulating their goals.<\/p>\n

Communicate the change<\/h3>\n

And change is especially unwelcome if you aren’t expecting it!\u00a0 It’s crucial to communicate the change in plans to parents and community members.\u00a0 Leland and Gray middle school teachers sent out a letter to let parents and guardians know that conferences would look and feel different.<\/p>\n

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Prepare and practice!<\/h3>\n

The first round of student-led\u00a0conferences can be scary, for both students and teachers.\u00a0 Scaffolding the process can help.\u00a0 Students used a script to prepare for the conversation.<\/p>\n

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And they practiced, a ton, in pairs.\u00a0 So when the big night arrived, students explained their learning to their parents with ease. (Because they had practiced explaining it to their peers!)<\/p>\n

Ask for feedback<\/h3>\n

Parents AND students were asked for feedback on the new format.\u00a0 How will you know what went well and what might be improved if you don’t ask?\u00a0 Leland and Gray middle school teachers know that this process will grow and improve over time, and they plan to use this feedback to revise the student-led conference process.<\/p>\n

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Celebrate success!<\/h2>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/innovativeEd\/status\/1053050893736857600<\/p>\n

Student-led conferences received amazingly positive feedback from parents.<\/p>\n

I liked that my child is engaged in his progress and aware of it. Loved seeing him voice his strengths — good confidence builder!<\/p>\n

It involved the student to the point of accountability. My child was not able ot “zone out” from the meeting, and claim ignorance on subjects.<\/p>\n

This format forced [student name] to think, process, and articulate who and where he is academically and personally.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Participation in conferences was higher than it had been in recent years.\u00a0 And students took ownership of their learning!<\/p>\n

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