Middle Link

Student-Led Conferences

Parent Resource Center

Download printable version of Dinner Table Conversations

I expect my child to share his work with me at home on an ongoing basis. We are very involved parents. How is a student-led conference any different than this?

After participating in a student-led conference that is teacher supported, it is easy to see the difference between sharing work at home and sharing a portfolio at school. At school, students are taught ways in which to be self-reflective of their on-going work. It is by listening to students’ self-reflections that we learn the most about our students’ growth. By having the core teachers participate in the student-led conference, it gives them an opportunity to interact with the points that are brought up by the student. The students are generally insightful and honest when their parents and teachers support them through a conference. They are more apt to experience “aha moments” when analyzing their work habits and learning with their parents and teachers by their side.

Sharing schoolwork at home is a wonderful way to stay connected to your child’s school experience. Over the dinner table, these conversations tend to focus on the work itself and not always the bigger picture of how your child is learning and in what ways he/she learns best. Even if your child were to bring home reflections prepared at school, it is the process of sharing the reflections with parents and teachers together that is so powerful. No matter how nurturing and supportive a home environment might be, a teen might be less than 100% forthcoming. It’s a perfectly normal behavior for them at this point in adolescence. Perhaps it’s the added pressure of being at school with teachers who can clarify that make student-led conferences such a wonderful opportunity to look at student strengths and weaknesses.

Continue to be involved with your child by encouraging work to be brought home weekly. This will help you stay tuned with the curriculum being taught at school and your child’s interest in it. Remember that the fall and spring student-led conferences will be an opportunity for you to listen to your child’s insights in order to hear how they are maturing. It is important that we give our students this chance to be introspective under the watchful eye of both parents and teachers alike.

Have questions? Need more information? Amy Goodman Middle School Literacy Support Teacher goodman_amy@asdk12.org 907-742-4270