(No Student Attendance) Parent/Teacher Conferences - October 24 (Times vary) 12-8 p.m.
STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES at MG
Mechanics Grove School is proud to announce that we are conducting Student-Led Conferences for our Fall conference times. As a Leader in Me school, students are celebrated as leaders regularly. Student-led conferences are a way for students to practice their leadership skills, the 7 habits, and Leading the PACK. Please see below about details that outline the conference in detail.
Definition of Student-Led Conferences
A student-led conference is a conference with parents led by the student. Students lead parents through a discussion of their work and established academic and social goals. The process includes the teacher facilitating several conferences at the same time. The student directs the conversation focused on their work and classroom behavior.
Philosophy and Purpose of Student-Led Conferences
The process of communicating the progress of students to parents must involve students in a meaningful way. For a discussion of student work to be relevant, accurate and complete, students need to be meaningfully engaged in the process. Having students lead a conference with parents is a way to maximize their involvement. The involvement of students in the conferencing process promotes three elements essential to improving student performance in school:
· Relevance; why we are teaching what we are teaching to students
· Responsibility; making the student more responsible for learning
· Reporting to parents how students are progressing in learning
Roles and Responsibilities of Student-Led Conferences
Successful student-led conferences require changes in the roles that teacher, student and parent have played in traditional parent conferencing.
Teacher Role: To organize the conference environment and to guarantee success. This includes guiding portfolio collection and training students and setting up the conference spaces. The teacher becomes a guide and observer of the conferencing process.
Student Role: Through all stages of the student-led conference process (preparation, implementation and evaluation) the student becomes the key participant. The student becomes responsible for working with the teacher to identify strengths, identifying learning needs and collecting evidence to validate learning. The student practices self-reflection.
Parent Role: Parents become partners in learning when students lead a conference. The opportunity for parents to have one-to-one time with their child focused on learning and achievement is important to the conferencing process. The parents role is to listen.
Please note that a student-led conference is NOT a time to discuss new concerns that the teacher or parent has regarding the student. These concerns should be discussed prior to the conference via phone or email. The best thing that a parent/teacher can do is respect the need for the student to lead the conference time.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Fergus, Mrs. Bertaud, and Team MG
To Schedule Your Child's Student-Led Conference, use THIS DOCUMENT to click on your child's homeroom teacher's link.