It wasn’t your typical parent-teacher conference for second-grade students in Liz Wallace and Courtney Dennison’s classrooms at Cuyahoga Heights Elementary School. Instead, the second trimester conferences, held in March, involved the students themselves!
“The student-led conferences were an opportunity to have our students share what they were working on in school and to reflect on goals they set for themselves academically and socially,” said Dennison.
To prepare, the students took the time to reflect on their progress in second grade thus far. “They looked at their journals, previous classroom work, and tests to analyze how they did overall, whether they understood what they were doing, and then set academic goals for themselves based on their effort and grades,” noted Dennison.
During the conferences themselves, which were held in an Open House format with multiple families in the classroom at the same time, The students led the conversation with their parents about their learning, including goals to work toward and things they could work on at home. “We were available for support and questions as needed, but encouraged the students to take the leadership role,” acknowledged Dennison.
“Many students realized how challenging it was to be honest and reflective about their daily work and behaviors. While many were nervous to do this at first, they quickly became excited because they were proud of how hard they had been working and wanted to celebrate their successes with their families!” she noted.
Overall, the teachers are hopeful that through the student-led format, parents could see their children take the leadership role, develop the confidence they need to take risks, and grow as independent thinkers.
Pictured: A student analyzes math work in preparation for her student-led conference. The data will be used to help her set specific goals to share with her family and enlist their support.