Why should you have student-led conferences? |
Student-led conferences provide an opportunity for students to own their learning in ways that traditional conferences neglect. Students must understand their educational goals, be able to analyze and discuss their progress, and set meaningful goals for the future.
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What is the role of the portfolio in student-led conferences? |
Student-led conferences do not have to include portfolios of student work. However, two of the three sets of conferences that Two Rivers hosts every year do involve student work. When students curate and reflect on their work, they learn how to ground discussions of their progress and goals in concrete examples. Portfolios also help structure the conversation at student-led conferences. As students speak to each new piece in their portfolio, addressing both the content and the process of their work, the conversation moves naturally toward setting goals for future learning.
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How do students create portfolios of their work? |
A portfolio is more than a collection of work samples from a student’s classes. Using Google Sites, each student creates a digital portfolio and carefully selects the pieces that reflect his or her best work. Whenever possible, the portfolio also documents the process the student went through to produce each piece of work, meaning that a portfolio includes multiple drafts and the feedback the student received from peers and teachers. Finally, each piece includes a written reflection about the process of creating the work. This reflection highlights which scholarly habits a student drew upon to create that work and an area for growth next time he or she completes a similar assignment.
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How frequently do you organize student-led conferences? |
We host three sets of student-led conferences each year.
The first conference is a data conference held in November. The goal of this conference is to take stock of a student’s work at the beginning of the year and to set goals for improvement. This conference does not highlight student work samples. The second conference is held at the beginning of February, and the third is at the beginning of June. Both focus on presentations of student portfolios. These two conferences aim to highlight each student’s progress in working toward his or her goals and to set additional goals for future learning. |
What is the biggest challenge related to implementing student-led conferences? |
The biggest challenge related to student-led conferences is the time required to prepare students to lead their conferences. Students need to be prepared regardless of how you structure the conferences. The preparation involves helping students determine what they are going to present, analyze their work or data to determine strengths and areas for growth, and set goals.
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