Student-Led Conferences: Why You Should Use Them and How To Get Started

The traditional parent-teacher conference sees adults sitting down to confer about a student’s progress. The student is granted a day-off while teachers pack 15-minute conversations back to back. Good news and bad news alike is delivered while the key constituent, the student, is nowhere to be found. 

Upending the adult-led paradigm

As schools shift to more learner-centered models of instruction,  student-led conferences are upending this paradigm.  As the name suggests, during a student-led conference, the key constituent, the student, spearheads the conversation about their learning.  Teachers provide frameworks and help the students prepare, but during the conference, they take on the secondary role of facilitator.  This reimagining has a few key benefits. 

• Reflection:  Students must step back and assess their own learning. Rather than passively receiving a grade, they must identify and externalize their strengths and areas for growth.  Their ability to think critically about the assessment is as critical as the assessment itself. 
• Ownership: Students manage the conversation about their progress, they are responsible for describing their current progress and future goals. In doing so, they take ownership. In the traditional model, with the student absent from the conversation, teachers own and are the final arbiters of the learning process. 
• Collaboration:  Students, teachers, and parents become collaborators in learning. The students are able to put their progress into their own words and chart their path with support from their community.   

Tips for getting started

Student-led conferences are a powerful way to signal a school’s commitment to learner-centered instruction, even if many instructional practices still remain firmly teacher-centered.  It can be daunting to consider reconfiguring parent-teacher conferences. There are many ways to pilot the shift.

Teachers can begin by implementing regular reflection and goal-setting protocols when sending home graded assignments.  Rather than simply passing back a test or graded essay, teachers can give students a few minutes to respond to simple prompts like, “What did you do well? What can you improve? What is your next step?”.   The responses to these questions become a cover sheet that students can review with parents before they engage with the “letter” grade.

If it is logistically difficult to bring students into the room during conferences, teachers can ask students to pull together a portfolio and written reflection.  They may even create a short video recording that can be played for the family. The creation of these assets does not have to be “something extra” but instead can be considered as a part of the final assignment.

Outschool and Student-Led Conferences

When a student owns a conference, they drive the conversation about their learning goals. Teachers and parents become coaches and teammates in support of these aspirations.  A platform like Outschool can provide a natural next step after these conversations.  With over 140,000 classes from vetted, expert instructors, students can work with their parents and teachers to select classes that meet their unique needs, interests, and goals. Ready to revisit a particularly tough topic in math class? 1:1 math tutoring might be the right fit. Hungry to continue exploring a project in science? A class on forensics might nurture a new curiosity.   Excited to continue building creative writing skills? A creative writing club could connect a learner with like-minded peers. With classes as varied as the student's interests and goals, Outschool can unlock a wide world of learning possibilities that can reinforce your school’s commitment to learner-centered instruction. 

Learn more about Outschool.