Teacher Role

Teacher Role and Protocol

One of the toughest parts about doing student-led conferences is removing yourself s the focal point of the conference. You have already informed the parents through the initial letter that the conferences will be student-led. Hopefully, as the student explains the format of the conference, parents will understand that you are not the focal point. There are clearly some other things you can do to help accentuate that you are not the main stage here.

Where to sit? Some teachers choose not to sit at the table with the students and parents until the parent-teacher question part of the conference. That may be appreciated by some parents and misinterpreted by others. Setting the table up so that parents and students face each other and you are at the table, but not the focal point can help the parent to understand your secondary role.

When to Step in? Even students who have been well prepared can stumble on discussing their learning, especially if they are younger students. So when do you step in to guide them? If you see the parent looking frustrated, or the student looking overwhelmed, interjecting a guiding question can sometimes refocus the conference. Likewise, sometimes students just need a moment to regroup. This would be a good time to suggest the parent peruse some of the work the student has been (or will be) discussing. Just because it is student-led doesn't mean that you can't support them and prompt them. But remember, the parent's focus should be on the student, not you.

How to address the parent when they have a different agenda? Although this rarely happens, it can. What happens if….

*The parent indicates they want to speak with you about their student’s learning. Indicate that the student presentation of learning is the focus of the conference and that there will be time for questions and consultation after the student has presented their learning. You will be happy to answer their questions then.

*The parent starts to cut down the student’s work. Please let the parent know that their student will be presenting their successes as well as their challenges and that by reflecting on both they become better learners. If they keep coming back to one specific skill or deficiency, you might note that would be a good focus for making plans for next steps.

*The parent constantly interrupts the student. You can see it’s flustering the student. Please let the parent know that most students are nervous at first when presenting their work and that they have practiced their presentation in a particular order. They will be most successful if they are able to present in the order they practiced.

*The parent does not appear to be working with the child to determine the best next steps, but rather dictating how they think the child should proceed. Redirect the conversation back to the student’s reflection on how they learn best. Try and help the parent to understand how by respecting a student’s learning style, the students can improve their success.