Low-Down on Student-Led

Thanks for coming back to A Spoonful of Teaching! I appreciate the love and support from all of you! Today I’m going to give you the low-down on Student Led Conferences. Last year was the first year I had ever heard of one, let alone organized one for my students! It was extremely intimidating. A student-led conference is different from the traditional parent-teacher conference. If you’re a current teacher or studying to be a teacher, this post is for you whether you’ve never heard of one or are a seasoned pro at organizing a SLC. Let’s get started.

What is a student led conference? 

A student led conference is exactly what it sounds like-- a student leading a conference. This is a step above a parent-teacher conference. In a parent-teacher conference, the student is usually not present. Therefore, the teacher does all of the talking with the parent! For a student led conference, we prepare our students to present their goals, grades, testing data, and artifacts (projects, tests, quizzes, assignments). A student led conference is a little more work, but so cool and rewarding.

Why choose a student led conference over a parent-teacher conference? 

Like I said, student led conferences are more work. I mean, preparing for a traditional parent-teacher conference can be a good amount of work! Here’s why you should choose to do a SLC:

1)  It teaches students how to prepare for a project or presentation

• There’s a lot of planning and organization that goes into a SLC. Students choose artifacts, decide and expand on their goals, and possibly prepare a slideshow if done electronically. 

2)  It allows students to practice presentation skills

• In my experience with SLCs, students present their information through a slideshow presentation. No matter what medium students are presenting with, they will talk in front of an audience. Being familiar with presenting in front of a “crowd” is a wonderful skill to have as an adult!

3)  Students enhance their technology skills

• Now this is mostly for teachers who choose to go the slideshow route. It can be tricky for students to input their information onto a GoogleSlide if they haven’t done it before! Teaching them the basics of GoogleSlides (or PowerPoint), or even letting them explore for themselves, can be a fun skill to learn. 

4)  Students can practice the writing process

• Sometimes it can be difficult to fit writing time into your busy school schedule, I get it! Having students create their own SLC is a fun and productive way to remind students of the writing process. Usually, students create one or two rough drafts of their SLC. Before inputting their information onto a GoogleSlides presentation, I have students proofread each other’s rough drafts. Peer review can be a great classroom tool if expectations are set. The final step of the writing process is “publish.” This is where students input (and sometimes tweak) their information into whatever medium has been chosen for them.

5)  It presents the feeling of ownership

• I LOVE when students get excited about the hard work they’ve done, and a student-led conference is a perfect example of this. When they finish their project you can feel the pride radiating from the student. It’s one of the most rewarding things for the student, as well as their teacher and family!

The first slide of my SLC presentation. (pssst.... it's a freebie just for you!)

How do I prepare for a student-led conference? 

• Map out an idea of what you want students to showcase at their conference. 
• Some ideas include report cards, tests, goals, artifacts, etc.
• Decide how students will present their information. 
• I’ve seen student-led conferences done on a poster, slideshow, paper, or a mix of a few! Really there’s no wrong answer. However, I prefer electronically!
• Get started EARLY
• Speaking from experience, it can be overwhelming and stressful to throw one of these together in a week or two. I believe it’s best to start planning a month to a month and a half out. Sounds crazy but hear me out… It's going to take students a bit of time to gather all their ideas for their conference. You’re going to want your students to display their best work. You’ll also want them to practice so they aren’t as nervous. Honestly, the earlier the better.
• If you choose to include artifacts, make sure students have some options.
• Last year, I sent projects, tests, worksheets, etc. home as soon as I could. I did NOT like filing away anything so I just sent it home with students ASAP. This was another mistake of mine because when it was time for me to decide what artifacts I wanted students to show off, I had nothing. I remember scrambling to find anything for them to show their families. Bottom line: keep some of their work!
• Also, it’s important to think about the quality of the artifacts students are presenting. Do you want them to show a not-so-great assignment and a superb one to show growth? Do you want to show the flashy, TPT project you spent two weeks completing? The options are endless! (personally, I like to show off the big projects because it’s usually the one where they had the most fun)
• Practice, practice, practice!
• Practice with your students! Pull them aside one-by-one for a minute or two to go through their presentation. They might feel uncomfortable, but assure them that you’re there to help!

How do my students prepare for a student-led conference? 

• Set expectations for them to be successful.
• Providing students with a simple rubric-style guide can remind them what expectations you have for an exceptional SLC. Even simple reminders such as punctuation, capitals, or complete sentences can go a long way.
• Show some examples.
• Some students have a hard time following directions (c’mon we can all think of “that one” student 😉). I’ve found it’s best to not only provide students with a rubric or instructions, but to also show an example. What I love to do is show a variety of examples. For instance, if I show a “bad” example, we talk about why it’s subpar and what to do to fix it. This can give a different perspective on what you’re looking for. 
• Be familiar with the medium.
• For students to lead a successful conference, they must be familiar with how they are presenting it. If your students have never used GoogleSlides before, it’s probably not a good idea to set a laptop in front of them and walk away. They’re going to need to know how to operate it! If you’ve never had a poster project in your classroom before, go over the importance of color, writing large, etc. Set them up for success!
• Understand the importance of multiple drafts.
• Some students can be frustrated at the idea of writing multiple drafts. They’ll say “isn’t this one good enough?”. The answer is almost always no. Do not give in and say their first draft is the best-- they can always push themselves to do better! Spoiler alert: if you’ve never had students write more than one draft before, they’re going to think this concept is bizarre. Prepare them.
• Explain and practice peer reviewing.
• It’s totally okay if you’re students have never experienced a peer review session! It’s not okay to introduce it the day you want them to read each other's SLC. I can 100% guarantee if you do that, they will read their partner’s presentation and say “looks good.” Explain to them not only how to peer review, but also how to do it effectively. Think of the “sandwich method.” This is where you start your critique with a positive. Then, you add where the writer could improve. Finally, you end with a positive. Once they get the hang of it, it will become second nature to them.
• Practice, practice, practice!
• Students will need to practice multiple times. If you only have students practice their SLC a handful of times, it’ll show (I may be speaking from experience again). Not only does this conference reflect on the student, but it also kind of reflects on you. Show their families that you’ve prepared their student to be the best little public speaker they can be! 

Whew, that was a lot of information thrown at you! It may sound overwhelming and a lot of work (which it kind of is), it is SO worth it. I love watching students present their project to their families. They are filled with pride and their eyes light up when they hear the applause after their last slide. I almost forgot the best part about today's post...... there's. a. freebie. Yep! I'm sharing a link to a GoogleSlides version of a student led conference template I've created. Check it out on my "freebies" tab. I told you this post was going to be worth the wait!