Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to my first student led conferences with Eens and El. It was such a neat experience and it really gave the students a chance to reflect and realize what they have learned this year. In the US it seems that we have these idealistic ideas of how to make students responsible for their work and we start the process, but for some reason we can never completely finish it. Of course, the biggest obstacle in the states is the size of the classroom in the public schools. As a teacher, I cannot imagine accomplishing what I experienced yesterday effectively with 28 students.
Due to our circumstances (the main one being that my kids do not speak Chinese!), they cannot attend a local school, so they have to attend an international school where most classes have less than 20 students. We are extremely fortunate to be able to send the kids to a school where so much emphasis is placed on the learner profile and guided by a curriculum that allows for individual growth! I have enjoyed watching El and Eens grow into little "thinkers", but most of all I am thrilled that they love school!
The student led conference was exactly that, completely led by the student. The teachers helped the kids prepare beforehand, but during the conference, they were present for questions and a quick chat (which of course I can't resist!!), and the student was completely responsible for the material being shared!! Eens chose to show me how he signs in everyday, his portfolio, his newest "invention", and a favorite computer game he plays!!
Ellie had a longer conference than Eens. Hers was scheduled for 55 minutes, but because she insisted on taking me to every special class she has (6 total!), it lasted over an hour!! She first had me sit down to listen to her read a story she had recorded on the computer from October and then a recent one to show her oral reading improvement. Then she made me take a mad minute math test (I missed one - thank goodness for calculators!!). Next she showed me a report she had written on the human body. Through the entire conference she would either tell me how she had improved or why she was proud of that particular piece of work! I could tell that she had truly done some reflecting on her work. After our trip to all of her other classes, we came back to her classroom and she showed me specifically what areas she will work on and areas that she feels she has mastered. After we talked about why she had given herself certain marks, then I was able to write down two goals for her to work on the rest of the year!! It was neat to see that her and I were both on the same page on areas of improvement and subjects she is doing great in!! I try my hardest to be her mommy and not a teacher (this is much more difficult than you think!!)!
Here are some of the highlights of our afternoon...
Waiting for the fun to begin...
Time to show off all they have learned...
You have to love the pirate!!
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