For some parents the only contact they have with their child’s teacher is at parent teacher conferences. Listening to the recorded Seedlings show at Edtechtalk around training for parent teacher conferences, I was prompted to highlight some of the shows we have held. Last fall Lisa Parisi joined Parents as Partners to discuss student led parent teacher conferences A really good message:” Students are continually motivated to produce their best works knowing they will be presenting their assignments and school work at the conferences.”
This week Seedlings hosts Bob Sprankle, Alice Barr and Cheryl Oakes added some good discussion and ideas about training for running a parent teacher conference.
….guests Karen Abbott from Maine and Bill Rakosnik from Georgia, two veteran teachers who share with us how they prepare for parent teacher conferences, tips to make everyone feel comfortable, ideas on what to do when the conference goes south. The questions from the chat room and the suggestions are must haves for any teacher new to the field and veteran teachers looking to reflect on their practice.
Both sessions offer advice and practical experiences. Some of seedlings show chatroom conversations.
carolteach4 : At our middle school the kids are divided into teams – about 100 plus kids per team. One of the teams tried having the parent meet with the whole team, so the parent could get a whole picture, but it had limited success, especially with a 10 minute limitation. Of course, parents are able to schedule a meeting with the team during the school day for a longer time period if it’s deemed necessary.
PeggyG : we learned we had better conferences if they weren’t held at the same time report cards went out–they want to focus on grades if report cards are given out at the conference
alicebarr Online gradebooks have had a huge impact for us
cheryloakes : good point Sheila! The online gradebook with student and parent portal, makes it seem so transparent.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }