A School-wide Approach to Student-led Conferences

Book excerpt: Noting that the benefits of student-led conferences align well with practices recognized as developmentally appropriate for the middle school years, this book provides a step-by-step guide to implementing student-led conferences at the middle school level. The chapters are: (1) "Setting the Stage," presenting the rationale for student-led conferences; (2) "Begin with the End in Mind," presenting suggestions for organizing the program and training staff; (3) "Meanwhile...Back in the Classroom," examining ways to prepare students for the student-led conference; (4) "Self-Reflections," distinguishing self-evaluation and self-reflection, and focusing on building ways to enable students to understand their own learning process; (5) "Putting the Pieces Together," including information on scheduling conferences, collecting work samples, contacting parents, and teaching the process; (6) "Setting Goals for the Future," discussing goal setting and feedback; (7) "The Conference," presenting transcripts of a sample conference; (8) "Where Do We Go Next?" concerning evaluation of the student-led conference and making adjustments in the process; (9) "Going It Alone," suggestions for teachers ready to try student-led conferences but who do not yet have the support or resources to try a school-wide initiative; and (10) "Commonly Asked Questions about Student-Led Conferences." Appended are additional forms and handouts. (Contains 26 references.) (KB)