parent-teacher_conferences.ppt | |
File Size: | 5972 kb |
File Type: | ppt |
Resources
|
|
|
|
What should happen at an ideal parent-teacher conference?
An ideal parent-teacher conference is a conversation between you and your student’s parent about their child’s progress at school. They can help strengthen relationships with individual families and support student learning. Conferences supplement the casual, daily conversations that you have with families by providing more comprehensive information about children’s progress and allowing time for deep conversation. By making time for parent-teacher conferences and sharing content that is informative and helpful with parents, you are showing parents that their child is important, your relationship with them is also important and you respect them.
Goals of the conference
Share how their child is learning and what their child is learning
Share authentic assessment information
Share information about their child’s transition to school
Share how their child gets along with friends and teachers
Strengthen relationships with parents
Share resources that families can use to support learning at home
Preparation for the conference
A few weeks before the conference, send notices and invitations about when and where parent-teacher conferences will be happening
Schedule appointments, if possible to minimize parent wait times
Schedule alternative appointment times for parents that are not able to meet during designated conference times
Have materials such as student work samples, rubrics and assessment information handy to discuss
Flow of the conference
Allow approximately 20 minutes with each parent to talk about their child’s progress. Below is a suggestion for how the conference might flow:
Welcome the parent, thank him/her for coming to the conference
Share the purpose of the conference, ask the parent if there is anything else he/she wants to get out of the conference
Share some concrete examples of the child’s learning (e.g. work samples, photographs, etc.); discuss the child’s areas of strength, growth, and progress over time
Ask the parent what he/she notices about the child’s learning and development at home
o What have you observed about your child?
o What do you think are your child’s strengths?
o Where do you think your child needs to grow this year?
Share strategies that you are using to support the child’s learning in the classroom
Share concrete strategies that the parent can use to extend the child’s learning at home
Discuss any lingering questions and next steps; thank the parent for participating in the conference
Tips for facilitating conversation
Emphasize that you want their child to be successful in school just like they do
Reinforce that what families do with their child outside of school is just as important as what is happening in school
Consider your community and the needs of individual families when you share ideas for extending learning at home; some families might want websites, others might like a list of library books, others might benefit from on-the-go activities, and others might be interested in community events
Thank families for committing their valuable time to meet with you
Tips for making families feel welcome
Create a welcoming space for families that is physically comfortable, including space to sit and wait if needed Recognize that for some families, coming into schools can be an uncomfortable experience particularly if they have had negative experiences with schools in the past or don’t know what to expect
Listen carefully and be ready to share meaningful information about their child
Have questions you may want to know about their child or the family prepared and ready Tips for following up after the conference
Contact parents that missed appointments to set up another time
During drop off and pick up, ask families how their extending learning at home activities are going with their children
Let parents know how children are progressing on certain knowledge and skills that you discussed during the conference
Questions that parents may ask You may want to think through some of these questions in advance of the conference and come prepared with thoughts about each.
Is my child’s progress developmentally appropriate?
How is my child doing compared to the rest of the class?
What do you see as his or her strengths?
How could he or she improve?
In what areas could he improve?
Can I see examples of my child’s work?
Can I see rubrics used to assess the work?
How will my child be challenged and supported?
Content adapted from Parent–Teacher Conference Tip Sheets for Principals, Teachers, and Parents, June 2009, Harvard Family Research Project.
An ideal parent-teacher conference is a conversation between you and your student’s parent about their child’s progress at school. They can help strengthen relationships with individual families and support student learning. Conferences supplement the casual, daily conversations that you have with families by providing more comprehensive information about children’s progress and allowing time for deep conversation. By making time for parent-teacher conferences and sharing content that is informative and helpful with parents, you are showing parents that their child is important, your relationship with them is also important and you respect them.
Goals of the conference
Share how their child is learning and what their child is learning
Share authentic assessment information
Share information about their child’s transition to school
Share how their child gets along with friends and teachers
Strengthen relationships with parents
Share resources that families can use to support learning at home
Preparation for the conference
A few weeks before the conference, send notices and invitations about when and where parent-teacher conferences will be happening
Schedule appointments, if possible to minimize parent wait times
Schedule alternative appointment times for parents that are not able to meet during designated conference times
Have materials such as student work samples, rubrics and assessment information handy to discuss
Flow of the conference
Allow approximately 20 minutes with each parent to talk about their child’s progress. Below is a suggestion for how the conference might flow:
Welcome the parent, thank him/her for coming to the conference
Share the purpose of the conference, ask the parent if there is anything else he/she wants to get out of the conference
Share some concrete examples of the child’s learning (e.g. work samples, photographs, etc.); discuss the child’s areas of strength, growth, and progress over time
Ask the parent what he/she notices about the child’s learning and development at home
o What have you observed about your child?
o What do you think are your child’s strengths?
o Where do you think your child needs to grow this year?
Share strategies that you are using to support the child’s learning in the classroom
Share concrete strategies that the parent can use to extend the child’s learning at home
Discuss any lingering questions and next steps; thank the parent for participating in the conference
Tips for facilitating conversation
Emphasize that you want their child to be successful in school just like they do
Reinforce that what families do with their child outside of school is just as important as what is happening in school
Consider your community and the needs of individual families when you share ideas for extending learning at home; some families might want websites, others might like a list of library books, others might benefit from on-the-go activities, and others might be interested in community events
Thank families for committing their valuable time to meet with you
Tips for making families feel welcome
Create a welcoming space for families that is physically comfortable, including space to sit and wait if needed Recognize that for some families, coming into schools can be an uncomfortable experience particularly if they have had negative experiences with schools in the past or don’t know what to expect
Listen carefully and be ready to share meaningful information about their child
Have questions you may want to know about their child or the family prepared and ready Tips for following up after the conference
Contact parents that missed appointments to set up another time
During drop off and pick up, ask families how their extending learning at home activities are going with their children
Let parents know how children are progressing on certain knowledge and skills that you discussed during the conference
Questions that parents may ask You may want to think through some of these questions in advance of the conference and come prepared with thoughts about each.
Is my child’s progress developmentally appropriate?
How is my child doing compared to the rest of the class?
What do you see as his or her strengths?
How could he or she improve?
In what areas could he improve?
Can I see examples of my child’s work?
Can I see rubrics used to assess the work?
How will my child be challenged and supported?
Content adapted from Parent–Teacher Conference Tip Sheets for Principals, Teachers, and Parents, June 2009, Harvard Family Research Project.
Twenty Tips for Developing Positive Relationships with Parents
In our busy day of juggling papers, lesson planning and managing sometimes more than a hundred students, we can easily forget the group that could lend significant support in our charge as teachers -- parents and families. Consider these tips for improving connections with this valuable group:
1. Smile When You See Parents
Greet them. Most parents only occasionally interact with teachers so make sure that at least 90 percent of your encounters with them are positive, warm, and friendly. The impressions left from fleeting encounters in the hallway last a long time.
2. Learn Their Names
(If you have a self-contained class.) Learn how they like to be addressed (Mr. ____? Señora? By their first name?) and how to pronounce them correctly.
3. Declare Your Intention
Tell them that you want to partner with them, that you appreciate their support, and look forward to working together.
4. Communicate Often and in Various Forms
Provide information about what's going on in your class (weekly would be ideal): what students are learning, what they've accomplished, what you're excited about, what they're excited about, and the learning and growth you're seeing. Suggest things that they might ask their child about: "Ask them to tell you about what they learned last week about meal worms," or "Ask them to read you the haiku they wrote."
5. Make a Positive Phone Call Home
If you have a self-contained class, call all homes within the first couple of weeks and then at regular intervals throughout the year. If you teach many students, identify those students who perhaps need a positive call home.
6. Lead with the Good News
Give positive praise first when calling parents or meeting with them to discuss a concern. Every kid has something good about him/her. Find it. Share it. Then share your concern. Adhere strictly to this rule.
7. Find a Translator
If you can't speak their language, seek a translator for at least one parent conference and/or phone call. (For obscure languages, you can sometimes find a refugee center or other public agency that can help). Reach out to those parents as well; do whatever you can to connect.
8. Your Language is Powerful
It communicates an awareness that there are many different kinds of families. Be careful not to assume a mother is, or isn't married, or even that if she is married, she's married to a man. Learn to ask open-ended questions and understand that sometimes parents/guardians might not want to share some information.
9. Ask Questions about the Child
"What kinds of things does he enjoy doing outside of school? Who are the special people in her life -- family or family friends? What do you think are her best characteristics? What was he like as a little boy?" Demonstrate an interest in knowing your student.
10. Listen to Parents
Really listen. They know a whole lot about their kid.
11. Smile at the Child
When talking to a parent in front of a child, smile and make eye contact with the student to demonstrate that you care about him/her. Recognize what he/she has done well in your class in front of the parents. Then share a concern, if you have one.
12. Invite Parents to Share
Distribute a survey at the beginning of the year (if parents don't read/write in English, students can interview them and relay their answers). Find out what parents know about and what skills they have. Invite them in especially if it connects the curriculum and content. Let them share with you their cultural traditions, interests, passions, skills, knowledge.
13. Let Parents Know How They Can Help
Many want to help but especially as kids get older, parents aren't asked for help as often and don't know what to do. There's always some way they can help in the classroom.
14. Be Very Specific
Provide ways parents can support their child at home: "You can help your child with her math homework by asking her to explain how she got an answer," or "As you're reading stories at night, ask your child to make predictions. This strengthens reading comprehension."
15. Be a Broker of Resources
If they share a concern, be prepared to point them to a direction where they can find help. If you share a concern ("Your daughter spaces out and doesn't pay attention") be prepared to suggest what the parents can do.
16. Explain Your Instructional Decisions
Take the time to do this and help them learn about the education system if they're not familiar with it. Help them understand what you're doing and why.
17. Invite Parents to Participate in Making Some Decisions
Invite their input, give them information that will help them form an opinion, and listen to their conclusions.
18. Thank Parents
Both individually and publicly for their support, perhaps in your weekly newsletter. Recognize what they do to help your class and how it's impacting students.
19. Share Every Success
Let parents know what their child is doing well, what academic skills, social skills or knowledge he's mastered.
20. Invite Parents to Celebrate and Break Bread Together
Communities are strengthened when people come together in celebration. Start the year with a potluck. Share food and stories about food. We all bond over food.
Source: Edutopia
In our busy day of juggling papers, lesson planning and managing sometimes more than a hundred students, we can easily forget the group that could lend significant support in our charge as teachers -- parents and families. Consider these tips for improving connections with this valuable group:
1. Smile When You See Parents
Greet them. Most parents only occasionally interact with teachers so make sure that at least 90 percent of your encounters with them are positive, warm, and friendly. The impressions left from fleeting encounters in the hallway last a long time.
2. Learn Their Names
(If you have a self-contained class.) Learn how they like to be addressed (Mr. ____? Señora? By their first name?) and how to pronounce them correctly.
3. Declare Your Intention
Tell them that you want to partner with them, that you appreciate their support, and look forward to working together.
4. Communicate Often and in Various Forms
Provide information about what's going on in your class (weekly would be ideal): what students are learning, what they've accomplished, what you're excited about, what they're excited about, and the learning and growth you're seeing. Suggest things that they might ask their child about: "Ask them to tell you about what they learned last week about meal worms," or "Ask them to read you the haiku they wrote."
5. Make a Positive Phone Call Home
If you have a self-contained class, call all homes within the first couple of weeks and then at regular intervals throughout the year. If you teach many students, identify those students who perhaps need a positive call home.
6. Lead with the Good News
Give positive praise first when calling parents or meeting with them to discuss a concern. Every kid has something good about him/her. Find it. Share it. Then share your concern. Adhere strictly to this rule.
7. Find a Translator
If you can't speak their language, seek a translator for at least one parent conference and/or phone call. (For obscure languages, you can sometimes find a refugee center or other public agency that can help). Reach out to those parents as well; do whatever you can to connect.
8. Your Language is Powerful
It communicates an awareness that there are many different kinds of families. Be careful not to assume a mother is, or isn't married, or even that if she is married, she's married to a man. Learn to ask open-ended questions and understand that sometimes parents/guardians might not want to share some information.
9. Ask Questions about the Child
"What kinds of things does he enjoy doing outside of school? Who are the special people in her life -- family or family friends? What do you think are her best characteristics? What was he like as a little boy?" Demonstrate an interest in knowing your student.
10. Listen to Parents
Really listen. They know a whole lot about their kid.
11. Smile at the Child
When talking to a parent in front of a child, smile and make eye contact with the student to demonstrate that you care about him/her. Recognize what he/she has done well in your class in front of the parents. Then share a concern, if you have one.
12. Invite Parents to Share
Distribute a survey at the beginning of the year (if parents don't read/write in English, students can interview them and relay their answers). Find out what parents know about and what skills they have. Invite them in especially if it connects the curriculum and content. Let them share with you their cultural traditions, interests, passions, skills, knowledge.
13. Let Parents Know How They Can Help
Many want to help but especially as kids get older, parents aren't asked for help as often and don't know what to do. There's always some way they can help in the classroom.
14. Be Very Specific
Provide ways parents can support their child at home: "You can help your child with her math homework by asking her to explain how she got an answer," or "As you're reading stories at night, ask your child to make predictions. This strengthens reading comprehension."
15. Be a Broker of Resources
If they share a concern, be prepared to point them to a direction where they can find help. If you share a concern ("Your daughter spaces out and doesn't pay attention") be prepared to suggest what the parents can do.
16. Explain Your Instructional Decisions
Take the time to do this and help them learn about the education system if they're not familiar with it. Help them understand what you're doing and why.
17. Invite Parents to Participate in Making Some Decisions
Invite their input, give them information that will help them form an opinion, and listen to their conclusions.
18. Thank Parents
Both individually and publicly for their support, perhaps in your weekly newsletter. Recognize what they do to help your class and how it's impacting students.
19. Share Every Success
Let parents know what their child is doing well, what academic skills, social skills or knowledge he's mastered.
20. Invite Parents to Celebrate and Break Bread Together
Communities are strengthened when people come together in celebration. Start the year with a potluck. Share food and stories about food. We all bond over food.
Source: Edutopia
Script from a Fourth Grade Student-Led Conference
Introduction:
I want to thank you for taking time to come to my conference. I am excited to share my work with you! I will be sharing with you my strengths as well as the areas where I need to improve. Before we begin I would like you to…
One K. Smith Habit that I shine in is ________________________, because I _________________________ .
One K. Smith Habit that I’m working on is _______________________, because I ______________________ .
I know that a strength of mine is ____________________________ because ________________________ .
I have a hard time with ______________________________ . I know this is challenging for me and need help to understand the concept.
The learning targets we have been working on in writing are:
because I ________________________________________________________________________________________.
The learning targets we have been working on in Math are:
because I ________________________________________________________________________________________.
The l The learning targets we have been working on in reading are:
because I ________________________________________________________________________________________.
Do you have any questions?
Teacher:
In order to get closer to/meet my targets I will…
1.____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Things that I will practice at home are:
._____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for supporting me and coming to my conference today, I appreciate the time you spent with me.
The interaction and the sharing of the work between the parent and the child was exactly what we were hoping for: positive communication. It was more like sitting at the dinner table sharing than the parent teacher conferences of the past. The emphasis was no longer on how the teacher graded the work, but the conversation between parent and child. The learning targets provided the language for students to explain to their parents what they were learning. Because the students understood them, the parent understood what their child was learning. MIssion accomplished!
I want to thank you for taking time to come to my conference. I am excited to share my work with you! I will be sharing with you my strengths as well as the areas where I need to improve. Before we begin I would like you to…
- Please turn off your phone
- Listen and ask questions
One K. Smith Habit that I shine in is ________________________, because I _________________________ .
One K. Smith Habit that I’m working on is _______________________, because I ______________________ .
I know that a strength of mine is ____________________________ because ________________________ .
I have a hard time with ______________________________ . I know this is challenging for me and need help to understand the concept.
The learning targets we have been working on in writing are:
- Writing a complete sentence
- Using correct capitalization and punctuation
- Writing narratives
- Use details that help describe the events in my story
- Put the events in my story in the correct order
because I ________________________________________________________________________________________.
The learning targets we have been working on in Math are:
- identifying factors and factor pairs to 100
- identifying prime and composite numbers to 100
- Show a multiplication problem in an array, ratio table, and a number line
- Use multiplication strategies to multiply numbers
- Use area to break apart a multiplication problem
- Math facts???
because I ________________________________________________________________________________________.
The l The learning targets we have been working on in reading are:
- Increase reading stamina by 5 minutes each week
- Support a claim with evidence
- I can find key details in the text
because I ________________________________________________________________________________________.
Do you have any questions?
Teacher:
In order to get closer to/meet my targets I will…
1.____________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Things that I will practice at home are:
._____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for supporting me and coming to my conference today, I appreciate the time you spent with me.
The interaction and the sharing of the work between the parent and the child was exactly what we were hoping for: positive communication. It was more like sitting at the dinner table sharing than the parent teacher conferences of the past. The emphasis was no longer on how the teacher graded the work, but the conversation between parent and child. The learning targets provided the language for students to explain to their parents what they were learning. Because the students understood them, the parent understood what their child was learning. MIssion accomplished!