Contributed by Colleen Schilly, Head of Lower School
As we approach our second round of conferences for the 2015-2016 school year, the 3rd and 4th grade students are preparing for their student-led conferences. For our 3rd graders, this is the first time in their school career that they are formally stepping into the conversation around their learning that, up until this point, has been between the adults only. As you can imagine, students are processing some nervousness and uncertainty about what their conference will hold. This is a pivotal learning moment, and lays the foundation for the rest of their learning experiences at Hillbrook. Our graduates point to student-led conferences as one of the avenues whereby they gained the skills necessary to be confident and articulate advocates for their own learning. This means that in 3rd/4th grade they are setting important groundwork for their continued growth and development through Middle School and beyond.
Whether your child is in 3rd grade embarking on their first student led conference, in 8th grade celebrating their last, or anywhere in between: I invite you to return to and reflect on our core, particularly the qualities of a Hillbrook learner. When we think about the portrait of a Hillbrook graduate, we seek to nurture learners who “are prepared, connected, and engaged in the world around us.” Student led conferences are one of the opportunities whereby students practice, in an authentic and meaningful context, these key qualities:
We ask questions: In preparation,s children engage in self-reflection and ask questions of themselves, their teachers, and others to create an accurate representation of their progress and areas for growth.
We work together: Student-led conferences involve the most important “player” in the conversation. By inviting the learner into a leadership role in the discussion around the their own progress, children understand themselves as the most powerful determinant in their growth at school and in life.
We talk….and we listen: Life at Hillbrook is a constant conversation, and this experience is one component of that conversation. We encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher whenever you want one-on-one insight into your child’s progress. The student-led conference is an opportunity for the child to practice planning for and talking about their progress. It is an opportunity for us as adults to model being authentic and active listeners.
We solve problems: Children seek the insight of others to understand where their challenges are and identify what their next areas of growth might be. In student-led conferences, students practice taking risks and exercising perseverance.
We make things better: Student-led conferences are an opportunity to celebrate growth and to continue charting a course forward. By leading the conference, students own the role and responsibility of making themselves better.
Here are some reflections from some of our 8th graders, looking back on the conferences as lower school students:
“I liked that I could share all the projects and things I was excited about with my parents.”
“I remember being nervous because you are talking in front of your parents and your teacher. Throughout the years, it helped me talk in front of other people more.”
“I was super shy and nervous in every conference, but now I am more confident when talking to my teachers.”
“[The conferences] helped because I knew what they wanted us to work on, and we were able to write it down and remember for next time.”
“It was nice to be there, especially when your parents are talking. They might have something to tell you, and you can tell them everything specifically.”
At Hillbrook we know that the most powerful learning experiences are those that students are deeply invested in. Our core values to Take a Risk and Be Your Best lie at the heart of why student-led conferences have a profound impact on learning now, and on who they continue to become as learners in their future.