Student Led Conferences

What is a Student Led Conference? 

A student led conference (SLC) is a meeting run by ākonga/students for their whānau focused on their learning. During the conference ākonga present work in different curriculum areas, discussing the learning process and the progress they have made to date. 

Why have Student Led Conferences? 

Research shows that one of the most effective ways to improve ākonga achievement is developing their ability to talk about their learning and their progress – it makes a difference. Professor John Hattie published a revised list of the most effective influences on achievement which identifies ākonga self–reporting as the most significant indicator linked to raised achievement. Two other international researchers, Black & Wiliam further comment, “the process of students reflecting on their learning, through effective questioning that promotes the articulation of student thinking, is integral to classroom assessment practices that enhance student learning.” ‘Not only is the student the best person to tell their parents what they have learnt, but if we believe that students build their knowledge by communicating what they know, then providing an opportunity for the students to tell their family what they know can significantly assist with that learning.” Absolum, (2006 

How do they work? 

Student Led Conferences can last up to 45 minutes, although you do not have to stay this long if your child has finished sharing their learning. Four or five student led conferences will be held at the same time in your child’s classroom. You can ‘flow’ into a conference slightly earlier or later if the kaiako indicates there is space when you arrive. Each child will have a basic agenda that they will follow. You could be involved in a variety of activities with your child during the time – looking at samples of learning, doing an activity to support learning, talking about goals and what your child, you, and the kaiako might do to support these goals, or looking at work around the classroom. At some point during the conference, your kaiako will check in with you but remember that your child leads the conference. 

What will I need to do to support my child?

Before the conference 

• Book a time and put it in your diary (booking details will be sent out closer to the time) 

• Check the prompts & important things to remember list (below) 

• Discuss attendance with an estranged partner if necessary – each child will run only one conference 

• Let other whānau know if you want them to attend - other whānau are welcome though we don’t want to overwhelm ākonga 

On the conference day 

• Come with your child 

• Switch your phone to silent 

• Listen – your child will do most of the talking 

• Keep the conversation focused on learning 

• Use the prompts below or from the teacher 

• Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate 

• Write a comment for your child in the Visitors’ Book (these are shared with ākonga the next day) 

After the conference 

• Keep up the conversation about learning goals and successes 

• Look at Seesaw regularly and add comments using TAG 

Prompts for a learning focussed conversation: 

• What were you learning to do in this piece of work? 

• What were the steps you went through to learn this? 

• What helped you to learn this? 

• What do you need to learn next? 

• What are you most proud of? Why? 

• Tell me about your learning at the moment. 

• Which area of learning do you find easiest? Why? 

• Which area of learning do you find trickiest? Why? 

• What could we do together to help you with this learning? 

Important things to remember 

• Your child will run this conference – not you or the kaiako. Your child must be here.

• Children are always proud to celebrate what they have been learning. Some things they show you will be incomplete or may have ‘mistakes’ as we encourage our children to see learning as a process, not a finished product. 

• If you cannot make a time on the conference day, please contact your kaiako about arranging an alternative day before or after school. 

• The conference is about learning, not behaviour or social issues. If you have concerns about these areas, please contact the kaiako to make an appointment. Likewise, the kaiako will contact you if they have any concerns. 

• All whānau are welcome to attend conferences but we ask that siblings do not detract from the focus being on the learner 

Absolum, M (2006) Clarity in the Classroom Auckland Hodder Black, P & Wiliam, D (1998) Inside the Black Box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, October, 139-148 Hattie, J. (2009) Visible Learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. New York: Routledge