Student Led Parent Conferences – An Evaluation

EffectsThe students state that the conference helps them to understand and assess how they shouldimprove their knowledge, and to set their own level, what to invest in. This opinion was alsoconfirmed by the survey. The students consider the main function of the conference as motivatingthem to further acquisition of knowledge. They learn to take responsibility for studying, organizing,presenting and talking in the conference.Neither of the respondents thinks that the conferences help students to better immediate results intests or grades. Instead, they all describe the abilities that are strengthened by the conferences: Selfassessing,responsibility, goal setting, and reaching the goals. The leaders point out that the studentsmeet authentic meta-cognitive situations in the conference, students will have to reflect on andassess their learning, and this will have strong effects in a lifelong learning perspective.The respondents all point out that the student led conferences lead to higher student influence. Theyounger students value their level of influence higher than the older, who describe a negotiatingprocess, the same way as the teachers do. The leaders, teachers, and parents state that there hasbeen a positive shift of power towards the student; but the teacher makes the last decision. Thestudents also say that the dialogue with the parent differs from that at home, the parent has to listento the student delivering, and the student chooses what to stress.The teachers say their planning is highly affected by what goals will be set in the conferences, andthis is confirmed by the students. However, the students think that it’s their responsibility to worktowards reaching the goals, with some help from the teacher and the parent.The interviewed teachers say that the student led conferences take time, especially to prepare, butteachers who have experienced teacher led conferences state that these are even more time- andenergy-consuming, and with poorer results.The actual [student led] conference saves time and energy, I used to be exhausted before [in the teacher ledconference] and then I also had to relate what other teachers had said. [Leader and teacher]Teachers and leaders agree that formative assessment takes longer time, but that it results in betterunderstanding and responsibility among students. Other described effects of the student ledconferences are that the parents tend to come much more than before, that fathers are morerepresented and sometimes even grandparents, and that it is easier to relay information to an absentparent, as the child can repeat the informative part of the conference at home.RolesAll students are satisfied with the conferences and don’t want the teacher to take over – that wouldlead to the grown-ups talking, and that students wouldn’t be able to influence decisions. Studentsalso think that parents prefer to be informed by their child, not the teacher. The preparations take alot of hard work, but it’s worth the effort:It becomes clear to me what I want to develop and what I can actually accomplish. I’m forced to consider whateffort I’m prepared to put into the work. It’s not the teacher’s matter, it’s mine. [Student]The students think that they will inform the parent better than the teacher.Teachers don’t know everything. They know some, but they don’t know all I can. [Student]