EDUC 350 Field Notes #6-Student Led Conference

Student

Parent

Sounds like
The student is quietly sharing her
classroom artifacts in a manner
that is more timid than what I
have seen from her in class. As
the student is an EnglishLanguage Learner, the
conversation is in Spanish.

Sounds like
The parent is genuinely curious
about the individual artifacts
from each class, and asks
questions about certain sections
in order to better understand the
assignments. Her voice is very
quiet, but very purposeful and
direct.

Looks like
The room is designed for a
maximum of 3 conferences at a
time, with groups of desks
arranged in a table format in each
corner (with the exception of the
corner with Mrs. Johnsons desk).
The student is seated with her
mother in one of the corners and
is pointing out specific areas in her
artifacts.

Looks like
Her mother is sitting in the desk
opposite of her, leaned slightly
forward to better see her
daughters classroom artifacts.
From her business attire, I think
she came straight from work to
the conference, but this could
alternatively be a sign of how
important the conference is to
her.

Feels like
She gives off an aura of unease; I
think shes nervous about the
conference. Off-hand, Im
guessing that respect is highly
valued in her family, because she
is very professional in her
presentation.

Feels like
Her mother feels very invested in
the conference, and I get the
feeling that she has high
expectations for the student.
Despite the language barrier
between her and Mrs. Johnson,
she seems comfortable speaking
with her through the students
translation.

What is your impression of Student Led Conferences?

There are certainly advantages and disadvantages of the SLC system.

The advantages are that the parents can be efficiently informed on