by Dennis Harter, MS Principal
dennish@isb.ac.th
We are excited this semester to host Student-led Conferences (SLC) on March 11 & 12. This conference format places the student front and center of their learning as they take parents through their learning progress, their portfolio of work, and their goals moving forward. SLCs empower the student to understand themselves as learners and articulate the successes and struggles they’ve had throughout the year to that point.
“At ISB, we develop learners who will be passionate, reflective learners.” (ISB Mission, 2nd point)
Over the next few weeks, ahead of hosting these conferences, all students will be curating their work and reflecting upon their learning throughout. Students may select work from earlier in the year and more recently to compare and demonstrate their growth. Alternatively, they may select recent work that they are particularly proud of. Through the process, students reflect upon their Habits and Attitudes for Learning (HAL) alongside their work and growth. Each teacher will have input into students’ reflections through discussions with students during class as students prepare and curate.
“Schools that implement student-led conferences report that they:
– Encourage students to take responsibility and ownership for their learning by involving them in the goal-setting and assessment process.
– Engage families in richer, more transparent conversations about student progress.” (Ashley Cronin, Edutopia, 2016)
Becoming a passionate, reflective learner does not happen by chance. Students must be provided opportunities to reflect upon their learning, consider themselves as a learner, articulate their understanding, and set goals for learning improvement. SLCs are best practice for this, particularly at this stage of development, which is why they are so frequently used in top middle schools around the world.
All ISB MS students will engage in the process of reflection and curation in classes to prepare for the SLCs in mid-March. Advisors will help guide students toward preparing their overall reflection along with the talking points or script for when they host the SLC. In the event that a parent is unable to attend the conferences on the day, we will ensure that students have an adult with whom to present their learning (e.g. teacher, administrator, or counselor), either on a conference day or some time after school, so that all students have this learning opportunity and grow in this empowerment.
Parents will be invited to attend their child’s Student-Led Conference at school with an appointment on either March 11 or 12, hosted by the Advisor. Sign-up information will be provided in the weeks to come.