Student-Led Conference: students run the parent-child meeting

Imagine a meeting with families to present what was done at school, but led by the students. Student-Led Conferences are an innovative approach to engage students in their own learning process. Unlike traditional conferences, where teachers are responsible for providing updates on student progress, student-led conferences empower students to share their work, progress and goals with their families.

At Aurum, students create their portfolios throughout the year. They include the activities carried out during the quarter with teacher comments and the identification of the competences worked on from the National Common Curriculum Base (BNCC).

How do Student-Led Conferences work?

In Student-Led Conferences, students play an active role in preparing and leading the meeting. They select representative samples of their work, reflect on their performance, set goals, and discuss their strengths and areas for improvement. These conferences are a valuable opportunity for students to demonstrate autonomy, communication skills, critical thinking and self-awareness.

At Aurum, the Conferences are divided into the following moments:

• Work presentation: children show their parents a little of the activities they did during the quarter, displayed on posters and on the tables in their classrooms. They are responsible for presenting, explaining, and guiding their families, which helps to develop the ability to communicate, organize information, and public speaking.
• Experience stations: this is where parents, family members, and students can get their hands dirty, experiencing in practice some of the activities carried out with the class. This includes board games, tangram, logic exercises, stations for testing the 5 senses, playful and memory games, among other types of initiatives proposed by educators that the whole family can enjoy together.
• Portfolio analysis: students receive the traditional report card, but the evaluation at Aurum is different from the traditional ones. In addition to the scores and attendance, parents and guardians also receive their children's books and portfolios. They can assess skills and abilities from the BNCC, as well as being a playful and creative way to observe the school journey's evolution. It is a more comprehensive understanding of the learning process, in which students proudly expose and explain their productions and read their portfolios together with their family, who can take the material home later.

What are the benefits of Student-Led Conferences?

One of the main advantages of student-led conferences is that they promote student responsibility for their own learning. By taking the lead in presenting their work to parents or guardians, students become more aware of their achievements and challenges. They develop a sense of ownership and responsibility for their education, becoming active partners in the process.

In addition, Student-Led Conferences provide an ideal environment for effective communication between students, parents, and teachers. Parents have the opportunity to hear directly from their children about their learning experiences, which allows them to better understand their interests, difficulties, and needs. This creates a more meaningful connection between the school, the family, and the student, strengthening parental support and involvement in their children's education.

It is a moment of family integration and quarterly review, which encourages reflection and self-regulation in students.

By evaluating their own work and performance, they become more aware and confident of their skills and knowledge. They also learn to set realistic goals and identify strategies to achieve them. Self-reflection is essential for the continuous development of students and for their success in their educational journey.

Therefore, Student-Led Conferences are a powerful tool to promote student responsibility, autonomy, and effective communication. By enabling them to share their work and progress with their families, these conferences strengthen the partnership between the school and the family, while also developing essential skills in children and adolescents.