While communicating with parents is becoming easier through programs such as Schoology, email, and others, parent teacher conferences are an opportunity for teachers to really communicate and explain what they are seeing from students within the classroom. This professional opportunity allows me as an educator to show parents artifacts their students have completed throughout the year such as published writing pieces, Seesaw activities, projects from our Project Based Learning projects, and assessment data. During my conferences I like to allow students complete self-evaluation forms on how they feel the school year is going so far. This also allows parents to see how their children are thinking. I like how this opens up conversation about their child's feelings as well as allows me to support and confirm these feelings through their actual work in class.
Additionally, I find conferences an important time to listen to parents. I use this time to learn even more about the students in my class. Often parents provide a window into the lives of my students outside of school. Without allowing for this kind of communication I could miss out on opportunities to adjust my instruction to meet the diverse backgrounds of my students. In one of my graduate courses, we learned and discussed the impact of family styles on early literacy acquisition. This transformed how I viewed conferences and allowed me to ask more questions of parents to really help me drive my instruction to match these at-home learning styles as well.
Additionally, I find conferences an important time to listen to parents. I use this time to learn even more about the students in my class. Often parents provide a window into the lives of my students outside of school. Without allowing for this kind of communication I could miss out on opportunities to adjust my instruction to meet the diverse backgrounds of my students. In one of my graduate courses, we learned and discussed the impact of family styles on early literacy acquisition. This transformed how I viewed conferences and allowed me to ask more questions of parents to really help me drive my instruction to match these at-home learning styles as well.