November marks the month traditionally dedicated to parent
(or guardian) conferences. For new
teachers, the thought of giving parents feedback on their child’s progress can
be intimidating. Here are some tips to
help new teachers ensure that their parent conferences are successful.
1. Preparation: Have a goal for each
conference that you have. Have that goal handy before you meet to refresh your
memory. Organize yourself ahead of time. Have specific student work handy that
highlights the good and where their child needs more support in.
2. Partnership: Put all of your
pre-conceived notions or judgments about a child’s family aside. After all, if they have taken the time to
come to your conference then they have done a lot. Parents can be your biggest ally. Both of you
want the same thing: the success of their
child.
3. Be Specific: When giving feedback,
be specific. Explain what exactly the
child is doing well with, or struggling with.
If it’s a problem, tell the parent what you have done to try to address
the problem. Ask the parent if they see
that specific behavior/or problem at home.
Then work together for a solution.
4. History: Ask the parent to tell you
about the child’s past learning experiences, successes, and struggles in prior
grades.
5. Caring: Show the parent that you
care. They need to leave the conference feeling that their child truly matters
to you. Convey that to all of your
parents.
6. Sandwich- Use the sandwich
approach. Start with something positive,
continue with what their child needs support in/with, and end with something
positive.
7. Sustainability- Parent partnerships
cannot be limited to two meetings a year.
Develop a system that works for you that will enable you to have
continuous and consistent communication throughout the year.
Hope these tips were helpful. Check out a great video on
conferences created by the Teaching Channel below. Have a great school year!
