SLC : Student- Led Conference

 Velammal NewGen School,Kelambakkam : A trend setter 

                

It all started with a meeting that the ACOs of Kelambakkam and Navalur,I,Vani and Ms.Uma had with our SchoolGroupHead,Mrs.RamyaRamanan.We were introduced to SLC and it was decided that we conduct it in place of conventional PTODMs in Kelambakkam and Navalur.As the student strength is comparatively less in both the schools,we were chosen to pilot it.For years PTMs & PTODMs  have been the primary means of parent-teacher communication. But now progressive schools like Velammal NewGens are trying something new—SLC : Student-led Conferences that communicate not only how a student is doing but also why. 

"A student-led conference is a conference with parents led by the student. The role of the classroom teacher is a facilitator in the conference process. Students lead parents through a discussion of their work and established academic and social goals"reads the definition of SLC.   

In simple terms in a PTODM, the teacher discusses a child’s progress to a parent,here in an SLC,  the child discusses his/her academic progress and other things to the parent in the presence of the teacher. 

At VNGS Kelambakkam, SLCs were conducted for grades 7 & 8 on 3rd Nov'18 and 15th Dec'18  respectively. Being a child-centered school with a global outlook our school arranged for these triad discussions between the parent, student and teacher ,where the child did all of the talking ,explaining his academic progress, his strengths and weakness.   

Creating portfolios:Preparation fortnight

*The evidences of the students’ work with their reflections were carefully collected in an SLC Binder by the student and the teacher.    

*  It took a lot of preparation ahead of time by the teacher and me. I loved spending the time to get things ready because it gave me the opportunity to reflect on how far each of my students had come during the year. 

  SLC Day     

On the Day ie the SLC day, each triad was given an appointment slot .The triads -student,teacher and parent sat together where the students had the SLC Binder and discussed their  performance,mistakes, reflections and goals to the parents.The students discussed their academic progress.The teachers became facilitators, students became leaders and parents became active listeners and questioners.   

   How is it special         

The best thing about Velammal NewGen SLC is that students took ownership of their learning experience, sitting at the table with parents and teachers.The other best thing is, it opened communication between school and home. However, students may be passive, or even absent, during traditional PTMs & PTODMs that we had before.But now in an SLC,they do not absent themselves ,as they engage in a self reflection process about their achievement and future goals and talk about this to their parents. The involvement of students in the SLC promoted three elements essential to improving student performance in school:

·         Relevance,why we are teaching what we are teaching to students at VNGS 

·         Responsibility,making the students more responsible for learning

·         Reporting, to parents how students are progressing in learning. Students shared their body of work through portfolios and work samples. 

 My role as an ACO was to organize the conference environment and to guarantee success.  This includes scheduling, guiding portfolio collection, training students, rehearsing and setting up the conference spaces.  

It was exciting not only to the students but also to me.

Proud to be part of this progressive school ! 

-Blog post by 

  Ms.Vani ,ACO, 

   Velammal NewGen School,Kelambakkam