Conferencing


 * Conferencing**

Conferences are meetings to discuss student work in pairs or small groups in order to facilitate learning (for example, to report on progress, point out strengths, consider problems/solutions, and focus on specific topics). Conferences can be conducted in a variety of formats with the teacher, with other students, and with parents/guardians. They may be chaired by the teacher or the student depending upon the purpose. In all cases, conferencing requires an inviting and supportive forum for open, responsive discussion and demands a high trust level between participants. Conferencing provides teachers with an opportunity to guide and support the learner and a forum for students to demonstrate learning (through written work such as a portfolio or progress log) and express themselves during the ensuing dialogue.
 * Description**

The teacher: • establishes format, times, and composition of conference groups; • responds as an interested partner; • discusses content with the student to promote further reflection and personal response to the material; • observes and records strengths and needs in order to plan and implement appropriate instruction; • formulates future student/teacher direction and program decisions; • monitors and supports students in leading conferences with peers and parents/guardians; • may allow several conferences to be carried out simultaneously if students are leading conferences with parents/guardians.
 * Method**

Conferencing: • requires time to plan meetings, process findings, and follow up decisions taken; • requires that the rest of the class is productively engaged in quiet learning experiences when conferencing is done during classroom time; • requires the teacher to model supportive constructive analysis, before initiating peer conferences.
 * Considerations**


 * Illustrations From The Mathematics Classroom**

Elementary

Students work in small groups of four or five to design an independent inquiry project on a topic related to a topic or process in mathematics. The teacher meets with the group at different checkpoints during the process to check student direction and progress.

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 * Secondary**