3 WAY CONFERENCES

PARENT/STUDENT/TEACHER

SEPTEMBER 12TH -15TH (WEEK 9)

Parents/carers and students will have an opportunity to meet face to face with their teacher/s in Week 9 (Monday September 12th -Thursday September 15th this term in the classroom for a Three-Way Conference.

This afternoon (Friday September 2nd) at 5.00pm the details for booking in for a 3 way conference with your child's classroom teacher will be on Skoolbag. Bookings will close on Friday September 9th at 12.00pm.

What is a three-way conference?

This is a joint meeting between a student, teacher and parents or carers. The interview takes place face to face in the classroom for 10 minutes. The meeting is facilitated by the teacher and parents are encouraged to take on an active role.

Why have a three-way conference?

The purpose of three-way conferencing is for students to have the opportunity to reflect on their learning and actively involve parents in the learning process. In this time, students can share their achievements and discuss goals for improvement. Three-way conferences involve the student as an active and essential member of the interview and encourage students to take responsibility for their own learning, actions and decisions. Parents also have the opportunity to present ideas and clarify/ discuss specific questions and concerns.

The benefits of three-way conferences for students, parents and teachers:

• help students demonstrate evidence of learning
• critically involve students in the process of reflection and self-evaluation
• facilitate the development of students' organisational and oral communication skills and increase their self-confidence
• encourage students to accept personal responsibility for their learning
• encourage students, parents, and teachers to engage in open and honest dialogue
• allow for shared responsibility of student learning progress.
• strengthen communication with parents about student learning.
• increase understanding of learning and assessment

Roles and Responsibilities:

Students:

Students prepare goals they would like to discuss in the conference prior to the session and reflect on their learning in consultation with their class teacher. During the conference, students are encouraged to describe their learning, strengths and areas they would like to improve in. They should attempt to respond to questions posed in the interview, sharing samples of their work in a confident and articulate manner.

Parents:

Parents take on an active role in the interview, offering support and encouragement as their child shows them samples of their learning. Parents pose questions to foster a positive discussion about their child’s achievements and areas of improvement and assist in the formation of achievable goals for the remainder of the school year.

Teachers:

Teachers assist the students to share their learning in a confident and articulate manner and effectively communicate areas of growth and areas for improvement with their parents. Teachers give students the opportunity to plan and prepare for the conference and provide guidance when choosing work samples. They model effective communication skills and provide classroom opportunities for presentations to develop confidence when speaking in front of an audience. Teachers will also assist parents with any other information where required.