Taking a Risk on Unit Conferencing (2/2)

“Reflect, reflect, reflect!” This is likely a phrase that my students have heard continuously since the start of the school year as I’ve been mindful of regularly giving them the chance to reflect on their own learning. Doing so was not only to help them shift their mindset from marks to skills but also to prepare them for the culmination of these reflections wherein they have the opportunity to showcase their learning to me via a unit conference.

“So what does this process actually look like?” you ask; prior to the actual conference, which is a one-on-one discussion, I have students complete a conferencing sheet that highlights a series of learning goals. These goals are a blend of (some of) the curriculum standards and the skills in which our grade 9 team collectively developed.

From there, students aim to articulate, in writing, either their mastery of those skills or their next steps to mastery by linking course work that exemplifies said skills. In doing so, students have the option to include work that is not formally assessed.

Giving them this choice to include such work was a conscious decision for two reasons; first, over the years I’ve seen that students often produce quality work in class, and if they’ve demonstrated learning on an in-class activity, then I believe that they should have the chance to uphold the value of their efforts. Secondly, the constant nagging question of “is this for marks?” which translates into “do I need to put effort into this?” has effectively been eliminated by giving them this choice.

Since students know that they can bring any piece of writing to the unit conference, they’re able to take learning in their own hands by demonstrating an understanding of certain skills in any work that we complete. My response, then, to said nagging question: “it is not being formally assessed, but you have the option to use it as evidence of your learning.” Translation: “yes, you should put effort into this”. 

 Depending on what work the students link to the conferencing sheet, their explanation of learning will vary as it allows them to reflect on their growth as a learner. While students might decide to link evidence of a skill in which they’ve exhibited mastery, alternatively, students could discuss areas for improvement or could link to work in which they have edited and revised.

Traditionally, I don’t have students rewrite assignments for remarking. Part of that rationale is simply due to logistics; however, in giving them the opportunity to make those edits and use the edited work as the basis for discussion in the conference, I hope that I’m achieving the same end as resubmitted work. If a student has made corrections on past work, they can describe the changes that were made and articulate their newfound understanding of those skills.

During the discussions themselves, I have the students lead; it’s up to them to showcase their learning to me, after all, I tell them. Some students, naturally, need more prompting than others, but it’s a learning process for both teacher and student. I’ve always felt that students shouldn’t be the only learners in the classroom, though that thought alone will likely be its own blog post, so I’ll digress (for now). While I’m only partway through the conferencing, all have been positive and reflective. My hope is that this process is ‘value-added’ for the students. 

My next step as a teacher? Finish out the conferencing,  get some student insight into the process, and share my results with you. Translation: “reflect, reflect, reflect.”

More to come!

Follow @Bjeblack and let me know what my next steps should be!