Parent Conferences

This time of year, parent conferences are on the checklist for all teachers.  It doesn't matter if your new or a veteran, it seems we always seem to wonder or anticipate what parents may ask.  With the increase of technology and parents utilizing the internet as a research tool, they will be coming with a desire to know more about their child's education.  Edutopia recently listed some quality questions that should be covered in those conferences.  I hope that you find these useful in preparation of those upcoming conferences.

19 Questions Your Child’s Teacher Would (Probably) Love to Answer

1. What academic standards do you use, and what do I need to know about them?
2. How will you respond if or when my child struggles in class?
3. What are the most important and complex (content-related) ideas my child needs to understand by the end of the year?
4. Do you focus on strengths or weaknesses?
5. How are creativity and innovative thinking used on a daily basis in your classroom?
6. How is critical thinking used on a daily basis in your classroom?
7. How are assessments designed to promote learning rather than simple measurement?
8. What can I do to support literacy in my home?
9. What kinds of questions do you suggest that I ask my children on a daily basis about your class?
10. How exactly is learning personalized in your classroom? In the school?
11. How do you measure academic progress?
12. What are the most common instructional or literacy strategies you will use this year?
13. What learning models do you use (e.g., project-based learning, mobile learning, game-based learning, etc.), and what do you see as the primary benefits of that approach?
14. What are the best school or district resources for students and/or families that no one uses?
15. Is there technology you'd recommend that can help support my child in self-directed learning?
16. What are the most common barriers you see to academic progress in your classroom?
17. How is education changing?
18. How do you see the role of the teacher in the learning process?
19. What am I not asking but should be?