PERSONALISED LEARNING AND STUDENT LED CONFERENCES 2013

Student led conferences are a real celebration of personalised learning at Freemans Bay School.  Our teaching and learning beliefs put the child in the driving seat of their learning journey. We believe that students are active participants in learning, with the opportunity to engage in a dynamic, interactive process, sharing aspects of their learning with those who matter most to them – their parents and their whanau. (Family). 

For all of the students in our school, including our newest five year olds, students are asked to talk about what is happening with their learning and to share  their learning goals and next steps for learning.  Parents have an opportunity to check in with the teacher to discuss where their student is achieving in relation to what is expected for their age. Student led conferences give parents the opportunity get to the heart of the students’ learning at school and to explore ways of supporting learning at home.

At our student led conferences yesterday, parents were able to go into KnowledgeNET, which is our online learning system, and view and respond to student learning reflections. We hope that more parents will start to interact through commenting on their students’ learning on KnowledgeNET as we believe that such interaction is a powerful motivator for learning.

Freemans Bay School Student Led Conferences 2013 on PhotoPeach

We had an exceptional turnout at the Student Led Conferences. 96% attended on the day had already booked times. Of the 14 students whose parents are yet to make a time, some are away and some are unwell.  Parents who were unable to have their student led conference yesterday are encouraged to make a time with the teacher over the next week. To ensure that their child is able to participate in this powerful learning experience.

W.B. Yeats captured the challenge of personalising learning in his quote: “Education in not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”