Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers Blog

Parent Teacher Conferences

11/7/2013

What do you do for your parent teacher conferences?

Parent teacher conferences are an excellent opportunity for teachers and families to share information and concerns. Conferences should be held twice a year during the Fall and Spring Semester.

The parent teacher conference is a time for listening and communicating openly. It is a time for the teacher to share the child’s strengths, but the conference also offers an opportunity to point out areas in which the child may need special emphasis. Teachers should provide families with activities that will help their child with writing letters, stringing beads or practicing cutting skills to improve fine motor skills and other areas in which they can help to prepare their child for kindergarten or beyond.

How do you show them where their child is at?

Through out the year I create two different booklets for each child. One is a portfolio of children's sample work like (paintings, art projects, drawings, writing and pictures). The other booklet contains assessment sheets that I use to complete my DRDP's.

What type of assessment sheet?

I always include a sheet where children need to identify the letters in their name. On this sheet children are provided with different letter squares, they find the letters in their name and then glue them to the sheet in order. Once they have done that we then ask them to identify the letters in their name. A star or check mark under each letter lets us know if that child could identify the letters in their name.

Shape sorting sheets, we can collect a lot of information from this sheet. Once the child has finished we can ask them question about their project. (what colors did you use, how many, which one has the most and least). This information gives us valuable insight to where children are at in all of the learning domains.

This sheet helps us to see if children know the difference between numbers and letters.

This is just a sample to the sheets that are used for assessments and to show parents exactly where their child is at.

Then what is in your sample work portfolio?

Children's work sample portfolio has a variety of children's work in it, that they have created during work time. There for it is child directed sample work not teacher directed.

How do you get your parents to come?

Notify families well in advance so they can plan for their parent teacher conference. Families should receive a letter or postcard to make an appointment during the scheduled parent teacher conference times. Then close to the time for the conference, send out a reminder note to remind them. The conferences will take about 15 to 20 minutes. Other parent teacher conferences can be arranged as needs occur.

In the class where parents come in to sign their child in, I have a chalk board just for them with important information on it like making an appointment for a parent teacher conference.

I also send home a letter in the weekly communication folder that shows the days and time I will be holding parent teacher conferences. Parents can then call and make an appointment.

Parents can also sign up for a time and day as they are signing their child in or out. A sign up sheet is taped right next to the sign in/out book.

Since I know that my parents are a busy group I also send home a reminder slip with their day and time on it. This way they can post it somewhere were they won't forget.

Remember

When families arrive for the conference greet them in a friendly manner and have your information prepared and ready to share. (School Readiness Assessment sheet, progress report, portfolio and observation notes)