student conferences

Today I participated in four student conferences.  I have been to several student conferences in my lifetime, but these ones were different...

The teacher choose to spend the whole conference talking to the student and their parents about individual improvement and goal setting based on student reflection, not grades!  She asked each student to discuss their homework patterns, in-class social patterns, interactions with teachers, organization patterns and test preparations.  Once the students answered each question honestly and thoughtfully, she offered suggestions and asked the parents for input to help support the student.  Together they set and implemented goals that both suited the student's needs and fit their personality to ensure success.  The suggestions ranged from going to the store to purchase an accordion style binder, to willfully participating in class.

The students left with ideas that they could implement immediately with very little effort and parents who had a sense of accomplishment knowing that they picked goals that would create success in their child's learning.  I was really impressed at the level of maturity shown by the student's honest answers and deep reflection of themselves as learners.  They left inspired, knowing that they could make effective changes to their existing patterns and become more well-rounded students.

ART-multiple creative experiences!

Tracking?

So we've had many discussions on tracking in classrooms and how it is not beneficial for most students...but when I read about preparing differentiated classrooms and building curriculum for all student levels, it appears that it is the recommended method.  Does tracking have a "bad" name because historically students are placed in tracks by assumed overall ability, regardless of subject ability?
Is it fair to say that tracking works if it is done appropriately, by subject ability and with the opportunity to move often when improvement is demonstrated?

TED video on technology

Using technology in a classroom provides students with amazing access to an abundance of information.  They are empowered to discover information and find answers on their own, building confidence and creating emotional connections to the content.

The idea of grouping students to search and discover together provides a social connection that I hadn't thought of before.  I have mainly seen technology used in a classroom with individual students practicing math or reading skills in a formatted program.  I know that my own children enjoy playing games together online, searching educational programs and talking about what's happening on the screen and plotting their next move together.  I think it is a very clever concept to have peers search topics together, finding results and manipulating information as a team.

I wonder how workable it would be in various situations, especially when it come to taking turns and sharing duties as the "captain."  If structured properly, I believe it would be an amazing way for students to spark interest with their peers and carry conversations forward about the discoveries they have made together, all while they are individually making multiple connections to the information.