Here’s an idea to consider.

How about creating a class project to work on? Each student can do their own small part, and then you can put it all together.

A Few Examples to Get You Started

There are so many fun projects you might take on. Here are a few ideas to get your creative energy flowing!

• Create a class anthology of writing. Students could draft short stories, poetry, journal reflections, letters, etc. Put them all together in a simple online or print format for everyone to read.

• Create a class math puzzle book. Students could each create their own math puzzles (with solutions). Put together a book of puzzles and give them to all students.

• Facilitate independent research projects. Each student can choose a research topic to learn about. They can then share what they’ve learned with others–either in partnerships, small groups, or with the whole class.

• Take on a reading challenge. Have students read books and make some simple projects to share with others. Set up an online platform such as Padlet to showcase the projects.

• Create games to play. Students might create board games, gameshow style quiz games, or any other kind of game. Make the requirement that they connect with content you’ve been learning about during the school year (or semester or last few weeks). Students can then play the games with family members.

A Process to Use

• Step One: Share the challenge with students. Whether you do this through an online platform or by email or phone calls, generate a sense of excitement with students.

• Step Two: Share some examples/ideas to get students’ thinking going. You might offer a list of kinds of writing to try or show a few sample math problems to create (playing off the ideas above). Invite students to come up with their own ideas.

• Step Three: Create a basic timeline for students. Try breaking the project up into one-week chunks. Set a goal for each week.

• Step Four: Set up a communication system with your students. When is your designated check-in time with them? How will they reach you if they need help? Can they help each other? If so, how will this work?

• Step Five: Check in. Stick to your communication plans. Consider reaching out to some students (who will likely need more support) more frequently.

• Step Six: Are you in a hybrid model? Save the tough stuff for when you’re in school. As much as possible, take care of tricky stuff (such as finding resources, making plans for projects, etc.) when you’re with students in-person. Then they can maximize their at-home time for independent work that doesn’t require as much support.

• Step Seven: Celebrate and reflect. Once the project is complete, make sure to celebrate the class’s accomplishment! Share with families, post pictures in the school newsletter, have students present to other classes, or find some other way to celebrate. Invite students to reflect on the process, name their successes, consider what they have learned about themselves as learners, and consider next-steps for future projects. Speaking of future projects, this is a great time to invite student input into what the next class project will be!

Of course, some students will still struggle with motivation and self-management–just as they would under normal circumstances. And let’s continue to remind ourselves–teaching and learning right now is so much harder than we ever imagined it could be. Taking on a fun project might be a way to rekindle your students’ motivation and your professional fire in a time when both are so desperately needed!

On November 6, 2016, I had just returned from a trip to Italy. I was there for work and had some downtime, so had invited my mom to join me. We had a blast – we walked and ate our way through Rome and had a few glasses of wine each day. On the flight back from Italy, I had been thinking how I wanted to get back into running, which I hadn’t done any of while away on that trip. In my jet lagged brain, I decided that a 100-day challenge would be something different and fun for me to embark upon. I set really simple rules – I would run for a minimum of 2 miles a day, every day, for 100 days in a row. I started out and the first few runs were 2.00 miles exactly, on a treadmill, and at 1.99 miles I was staring at my distance tracker waiting to watch that last hundredth of a mile finish. As the days progressed, fitting in the time to run and accomplishing the distance was easier for me.

During the 100 days, I experienced a few challenges, namely travel for work and illness. I had a trip that included flying halfway around the world, so made sure that I would meet my running goal every 24 hours from my home time zone, which was a workaround allowing me to continue my streak. This meant that I jumped off a plane in Asia and immediately found a treadmill to run on because I only had an hour left within that window. Another time I was extremely ill and put my head down on my arms on my treadmill and literally just let my feet move for the two miles. Aside form those, which truly were the few and far between exceptions, I noticed that after the first 10 days, I was no longer feeling like this was a task I had to do, but rather something I wanted to do. And then after about 50 days, I realized that if I did not run first thing in the morning (which was not the case prior to this challenge), that my day felt off. I also noticed that while at the beginning of this self-imposed challenge I would run 2.00 miles, I was now running more 3.75 – 5.00 mile long runs daily, which led to many other benefits! From finding time to schedule longer runs in, I became more efficient with my time. I also noticed that I felt better when I ran on an empty stomach rather than after eating a breakfast. The benefits and outcomes from this challenge continued to accumulate throughout the 100 days that I ran. And then, on February 13, 2017, my 100th day had arrived… and I celebrated by going for a run. On that run, I also thought about how I was seeing all of these benefits from running 100 days, and wondered what would happen (and could I even do this?) if I ran for one whole year, every day, 2 miles minimum.

Rather than walking you through all the lessons I learned, I will jump ahead to the main point of this blog. I continued to run and grow my goal – could I reach 365 days? Yes. So then I set a new goal - could I run for 500 days? Yes! On and on this goal-growing went, until today, where I have now run for 1,500 days in a row! That’s fifteen-hundred days… in a row! Every day, no excuses, 2 miles minimum although most runs were longer than that.

As you consider goals for yourself, think about where you are and where you ideally want to be. Then, think about a goal you could set that would get you closer to your ideal self, without setting the bar so high it is unachievable. Consider setting milestone goals that will get you to your ideal self through the growing of your goals. In my ideal version of myself, I am a runner. I achieved that because I set out to run for 100 days in a row and then grew that goal. Now, I running is part of my daily schedule, and I consider myself a runner. Whether it is learning to cook, getting your finances in order, being a daily exerciser, or another goal, set something that is attainable and then watch your goal grow upon crushing it. What is the first step that will lead you to your ideal self? Set your goal there. Then go goal-get! You got this!

If you are currently feeling like you need a win - for yourself as a teacher or for creating a positive energy with students, consider embedding more games to your lesson plans. Read on for three reasons to use games in learning and for some additional tips for using games in virtual, hybrid, or socially-distanced classroom spaces. As a bonus, some sites with games that can be played in the classroom and at home are shared within!

Reasons:

• Create family involvement - An open line of communication and opportunities to be involved is essential for families to support student learning and is a key factor in creating an optimal learning environment for students. Games, especially ones that have few pieces and can easily be played at home, such as these card math games, are helpful for students who are learning remotely. Playing a game is also a great alternative to homework - students practice the skills we want them to and there are no papers to correct! 

• Utilize many different skills - The beauty of using games as a means of supporting learning is that there are many options to expand the skills being practiced. For example, while playing a math game at home, have students start by summarizing the directions to parents. Now students are practicing speaking in complete sentences, summarizing, and the math skills! Or, if students are going to play a science game in class, before they begin, ask students to estimate how many times each person will roll the dice and then figure out how far their estimates were by integers or percents. Embedding other skills into the games helps make them more comprehensive in helping students in all subject areas, yet does not take any more time to set up as the teacher! 

• Metacognition - Providing students with opportunities to think about why they enjoyed the game, whether they would play the same game again (or a different one next time), or how it reinforced the skill being focused on are all opportunities to teach students metacognition. When students are given time to pause and reflect, they are able to learn about themselves as a learner in addition to what they learned during that practice session. Some questions to consider:

  • What have I just learned?

  • What do I have left to learn?

  • What is most confusing or challenging about this concept/skill?

  • (after playing several games) Which games were most effective for helping me learn/practice?

Tips:

1. Start with easier games, especially for in-class learning, to teach how to play. Teach skills such as turn taking, problem-solving, compromising and seeking help to increase students’ independence with games. This will  allow you to use these games in more subjects with higher frequency, as you feel confident that students will execute the skills needed. 

2. Give students a choice of games whenever possible. Try to find several games that allow students to practice the same concept in different ways. Giving students the power of choice will not only increase the level of engagement but will also naturally build in opportunities for metacognition. Help them choose well by telling students the goal/reason they are playing a game, review the game options, and then ask students to think about which game will help them meet the goal for the day. After students play the game have them reflect about how the game helped them to meet the learning goal today. Also consider how games are played and offer choices: online versus offline, games they can play individually or with a partner, or games that vary in level of difficulty.

3. Support students as they play. While students are involved in playing the game, move to each group (or individual) and confer with students about how it is going. Watching students play games can inform your instruction - you can see what strategies or aids students are using to play the game, how strong the skill/concept is, or what misunderstandings exist. As you move around (in-person or in various breakout rooms), consider having a clipboard with a class list on it with a blank space to take notes as a formative assessment. Provide students with positive feedback on actions that are helping them learn the concept or actions that are creating a community in their classroom. This will help students learn what to do in future activities and provide them guidance on their learning. 

4. Make it personal. Whenever possible, use something that students are familiar with already, such as having students choose a story they’ve already written and changing it into a Mad Libs activity. Using what students have already created or are familiar with will both increase the engagement level by connecting to an area of interest and will allow them to focus on the other skills they are practicing. You can also make it personal by having students take a game and modify it to practice another concept. For example, students could take a math game they’ve used to practice addition facts and modify it to practice division facts. Older students could try taking a math game and applying it to science. 

5. Use easy-access materials. Selecting games that have few materials, or providing take-home bags of games with all necessary materials, increases the likelihood that students will play them at home. You might also offer suggestions for alternatives that can be used at home. For example, if students need a token as a marker for where they are on a printed board, they could use pen caps, dried pasta, or coins! Providing students and families with alternatives of common household items will encourage them to play by removing potential barriers. 

When used frequently, students’ learning will thrive because of games. Playing a variety of games that tap into various strategies, skills, and thinking will help students develop holistically and will allow you great insight to their strengths, understanding of themselves as learners, and social and emotional skill development. Plus, by using games as a regular part of instruction, your own workload will decrease and student engagement will increase - resulting in a winning combination!

We hope this post has been helpful. If you’d like to read more posts in the “From Surviving to Thriving” series, click here. You might also reach out to either Sarah (sarah@sarahfillion.com) or Mike (mike@leadinggreatlearning.com) to see how they can help your school navigate the tricky waters of hybrid and at-home learning.

There is a growing body of research that shows gratitude can lead to a growth mindset and allow you to persevere when faced with challenges. A growth mindset means that we believe that our abilities are not fixed, rather they can be developed through practice, skill-building, help from others, and reflection. Carol Dweck, author of Mindset and individual to coin the term growth mindset, says that an individual with a growth mindset is someone who has a passion for stretching themselves and sticking with something even when it is not easy or going well. With that in mind, there is an easily navigable path leading from gratitude to a growth mindset. By expressing gratitude regularly and appreciating what we have, we are pointing out to ourselves how our efforts have led to improved skills or new abilities.

For example: when I first moved to my new house, there was a hill that felt really steep every time I ran. At the time, I was not running daily and when I ran that hill, I often had to walk a few steps. Since I already had a growth mindset around running, I recognized that my running abilities were not fixed and would improve if I committed to practicing! During my runs, one of the ways I keep my mind occupied is to express gratitude, and so I would often think about how grateful I was for my body being healthy and strong, despite not being able to run up the hill. Fast forward to a year or so later to when I would express gratitude. I would still be grateful for a healthy and strong body, but I would also reflect on how I could now run the entire hill, without stopping, and would then think about what else I might be able to do (regarding running) with ongoing practice – like being able to run the hill faster or be able to run longer distances. By the continued practice, perseverance, and focus, my effort had paid off – I now had capabilities that I didn’t have a year ago!

There are two specific gratitude practices that can help develop a growth mindset. Both practices are easy to implement and can be used in the moment when you are feeling frustrated or notice you are in a fixed mindset. As I have been building my business, I have experienced my fair share of frustrations, set-backs, and obstacles to overcome. At times, especially during those days when everything seems to take five extra tries or nothing will align quite the way you want it to, I had moments of thinking that I was not going to develop any more skills, that I was not cut out for this work, and a general feeling of defeat. By employing the strategies of reflect and reframe, as well as identifying new possibilities, I was able to move past obstacles, seek guidance and help from friends and mentors, and get back to making progress towards achieving my goals.

Using (hopefully) relatable vignettes, here is how each of these strategies work.

Reflect and Reframe

I was excited for a day of cooking – I enjoy cooking, had the time to do it, and was hungry; always a good combination for a day of being in the kitchen. My enthusiasm for this task quickly waned as everything I was doing was just a little more difficult than it needed to be – like my flour jar was empty, so I had to refill, or I thought I had frozen spinach but the bags were actually frozen peas. As I continued hitting obstacles, I was getting really frustrated and wanted to throw in the towel and stop. By pausing (and walking away from the kitchen for this pause) to reflect on all of the little things that were going right, I was able to reframe my mindset and figure out ways to expand my cooking skills (changing the spices to accommodate peas instead of spinach) and was able to get myself into a better mood while cooking – instead of feeling frustrated and angry at what was not going right, I was back to being enthusiastic about the new dishes and flavors I was creating. Reflecting and reframing is a strategy that you can employ in the moment when you are feeling frustrated, which is often a cue that we are slipping into a fixed mindset. By pausing and expressing gratitude for all the small things that are going right, we force our brains to see that we both have skills that will help us in this situation and that we are capable of developing new skills that will help us in the future by working through this challenge.

Identify new possibilities

When I decided to be an independent educational consultant, I started off doing what most people do – many internet searches for information on how to get started, what to focus on, and more. As I read more and more about educational consulting, I saw a lot of repetition, and I started to feel like perhaps the market was already saturated and that I would not be able to contribute something to field that was unique and worth my effort or anyone’s time. By reflecting on what my passion is and what led me to making the decision to branch out on my own, I was able to move past what others have done and instead identify new possibilities. Grounding myself in the belief that what already exists and what I have to offer do not need to be a perfect match, I was able to see that by bringing something new and different I could reach more educators and help them excel and maximize student outcomes. During moments of challenge, when we decide (on our own or as influenced by others) how things should be, we limit our ability to be effective in the world and to bring our full selves into what we’re focusing on. When we use the gratitude practice of identifying new possibilities based on the skills we possess or know we can gain, we enter a growth mindset that will help us persevere during this situation and subsequent challenges that follow!

There are many different times in our lives that we may feel like we are not cut out for something and begin feeling frustrated or defeated, reinforcing or pushing us towards a fixed mindset. The good news is that we don’t have to stay there and we can embed these practices, helping us to appreciate more of what we have and develop our abilities. By embedding a regular gratitude practice into life, especially when we are stretching ourselves or trying something new and unfamiliar, we are provided with the confidence that we will get past the obstacles, we will learn and grow, and we will experience success.

When I decided I needed a change of pace, I decided to call a friend and catch up. She listened to me go on and on about all of my minor woes.  After hearing my negativity aloud, I realized I needed a gratitude check in. With her help, I was able to shift my mentality and we quickly rattled off several things I could be grateful for: my health, my family and their health, my ability and freedom to learn, and more. 

I have read again and again that the more you practice gratitude, the more you are grateful for, so I did some research on easy practices I could add to my own life to exercise my gratitude muscle. Here are three that I have added as part of my daily routine: 

• Make it a routine. For me, one of the times I find it easiest to practice gratitude is when I am running - especially when it is up a big hill and I am tired. By linking the expression of gratitude to an activity you do, you are more likely to remember to do it again next time you are doing that well-established routine. Some good routines to add your gratitude reflection to include: brushing your teeth in the evening, making coffee, when you are exercising, or a household chore like dishes or sweeping your floor. 

• No less than 3. Even on your worst days, you can find at least three things you are grateful for. Gratitude is more impressive in volume than in size - so you don’t have to save gratitude for when you win the lottery! Instead, express gratitude for the many small blessings that surround you each day - an unexpected perfect-weather day in November, your car needing less maintenance than anticipated, or your kids (or pets or significant other) doing a small act of service for you. Finding three per day will help you see more in each day to be grateful for and will help your gratitude muscle grow!

• Be vocal about it. When you are feeling grateful for someone, or something someone did for you, share it with them! Pausing to tell someone how their phone call or text was a highlight of your day or specifically stating to your partner that their filling the car with gas truly made a difference in your life will not only make the other person feel acknowledged and appreciated, it will also make you feel good.  Sharing specific positive feedback is a great way to make you smile (and feel even more grateful). 

 I have always been inspired by individuals who are able to find the silver lining even on the darkest of days. Those who are able to identify all of the positives that exist in their lives. I remain hopefully optimistic that I will continue to grow my own gratitude muscle and be able to join this elite community soon! Until then, I will remind myself to practice gratitude and find many things in my life to remain grateful for each day.

What are gratitude practices you employ on a daily basis?

SELF-AWARENESS

Identifying one’s emotions - With the fast pace of conferences, both during preparation and the back-to-back race through them, it is easy to recognize a feeling and push it aside, feeling that there isn’t enough time in the schedule for that emotion. 

One way we can express self-care for ourselves is by taking time to pause and reflect, name the emotion you were (or even better, are) feeling, and acknowledge it. Permitting ourselves the opportunity to pause can be the hardest aspect, but it can lead to fantastic results! Taking that time to identify and name the feeling can shift the power. Instead of pushing it aside and letting it linger, we diminish the emotion by doing a brief analysis and being able to take back the power that it was usurping from our energy and focus. 

This practice can be quick and done in any place - you don’t have to wait to be seated in a yoga position (though you can!) or silent surroundings. The important aspect is to remember to do it. Pause, reflect, name, and acknowledge. As you acknowledge it, think about why you were feeling that way and then how you want to feel. 

For example, I am agitated - I am not able to focus on the task at hand. I pause and reflect - I am feeling frustrated because I had planned on preparing for 3 conferences in one hour and I am not even through my first one. I acknowledge that part of my frustration is due to the fact that I didn’t have all of the artifacts for my students ready to go but instead had to spend the first 25 minutes organizing the materials and am now ready to go; so I should be able to do the next two conferences in substantially less time. 

SELF-MANAGEMENT

Using planning and organizational skills - While identifying your emotions can be done at any time, this next tip is all about setting time aside. As you look at your week for preparing and delivering conferences, schedule time for yourself and stick to it. What helps you refuel and re-energize? Reading a book, watching a movie, hanging out with friends, going for a walk, taking a group exercise class, meditating, or something else? Plan an activity that makes you feel your best (both your present and future self) and will keep the pep in your step needed to successfully navigate conferences. 

RELATIONSHIP SKILLS

Seeking or offering support and help when needed - We know that humans are social beings and, as educators, we are more likely to carry our own burdens solo instead of asking for help. During conferences, take time to check in on your colleagues and friends. A quick text message or call to say 'Hey, just checking on you. How's it going?' or to share successes can help you both focus on the positives or offer a listening ear.

Additionally, know that it is ok to be truthful in your sharing with others - simply sharing what is weighing us down can help us feel better. You might ask a friend for 10 minutes to chat and start the conversation with, “I need someone to listen to me as I share something on my mind. This isn’t anything that needs to be problem-solved, I just need a friend right now.” Starting the conversation off that way lets your friend know what their role is and how to best support you. And, at the end of the conversation, you’ll most likely be feeling a lot less stressed and worried about what was weighing heavy on your mind. Taking time to seek and offer support to others during conferences can help bolster spirits, as we feel connected and cared for by others. 

RESPONSIBLE DECISION MAKING

Demonstrating curiosity and open-mindedness - The final tip for SELf care during conferences is to care for yourself with the information you take in. Whether it is personal or work related, when facts or perspectives that differ from your own are shared with you, remain curious and open-minded. You may do this by pausing the conversation to collect more information, examine the shared perspective to see where similarities and differences exist, or reflect on the experiences and information that formed your own perspective. Through taking the time to be curious and open-minded, you care for yourself by evaluating information and broadening your own perspective. 

These SELf care strategies can be, and should be, applied to life at all times, not just around preparation and execution of conferences. Attending to SELf care will help you create a sense of well-being, which will translate into the partnerships you establish with caregivers. By employing SELf care practices, you model for others the idea that taking care of yourself is critical to an optimal learning experience.

While anything could happen, there are a few common recurring challenges that crop up during conferences and we’re here to help you prepare you to navigate them. Thinking about these challenges ahead of time will help you maintain positive and productive conferences without feeling flustered.

Challenge: 

My schedule is off!

With the back-to-back nature of conferences, the biggest challenge often is around timing. What happens if someone is 5 - 10 minutes late? What happens if someone doesn’t show up at all? 

Suggestion

In an ideal world, through your preparation and planning, your conferences are scheduled to be 20 minutes long, but each time slot is 30 minutes. The ten-minute window between conferences can serve as a catchall - take a break, review/add to your notes about the student, or make-up time for a delayed start. Even with that extra ten minutes, you still might run into issues with timing, and we realize that not everyone has that flexibility in scheduling, so here are a couple other ideas to help streamline the timing… 

• In sharing the structure for the 20-minute conference from our previous blog post upfront, you are expressing your appreciation for the busyness of families and are also setting boundaries for yourself. 

• If you find that an attendee is more than 10 minutes late, have a back-up plan of when you have free slots available or another day that they can confer with you. This is also helpful to know in case you have a conference that is running long. 

• As you near the end of the 20-minute conference, work in the remaining time with a question or statement. For example, “In the last 5 minutes remaining, I would like to share my goals for ____ in this next quarter.” 

Challenge: 

Caregivers haven’t signed up for a conference time, are late, don’t show up, 

or don’t say anything during the conference. 

Through our own experience in various school settings, as well as coaching teachers across the globe, we have heard many times that “‘these' families don’t care about conferences or how their child is doing in school.” I didn’t believe it when I was a teacher, and I don’t believe it now. Caregivers do care about how their children are doing in school, although there can be a host of factors that influence how much enthusiasm they show before, during, or after the conference. 

Why might caregivers seem less than enthusiastic to talk about their child’s progress in school? Here are a few common manifestations and reasons other than ‘they aren’t interested’ or ‘they just don’t care’:

• The caregiver doesn’t sign up for a conference time. 

  • The caregiver might work multiple jobs and not have any available time that aligns with conference time, might not be familiar with the conference process, miss the email, or the letter might not be in their native language. 

  • Suggestion: Talk to last year’s teacher or the guidance counselor to see if they have additional information. If the student is new to school, ask questions - did you have conferences in your previous school? 

• During the conference, the caregivers do not say anything.

  • In some cultures, it is believed that the teacher has the highest level of respect and therefore should not be questioned (or interrupted). Or, a person may be muted without realizing it! As teachers, we tend to speak quickly, which may also lead to time needed to process the information, which manifests itself as silence. 

  • Suggestion: Pause and ask questions such as, “I just gave a lot of information - do you have any questions?” or “Can I clarify anything for you?” Also use wait time - pause and take a sip of water or shift your position to give yourself something to do as you wait for them to process. For additional questions and suggestions on elevating the engagement in conferences with caregivers, visit our Conference Engagement: Providing Space For Thoughtful Responses

• The caregiver doesn’t show up on time (or at all). 

  • Childcare, car issues, finding a parking spot, finding the room, having anxiety about coming into a school, not knowing how to access or use Zoom… the list can go on and on. This feels personal, but we guarantee that it is not! 

  • Suggestion: Send a letter or email to the family and share that they were missed. Offer times that you have available to see when they could meet with you to hear about the progress of their child. If they don’t communicate at all, provide a high-level written summary of the many strengths of their child and one or two areas to work on. 

Challenge: 

Difficult conversation

Difficult conversations can fall into many different categories. Two of the most common are: 

• The caregivers share that they do not see the same behavior at home, so they have a hard time processing the information. 

• The family wants to compare their child to other students in the room. 

Suggestion: Having individual work samples and examples are beneficial to ensuring that the conferences remain productive and focused on the student, not comparing them to others. In addition to providing factual information on the samples, the work itself becomes a third-point. Thinking about conferences and conversations, you have two points - yourself and the other party engaged in the conference. By having something on the table that you can point to and refer to, you break eye contact with the caregivers and focus both of your attention on the artifact, which becomes the third point in the conversation. This can help conferences stay focused on the student being discussed, instead of comparing them to other students, and can help provide data to the caregivers if this is something that is not in alignment with what they have heard in the past or see at home. 

For conferences being held via technology, have the work ready to view together through screen sharing. You can take pictures (or scan) and add to a slideshow for each student, or you can use a document camera to share in real-time the artifacts you are looking at. 

Our language is critical to keeping this conversation moving in the right direction. Regardless of the reaction of the caregivers, when you are delivering a growth area or a challenge that is presently being worked on, frame your information in a way that is clear, direct, and respectful. For more on this, see our previous blog on Effective Teacher Language. 

Challenge: 

Welcome falls flat

When caregivers enter the room for a conference (or even before as they wait for the previous conference to wrap up), it is important that we create a warm welcome - the first few seconds will create a lasting impression. Potential challenges that could occur during the waiting time or first welcome: frustrated over the amount of wait time, slideshow for waiting families wasn’t working, you accidentally greet the individuals by the wrong name. 

Suggestion: During this welcome, we want to make sure that we know how to address the caregivers attending (do they both have the same last name, for example) and so think about how you will greet them. To err on the side of caution, instead of welcoming individuals by name (unless you know them well already), consider greeting them by the student’s name - that places the student front and center in the conversation during the welcome. For example, greeting two individuals by saying “Good afternoon! I appreciate you making time to come in to discuss Malcom’s progress in 3rd grade.” From there, if this is your first time meeting the individuals face-to-face, make introductions “I’m Sarah Fillion, Malcolm’s third grade teacher this year.” and let them introduce themselves. 

Hopefully, through your careful planning and preparations, your conferences remain on schedule. If, for some unforeseen reason, your next conference party is stuck waiting for you, greet them warmly, express appreciation for their patience and for waiting, and then jump into the conference at hand. If you are conducting your conferences via technology, you can send a message to the individuals in the virtual waiting room to let them know you are on your way, which will help alleviate their worry that they are in the wrong place. 

Regarding challenges that you are not in control of, and therefore can’t plan for, express empathy with your words and direct the conversation to the task at hand. For example, “Oh - that’s frustrating to hear the slideshow wasn’t working. I’ll make sure to restart it after this conference and will send you a link to view it. To honor your time, let’s start our conference about Miriam.” 

Unfortunately, we can’t anticipate every challenge that might pop up during conferences, but by being prepared and remembering to take a deep breath when faced with a problem, we’re more likely to respond rather than react. Taking each challenge that faces us with a deep breath and responding thoughtfully and respectfully will result in keeping the conference on track and lead to a more productive and positive experience for all.

• This tip is similar to prepare, prepare, prepare! Listening is something we, as teachers, are extremely skilled at, yet can forget to do because we have so much to say in such a short period of time during conferences. In order to engage caregivers during conferences, it is essential that we pause and truly listen to what they are saying. Whether they are providing a response to a question you have asked or are volunteering additional information, what the caregiver is saying will provide you fresh insight to the student and fuel future success. When we are thinking about listening, there are a few steps that truly engage the speaker. 

  • Be respectful - silence is ok! Be respectful and give think-time so that the caregiver can thoughtfully reply to your questions. Make sure you allow a beat of silence once the caregiver is done speaking to make sure they have completely wrapped up their thoughts. Similarly, if they pause in the middle of the sentence, they might be trying to retrieve a word or be trying to phrase something carefully, so wait and continue to listen. A pause of 3 - 5 seconds allows you to ensure they are finished and provides you a moment of ‘think time’. 

  • Seek to understand instead of being understood - we want to make sure that everyone attending the conferences receives the same message. As the teacher leading the conference, you have put a lot of time and energy into planning what you will say and how you will say it. To engage caregivers in the conversation, pause and ask if there are any questions, especially when you have wrapped up one section of your conference (link to planning sheet). 

  • Listen with your eyes as much as with your ears. It can be easy to ask a question and then look down at your planning sheet or start writing notes. If we resist this urge and instead listen with our eyes by watching body language, caregivers’ eyes as they speak, and hand gestures, we can pick up on cues quickly and help facilitate the conversation further to truly gain insight from this valuable conversation. Through watching body language, we can see if someone is tensing up and then offer reassurance that we’ll be helping the student to be successful. Or, if we see that a caregiver is smiling at what we’re saying and nodding their head, we may pause and ask a question to allow them a chance to elaborate on this point. 

    • Conducting conferences via technology can hinder the ability to listen with our eyes as you will not see as much of the individual (many times hand gestures will be missed), however it is not impossible to do so! By staying present and actively listening to the caregiver, we can learn a lot and use the conversation as a way to better understand the student we are working with. 

Engaging caregivers during conferences takes some additional planning and time set aside within the context of the conference, however the benefits are tenfold to the effort we put in. By spending time focusing on creating an engaging conversation with our child’s caregivers, we highlight that they are an integral part of academic success. When conversations are held at conferences, we learn about the child we are working with, identify more personal connections we can make with them, and gain ideas on how to improve our practices to best support the growth of each individual in our classroom.

In yesterday’s blog, we discussed the preparation, planning, and research that supports an engaging conference. Today, we’re going to delve into a few tips about how to engage caregivers during the conference, ensuring that the conference is a two-way conversation where both parties have opportunities to talk, be heard, and listen to each other. 

One way to increase engagement throughout the conference is to plan on pausing and asking questions followed by actively listening to the response with curiosity and interest. Below are some questions you might use in your conference. You can add these directly to your conference planning sheet as a reminder, and here is both a printable template and fillable template for you to use!

• “What are some goals you have for your child?” and then once a few are listed ask, “Which one feels like the most important to you?”. Asking that follow-up question will engage the caregiver and make sure you know what is most important to the family.

  • To receive more thoughtful responses, consider providing a heads-up in your conference sign-up sheet, such as “To start the conference, I’ll be asking you to identify one or two goals for your child in ___ grade.” 

• State a personal fact that you have learned about the student. Then ask caregivers follow up questions like:

  • What other interests does ____ have? 

  • Has ____ always been interested in ___? 

  • Given ____’s passion for building, I bet you have seen some major construction projects at home. Are there any that you would like to tell me about in particular? 

• When you share information about how the student is doing socially, pause and ask the question, “Is this similar to what you see at home? Is this how ___ interacts with siblings and friends?” Many times, by asking this question, you will get a more comprehensive picture of the child. By inviting the caregivers to share information, they will feel that you care about their child and value their input; that working together results in academic achievement.

• After you have shared how the student is performing academically - sharing both strengths and areas they continue to work on, ask, “Are these the same strengths you have heard before or see in your child? Are these areas they continue to work on similar to years past? Do you have any other strengths or areas ___ is working on that you’d like to share with me?”

• Depending on your homework philosophy and schoolwide policy, you might ask a question about how homework is going. Asking a probing question such as “what level of independence is ____ able to complete homework assignments?” can engage caregivers in giving them an opportunity to address challenges. Consider having a scale or chart to refer to so you are both using the same measurement of independence. 

  • You might also follow the response with another question such as, “We’ve had a few different types of assignments: vocabulary practice with choice, math worksheets, independent reading, and critical thinking questions. Has ____ shared frustration or excitement over any of these assignments?”

• Towards the end of the conference, consider asking this important question: “What is the best way to communicate with you? Do you prefer a phone call, email, or text message?” Share your hopes for communicating - will you reach out when things are going well? How frequently do you hope to be in contact with each family (which may vary depending on the needs of the child)? What are some reasons you may reach out to caregivers? 

In addition to pausing and asking questions, another strategy to keep conferences productive and engaging is to frame the conversation so caregivers remain open-minded. Whether you are sharing areas of growth that may be new to the caregivers or need to speak about a specific challenge you are experiencing, it is important that you deliver the message in a way that shows you care about the student and encourages the family to offer suggestions and support. 

• Think about the positive attributes the student exhibits around this challenge/area of growth. For example, if the challenge is that a student frequently calls out during class, a positive might be that they call out the right answer or that they are an enthusiastic learner. 

• Use a hand gesture to help create separation from the child and this challenge. For example, once you’ve stated the positive, raise your hands up to show that now the child is ready to move to the next level of success.

• Identify a first, attainable milestone for the student to reach. Let the caregivers know you will contact them when they do, so they can celebrate this achievement at home too. 

A common misconception about engagement in a conversation is that there must always be talking by one party or another. By asking questions and then pausing to allow for reflection, you heighten the engagement of the conversation by providing space for thoughtful responses. By implementing these tips into your conferences, you will have a more productive conference that will leave both parties feeling like they share a common goal for the child.

To make conferences positively impactful for caregivers, there are a few strategies we can employ to increase engagement and leave space for them to be partners in the conversation. As we started writing, we realized we had a lot to say about this critical element to productive conferences, so have broken it down into three separate posts. We’ll share one post each day to help you with strategies that can be embedded into your conference plan and will result in productive and positive outcomes. 

First and foremost, we need to ensure that caregivers are able to access the information - both leading up to the conference and the information relayed at the conference.

• Start by making sure that all written communication is translated into the native language of each family. If you are not sure what the native language spoken at home is, send home a questionnaire to acquire that information. Translating materials into the native language spoken at home is a gesture that shows you value their engagement and invites participation. One question you can ask on the conference sign-up sheet is whether they would like an interpreter present to conduct the conference in their native language.

• Is there an interpreter on site at your school? If there is, check the availability/schedule of the interpreter to make sure they can be present for conferences with families that need them. If there is not, ask your administrator how your school can have access to the district interpreter. Aligning the schedules of the interpreter and student’s caregivers is critical to upholding the belief that a strong home-school connection positively impacts academic achievement.

• Do some research about important aspects of the cultures of each family - particularly what beliefs and views might be held regarding education. As you research, it is important that you do so from credible sources, such as this one or this one, and that you avoid stereotyping families before you meet them based on something you read. Conducting research is to prepare you for what you might see, not create expectations of roles you expect caregivers to follow. In addition to researching online, you might consider reaching out to your school or district English Language Learners (ELL) teacher, local university professors, or community members and groups that are working with families (if they are new to the area) or are from the same cultural background.

• One other aspect to consider is the customs around interactions based on different religious or cultural norms. The easiest way to navigate this is to add a question to your conference sign-up sheet that says, “To be respectful of personal, religious, and cultural practices, please let me know any information that will help prepare our time together for success.”

Another tip for engaging caregivers during conferences is to enter the conversation judgment free. 

• Being non judgmental means we don’t share our perceptions in a way that diminishes our respect for others in the conversation and that you listen without making assumptions. At this point in the year, you might have heard a story or two (or many!) or even seen a caregiver passing behind a student on a Zoom meeting that may have led you to create a story about the caregiver. This may be at odds with your own opinions, for example if a caregiver wears apparel during pick-up that supports an opposing political viewpoint to your own. Or, you may feel like the caregiver could be doing something different that would benefit the student even more. Going into conferences, it is important that you set aside differences and instead focus on what you have in common - wanting the child to have the best learning experience and achieve academically, socially, and emotionally. Keeping this goal as the foundation for the conference, you can focus on the child, their successes and next steps, and maintain a positive mindset around the caregivers goals in supporting the child.

Both of these tips are ways to plan for engagement with caregivers during conferences. By preparing materials in the native language and entering conferences judgment free, we approach the conference from a mindset of curiosity and embrace the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised. 

The planning and preparation is most important, and with these tips, you’ll be ready to engage with, and learn from, caregivers. In tomorrow’s post, we’ll explore tips on creating an engaging atmosphere during the conference. 

The New York City education department says "an ideal parent-teacher conference is a conversation"—their emphasis—"between you and your student's parents about their child's progress at school." Keeping this idea in mind, here are some suggestions on how you might set up a clear 15-20 minute structure to ensure what you SAID during the conference is remembered.

Share positives. A principal I worked with always used to say, “Remember that the child you are talking about is this parent/caregivers whole world.” As a parent now, I often reflect on this sentiment. When I walk into a conference, if the first thing the teacher says is something positive about my child, or something they have learned about them personally, I head into the academic portion truly feeling like we are on the same team and am ready to discuss their strengths as well as their challenges. 

Ask questions and listen. Ask parents or guardians about their hopes and dreams for their children this year. Some teachers do this at the beginning of the year, and then pull them out at conferences as a check in point. Ask about their child’s strengths and interests at home. Ask the simple, but important, questions: "What are some things your child has enjoyed at school so far this year?"  or "What are some school activities that your child has talked about at home?"

Individual progress and growth. It can be helpful to share information about developmental characteristics. When parents/guardians come for conferences, they often want to know - do you like their child? And, are they normal? Sharing with them some characteristics of children at this age can help them feel at ease. I used to keep a laminated list of developmental characteristics nearby and highlight right on it where the student is, and then wipe off to share with the next family. 

Inform parents about their child's ability levels or grade levels in different content areas, using work examples or testing results. Having something to look at together can help the conversation stay in a neutral to positive mindset. By having the work of the child in the center, it reminds the parents/caregivers that your primary focus for this conversation is their child.

Develop a plan. Spend the last few minutes of the meeting sharing your specific goals for the student. Provide 1 or 2  suggestions for activities and strategies to support learning at home. Limiting the suggestions for support from home to one or two is essential - it is a manageable number of ideas to hold onto and to implement. Note when you'll check in with them again to share progress. 

Planning out 20+ Conferences is such a huge task… and yet as they happen, the time seems to fly by! Remember that we have the same goal as the parents/guardians - helping their child to experience academic growth and success this year. Regardless of the knocking on the door, or the doorbell ringing, remember to keep smiling and take a breath. Following this structure, all of your conference attendees are sure to remember what you SAID, feel a strong connection to you and the school, and look forward to supporting the learning at home. 

P.S. To help you remember this structure, we’ve created a printable version. Print this and you have a desktop reminder! Here’s a link to a free printable copy! 

Let’s look first at some ideas for things to do before the conference… 

Send invitations. Be sure to communicate the importance of attending conferences at back-to-school night and through other communication channels, and let caregivers know that they are a critical part of their child's instructional team. When you send home information about conference dates and times, provide several meeting times to choose from. On the invitation, share that they'll be encouraged to ask questions, because an effective conference is a conversation about their student. Here is a sample Google Form you can use for Conference Sign-Up  - be sure to click the pencil in the lower right corner to make a copy so that the information comes to your email and so you can adjust the questions and text as needed.

Prepare your materials. You might prepare an outline or agenda for conferences to share in advance so your attendees know what to expect. Tomorrow we will share with you some specific examples for what to prepare in regard to information and work examples to collect, how to maximize your time, as well as a worksheet to note strengths and needs to help guide you through conferences. 

Send a reminder. Especially right now, when things are feeling overwhelming to many, sending a reminder a few days before, and perhaps even again on the day of conferences, can be really helpful. Consider including reminders of where and when the conference will be held, as well as the meeting agenda. 

If you'll be video-conferencing, be sure to resend log-in information the day of the conference so it’s easily accessible. Also, have copies of materials ready to screen share or send home copies of artifacts you’ll be discussing so caregivers can have them in hand while you talk.

Welcome families before they enter the room (in person or virtually.) While they wait for you to wrap up with the previous conference, consider putting together a simple slide show showing photos or work examples that caregivers can view. You can play this on a chromebook on a continuous loop in the hallway if you are in person so you don’t have to worry about starting it over each time. Here’s a free template to get you started! Ensure equal representation of everyone in the classroom and refrain from giving kudos to specific students; this should be a way to celebrate the work that all the students in the class are doing. 

If you are conducting conferences on Zoom this year, you can send a message to people in the waiting room while you wrap up your conversation. We find having this pre typed so you can copy and paste is really helpful! For example, “Hi! I’m looking forward to chatting with you in just a few minutes, while you wait for me to wrap up with my current conversation, here’s a link of photos you can check out to see our class in action! (insert link here) See you soon!” 

After the conference, taking the time to check back in sends a powerful message to families about your partnership. There are some simple ways you can do this… 

Send a thank you message. Sending an email or  “reminder” message can go a long way. Many caregivers have to take time off work or hire babysitters to attend conferences, so consider taking the time to thank them in a letter or email.

An alternative is having students write thank-you notes to their caregivers for attending and supporting their learning. 

In the notes, remind caregivers to contact you if they have any further questions or concerns. If you shared any websites they should be checking to monitor their child’s progress, consider sending them a list of those sites and log-ins for easy access. 

Keep the conversation going. It’s helpful to think of conferences as the start of the conversation. As the year progresses, be sure to check in with caregivers to keep them informed of the student’s progress. If you shared during the conference that the student is struggling with something, as you see growth, be sure to share. This is easier said than done with so much on our plates every day. One tip that helped me was to jot a note in my planbook - if I said I would follow up in two weeks, then two weeks later I would write a note in my plans to “follow up with __’s guardian” so that I didn’t let it slide in the midst of all my daily tasks. 

Missed a conference? With the stress and pressure we all are under right now, it’s both easy to understand why someone might miss a conference or be unable to attend… and it can feel frustrating to us as we wait for them. If someone misses their conference time, it can be helpful to have a message prepared for the waiting room again to say, “Hi! Sorry we missed each other. I am in my next conference now, but will reach out to you after to find another time that works for us. Look forward to talking with you!” 

Along the same lines, be sure to contact caregivers who were unable to attend and offer alternative ways to communicate about their child's progress. You might consider sending them some of the questions you would ask in person first, and then sharing your notes and responses to those questions, instead of just sending them the progress first. This shows the lines of communication are open and you can incorporate their feedback into what you send to them. 

By taking time to create a warm welcome for caregivers before they even arrive in your classroom, you set the tone that you value their role in the student’s life, their time, and that you look forward to working with them. Similarly, by spending a little extra time after the conference to highlight your appreciation for their time and support, you continue to show your commitment to strong relationships with caregivers and show the importance of the home-school connection leading to academic achievement.

A Few (of the Many) Benefits for Students of Independent Reading

Independent reading is perhaps one of the most versatile and powerful teaching and learning strategies out there. In order to be better readers, kids need to read--a lot. This makes sense. If you want to be better at playing the violin or serving a tennis ball, you’d better be ready to practice. 

Increase Learning: Not surprisingly, there is strong evidence that reading a lot has a huge impact on reading achievement. High-volume reading leads to better fluency. Independent reading can help students develop a wide range of literacy skills including grammar, spelling, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and even writing style.

Boost Motivation: When kids are reading books they can read and that they want to read, they experience key intrinsic motivators such as autonomy, curiosity, fun, purpose, and competence that can deepen engagement, which leads to deeper learning.

Reduce Screen Time: Many of us are concerned (and rightly so) about the amount of screen time kids are experiencing. Independent reading is a fantastic way to help reduce screen time while also having kids engage in high-impact and joyful learning.

Social-Emotional Learning: Independent reading supports social and emotional skills and needs such as empathy, stress reduction, and open-mindedness through making connections to character experiences and behaviors. 

Love of Reading: Finally, through providing the structure, space, and encouragement (read on for tips) for independent reading, we foster a lifelong love of reading in our students--something that will pay dividends for the rest of their lives.

Two Key Benefits for Teachers

Differentiation: When we teach students how to choose good books, ones they can read independently, all kids of all reading levels and abilities can be reading books in their zones of proximal development--that “just-right” zone where great learning happens. They can self-differentiate, nurturing their sense of ownership and agency, while simultaneously lightening the load for teachers. Any time we plan to have all students do the same thing in the same way, we’re probably designing learning that won’t fit anyone very well. After all, our students are varied--their work should be too. 

Reduce Teacher Planning and Correcting: When students read for a significant amount of their independent work time, we don’t need to create lots of work for students to do. We also don’t need to correct all of that work we created once students have done it. Instead, our energy is focused on leading rich conversations with students one-on-one about their thoughts, feelings, predictions, and opinions about what they're reading.

A Benefit for Families

When kids are reading independently--books that they can read and that they want to read, parents don’t feel like they need to micromanage their kids’ learning at home. They don’t need to sit by them to keep them motivated or nag them to get their work done. Let’s remember how challenging and stressful it can be for parents and caregivers to have kids learning from home. Independent reading can take at least a little bit of that stress away.

Set Students Up for Success

So, how do we set students up for success with independent reading? Although this model reduces the amount of student assignments we’re creating and checking, we still have important work to do to help all students be successful.

Help All Students Get High-Quality Reading Materials

Students need access to a wide variety of good books and other resources to read. Can students borrow books from your classroom library to bring home for at-home learning days? How about your school library--can students borrow books for at-home days? I was in a school recently, and as I observed in various classes, the school librarian kept popping in to hand books to students. (“Here you go, Kyle. I know you’ve been waiting for the next one in the series to arrive. I thought you might like it now since you’re about to be home for a few days!”) In many districts, school personnel are delivering materials to homes if kids can’t come to school. Have kids create book wish-lists to help you get good books to them.

In addition to physical books, are ebooks an option? Has your school worked to get devices and Internet access to all students? Chances are, they have also made ebooks and online learning resources available as well, so make sure your students know how to get those. There are many other ways to potentially help students get cool books that they are excited to read. To view a bunch of resources to explore, click here, here, or here.

Also, check with your local public library. Many provide access to their materials for students. For example, the Los Angeles Public Library has made all of their online resources available to all Los Angeles Unified School District students!

Help Students Choose Just-Right Books

Consider offering your students some criteria to guide their book selection--so they pick books that will be fun and support their reading development. Here are three criteria you might use:

• Comprehension: Make sure students choose books that they can understand. Teach them to read a few pages to make sure that what they read makes sense to them.

• Fluency: Students should be able to read smoothly--without struggling over lots of words. Often, kids will tackle books that are a bit too hard, and they might need some coaching to find books that they can read without lots of struggling.

• High-Interest: Help kids find books they actually want to read. This might mean finding books in a series that they like or ones that connect with their interests and passions. 

Where and When Will Students Read?

Have students identify some places where they live where they could focus on reading. Is their bedroom a good spot, or would the living room be better? If they are experiencing homelessness or have a busy home, is there a safe place to read outside--perhaps a local park, or a neighbor’s back porch? (You might also suggest that students put in headphones with quiet music playing to help screen out distractions.)

Also help kids pick times of day that will be best for them. Will they have more energy to read in the morning, afternoon, or evening? If they’re accompanying parents on errands, could they read in the car? Help students think ahead about this and check in with them to see how they’re doing.

Help Build Skills and Habits of Good Reading

Once kids have books and a plan, you can then think about skills and habits to start teaching. Whether you meet with kids individually in-person, or in a group in class or online, think about what else they might need to be successful as independent readers. Here are just a few suggestions:

• Building reading stamina: Help students build stamina over time, stretching out the amount of time they can read at a time.

• Setting reading goals: What goals might students choose for themselves as readers? Do they want to try new books, read longer books, or try new genres? Help kids learn to become more reflective as readers to identify things they might want to work on.

• Keeping track of their thinking: You might encourage students to use sticky notes in books or keep a reading journal handy to jot down questions they have for you or parts of their reading they want to share. 

• Varying their reading diets: Just like apples are healthy, but we wouldn’t be healthy if we only ate apples, students need to read a variety of kinds of texts to be healthy readers. Help kids learn to mix things up and try different genres and styles of reading.

Don’t Incentivize

Finally, if we want students to be self-motivated and passionate readers, we need to resist the urge to try and motivate them through pizza gift certificates, prizes, or grades. These kinds of motivators often result in a brief burst of extrinsic motivation but do long-term damage to students intrinsic motivation and achievement. (For a fascinating and lively explanation of how extrinsic motivators damage intrinsic motivation and achievement, consider this video by Dan Pink.)

Again, consider some of the benefits of independent reading. Kids learn more. Teachers have less busy-work to create and correct. Families have a little less stress. Once set up, students will experience success in learning and be engaged, and you’ll feel like you are thriving instead of just surviving!

We hope this post has been helpful. If you’d like to read more posts in the “From Surviving to Thriving” series, click here. You might also reach out to either Sarah (sarah@sarahfillion.com) or Mike (mike@leadinggreatlearning.com) to see how they can help your school navigate the tricky waters of hybrid and at-home learning.

Being in survival mode is difficult and can lead to burnout, but there is hope! By making some minor adjustments to current teaching practices, you can feel like you have more time to communicate with students, opportunities to build relationships with students and between students, and see your students’ skills and capacities grow daily. Rather than feeling like you are just getting by each day, join us in bringing back a sense of confidence and spark bliss during the day of teaching that leaves you feeling energized and enthused for the career you are passionate about. Seeing students interested and deeply engaged in work, hearing and experiencing laughter, and feeling competent in the work you’re doing are all goals for this series of blogs and through implementing these tips, you’ll go from surviving to thriving and feel more like the teacher you want to be!

Each blog post will be focused on offering you an idea ready for immediate implementation and an explanation on the benefits of trying it out. We’d love to hear how each idea positively impacts your students, class community, and own feelings about teaching, so make sure you share with us how it goes!

Tip to try: End with Something Good

At the end of the class period or day, build in a 2-minute reflection time for students to reflect on something good that they will share with others. You can use variations of the question to keep it interesting, however the point is to end the learning time on a positive note so you and the students are reminded of the many successes and good that surrounds each of you. To ensure success, have students brainstorm some big topics they might consider sharing about so all students are able to participate.  

Some variations of the question you might consider using:

• What was something good about your learning that happened today?

• What is something good happening in your life right now? 

• What is something good about our work on ______ for you? 

• What is something good about your health? 

By closing out the learning time together in a positive way, students are more likely to share that highlight with their families and you surround yourself with positives about each student. An added benefit is that you have many ideas and topics to converse with individual students about the next day to continue forging strong relationships with them!

We hope this post has been helpful. If you’d like to read more posts in the “From Surviving to Thriving” series, click here. You might also reach out to either Sarah (sarah@sarahfillion.com) or Mike (mike@leadinggreatlearning.com) to see how they can help your school navigate the tricky waters of hybrid and at-home learning.