Student Reflection: Student-led conferences and middle school passages
One essential component of our work at Detroit Prep is student reflection. It is critical to our work in developing scholars as world-changers and leaders in their communities and our world.
There are several essential ways we build a reflective practice in our students. Some ways are through our habit of character reflections weekly, reflections after end-of-unit assessments or projects, and student-led conferences.
Beginning in kindergarten, students have the opportunity several times throughout the year to host their own academic conferences and present their work as a learner across content areas. Families and caretakers join and are able to ask questions about students’ work as well as opportunities for ways in which they want students to continue to develop and grow academically and in their character.
A culmination of student reflective opportunities is through something we called passage presentations. According to EL Educations model, passage presentations are, “Passage presentations are an opportunity for students to reflect on their learning and their readiness to move on to the next phase of their education.” Here is an example of a passage presentation as another partnering EL education school.
To offer additional opportunities for reflection, 4th-grade scholars from the Beech Crew have offered them incites and perspectives in their experience of their first Passage Presentation as a Detroit Prep scholar.
Aliya
What was it like preparing for passages? What did you need to do?
It was hard, you can't just say it easy, you had to do about 18 paragraphs. I needed to plan each paragraph or revise and edit all of them.
How do you think student-led conferences prepared you for passages?
Student-led conferences help me think more about my work in passages.
Why were the passages challenging?
Passages are challenging because you have to draft, get feedback and type and lastly present your 18 paragraphs.
What was your favorite part of passages?
My favorite thing about passages is my mom was there and i past other then that it was fine
Why do you think passages are important?
I think passages are important because you can go to upper school and finish your year in low elementary school.
How will you experience passages prepared for experiences outside of school?
How will I experience passages preparing for experience outside of school because if you don't pass you have to redo it from stretch and you have to be working on it for summer break.
Genevieve
What was it like preparing for passages? What did you need to do?
To prepare for passages I had to first, draft my essays and my paragraphs then write them out again on lined paper. Then I got feedback and typed my passage! What was it like to prepare for passages? Passages were fun, It was fun because I got to listen to music so I could focus more.
How do you think student-led conferences prepared you for passages?
I think that my student-led conferences prepared me for passages because I could share my passages with my mom and dad and they could give me some feedback so I could Improve my work.
What was challenging about passages?
Something that was challenging about my passages was that I had to Write 4 ESSAYS!! Another thing that was challenging was that I had to make multiple drafts so by the end of the day my hand was hurting!
What was your favorite part of passages?
My favorite part of passages was when my teacher Ms Abbey told me that I PASSED 4TH GRADE!!!!
Why do you think passages were important?
I think passages were important because it tells my 5th grade teacher what I know and what I need to grow in.
How will you experience passages prepare for experiences outside of school?
Passages will help me out of school because I will know more about drafting essays and typing and writing essays.
Brayden
What was it like preparing for passages? What did you need to do?
What it is like preparing for passages is in a few months of school we start on the passages and at the end of the year we edit it and we type it and presited.
How do you think student-led conferences prepared you for passages?
It prepared me because I know it is my family and my teacher and both of them share their work.
What was challenging about passages?
What was challenging about passages is you have to stand on a podium and be recorded by your teacher.
What was your favorite part of passages?
My favorite part is being done and being able to go to 5th grade.
Why do you think passages are important?
I think it is important because you get to share all of the work you did that year and how you have grown and what you still need to work on.
How will you experience passages prepared for experiences outside of school?
It will help me by getting a job and presenting to my boss.
Jackson
What was it like preparing for passages? What did you need to do?
Preparing for passages was not easy, it was a lot of pressure typing all thoughs paragraph. Something I needed to do was draft my skills artifact my math artifact, my expedition artifact and my choice artifact and type all of them.
Do you think student-led conferences prepared you for passages?
Yes because for student -led conferences it is gets you, Ms. Abbey, and your parents, and you are sharing your work and passages are the same except you are standing at a podium.
What was challenging about passages?
Something that was challenging about passages was that we had to go in order, which was difficult because I wonted to start with the one that I felt most comfortable with.
What was your favorite part of passages?
My favorite part of passages was being done with typing and being done with presenting my passage.
Why do you think passages are important?
Passages are important because we are sharing our best work throughout the year in skills,math,expedition and art and we only have one passage in 4th grade.
How will you experience passages prepared for experiences outside of school?
If I got a job and I needed to give a speech which is like a passage I would not be scared because I have done something like it.