Questions to Ask & Warning Signs to Watch for in Parent-Teacher Conferences
Is your child doing ok in school? It’s a big question that simple conversations with teachers, report cards, or progress reports may or may not answer fully. There are many aspects to learning beyond just grades or classroom performance, and it can be hard to dig deep in the little bit of time you have during parent-teacher conferences each year.
Here are some helpful questions to help you dive deep into your child’s learning skills, strengths, and weaknesses quickly when you have parent-teacher conferences:
Does my child usually finish tests or assignments first, last, or in the middle?
Processing speed and the ease of completing assignments and tests are big indicators of your child’s overall learning trajectory.
If your child often finishes first but still gets poor grades, it’s a sign that they’re working too quickly and not fully processing the content (or struggling with areas like attention, executive functioning, or comprehension).
If your child is often last to finish or requires extra time, it’s helpful to know that so you can watch for other signs of slow processing speed that may be impacting them in other areas of life.
Does he or she ever volunteer to read out loud?
Reading out loud can be scary for lots of kids, but the reasons for this hesitation vary. It could be shyness, a lack of confidence, or struggles with the fundamentals of reading (decoding unknown words, reading fluently, etc.). Knowing how your child responds to prompts to read out loud can help you identify potential struggles in this area.
Is my child struggling with keeping materials organized?
As a parent, you probably know the answer to this question (based on how messy your child’s room is), but having another perspective can be helpful! If your child is always losing materials or struggling to keep up with classroom organization systems, it could be a sign of executive functioning skill deficits.
Do you find yourself often repeating instructions to my child?
Struggling to follow directions is a common problem for kids, but the reasons vary. If your child’s teacher is noticing that they seem distracted, disengaged, “spaced out,” or unable to follow through on tasks, it’s worth digging into what’s going on under the surface.
Does my child gravitate towards challenging tasks or avoid them at all costs?
Knowing how your child approaches things that are hard can help you understand what’s really going on in their brain. Are they afraid of failure, or are they willing to try and learn from their mistakes? This is a big piece of developing a growth mindset that will serve them well in all areas of life.
Read more: How to Foster Academic Resilience >>
Warning Signs to Listen for in Parent-Teacher Conferences
Based on these questions, there are several key warning signs to listen for that may signal cognitive struggles in your child. These are not necessarily signs of learning disabilities or disorders. Rather, they are evidence that one or more learning skills in your child’s brain may not be functioning as efficiently as they could, making learning more difficult than it needs to be.
- Being easily distracted
- Disengagement or “spacing out”
- Refusing to read out loud
- Hyperactivity and disruptive behavior
- Needing constant reminders and direction
- Inability to follow multi-step directions
- Lack of reading fluency
- Needing extra time on tests/assignments
- Losing materials or struggling to turn things in on time
- Making careless errors
If your child’s teacher mentions any of the above during parent-teacher conferences, it doesn’t mean your child automatically needs accommodations or “extra help” in class.
What it does mean is that there may be cognitive skills that could be strengthened to make learning come more easily for your child.
Curious how your child’s cognitive skills rank?
Take our FREE brain quiz today! It’ll give you a peek into which foundational learning skills are strong (and weak) for your child.
