The second article that we ask you to read is: Elaine Munthe & Elsa Westergård (2023) “Parents’, teachers’, and students’ roles in parent-teacher conferences; a systematic review and meta-synthesis.” Teaching and Teacher Education 136. Please follow the link to access the publication.
This article comprises a systematic review of previous research on parent–teacher conferences. It addresses two research questions:
For the purpose of this lesson, we will focus on the latter one, the roles that parents, teachers and students assume during these conferences.
In the table below you will find an overview of the different roles based on the article. Please find descriptions of each role in the article.
| Teacher | Parent | |
| Expert | Professional knowledge, representing the school, subject area knowledge | on the child, child’s
needs, educational ideas or knowledge, decisions |
| Critic | praises, assesses, judges
child and in some cases the home |
of child, of teacher and
school |
| Informer | provides information (on school, on learning processes; on child in school etc.) | on child and on circumstances not known to teacher |
| Controller | of time, topics,
information, agenda |
of information, of
participation, willingness to cooperate |
| Supporter | of parents/child | of teacher |
| Defender | of self/school
practices |
of child (and/or self) |
| Communication broker | In conflict situations, reduce and redirect conflict or negative
assessment |
changes/tries to change the
perspective that the teacher has, reframes |
| The good parent | – – – | Showing support of child, following up schoolwork, assist in teaching, moral values |
| The defeated | – – – | Finally accepting
the teacher’s narrative or conclusion |
Pupil
| The object | receiver of information or the talked
about, the judged, assessed |
| The informer | Informing about self, progress, work |
| The defender | of self |
| (The translator) | (In case of non-native speaker guardians) |
Now, just to make sure that we are on the same page: please try to match the following quotes from a parent-teacher conference with the role ascribed to this attitude according to the article and the information above.
(Fictional examples generated with the assistance of AI)
Please click the link below to complete the first quiz for Lesson 3!
There are few if any perfect conversations in real life and we should not expect a difficult conversation to always go exactly the way we would have wished. Human beings are, in fact, human and sometimes unpredictable. So are the avatars that we have used for these exercises. As a teacher it is important to realize that you will not always get your point across or achieve the desired result in a conversation with a student or their parents.
This, however, does not mean that you cannot to some extent plan for the unexpected. The final example will show you a conversation with a pre-defined structure and a clearer aim for the meeting. Hopefully, this will bring a better result than the first two conferences. Enjoy the meeting at [link] and come back soon for some reflection.
[We will hopefully be able to upload an additional video here]
While conversations with parents may occasionally present unforeseen challenges, there are effective ways to prepare for them. Being well prepared can boost your confidence and help you guide the meeting in a constructive direction.
Below is a list of recommendations for Parent–Teacher conferences, drawn from the material covered in this module. This checklist is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather to offer practical suggestions that you may find helpful.
You might also want to refer to Pisani (2020), Graham Clay (2024a) and (2024b) or other academic sources for more information and other suggestions.
Before the Conference
During the Conference
Communication Tips for Teachers
Ending the Conference
After the Conference
Graham-Clay, Susan (2024a). Difficult Conversations with Parents: Practical Skills for Teachers. School Community Journal, 34 61–84
Graham-Clay, Susan (2024b). “Communicating with Parents 2.0: Strategies for Teachers”. School Community Journal, 34 p9–60 2024
Munthe, Elaine & Westergård, Elsa (2023). “Parents’, teachers’, and students’ roles in parent-teacher conferences; a systematic review and meta-synthesis.” Teaching and Teacher Education, 136, 104355
Pisani, Benjamin (2020). “Top 10 tips for parent-teacher interviews.” TLN Journal 27, 25–28.