The Grade 3 Three-way Conference

Last week we had Sass's Three-way Conference.

Sass - looking particularly intellectual.

Now I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure I didn't even know what the word 'conference' meant when I was in Grade 3.

When Jaz was very little, I taught her to say 'corporate merger', 'communication strategy' and 'international fund policy' - purely as a party trick. She had no idea what any of it meant - but it always got a good reaction.

But these days, the concepts kids have to grasp seem pretty complex to me.

A Three-way Conference (because I didn't know what that was!) is simply a meeting between the teacher, the student and the parents. However, if I was being picky, there was no conferring. It was Sass taking us through some of her chosen pieces from her portfolio. (Yes, why have a mere work book when you can have a portfolio?)

As she read some bits to us, her teacher reminded her to use her reading strategies. Now that is the correct use of the word, but still, strategies at 8??

She also talked to us about the concepts of text to text, text to world and text to self - being (in order) a piece of text that reminds you of:

• something else you've read (another piece of text) 
• some random fact about the world 
• or something to do with you. 

Not desperately difficult I concede, but still - they're in grade 3!

In fact, I don't think I even knew what text was until high school.

It has been seven years since I last had someone in Grade 3 and over 12 years since the oldest went through and I assume I was paying close attention - and still I have no recollection of these big words and ideas.

So, what do you think? Are kids getting smarter? Is this approach better equipping them for a more complex world or do you think it's been unnecessarily tricked up?