More Eyes

Angela Langlands
Aug 25
6 min read

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash — Photo by **Brett Jordan** on Unsplash

How learning community teams talk about students together

Every team talks about students. But most teams talk about the same students — the ones taking up the most space, causing the most concern, demanding the most energy. When teams do this, they get stuck in a rut that quietly leaves everyone else unseen, and the students at the center of those discussions get labels they can’t escape.

In a learning community, we add another meeting.

A better meeting.

A more purposeful meeting.

One where students are discussed each week. Not as data points or academic outliers, but as humans, from different perspectives, by an entire team.

Why This Meeting Exists

Student discussions are not a planning meeting. They are a separate, standing weekly meeting where students — not curriculum — are the agenda. This meeting is what makes everything else we do sharper: you already know which students need enrichment, who needs support, and who is thriving to make new friendships. It is the meeting that reminds us why we do what we do… we’re here for the kids, and it takes a community to see them fully.

The Structure

The structure looks different based on team and student numbers, but here are some general things to consider before you and your team create your own structure for this meeting:

2–3 students per homeroom are “nominated” the week before
Nominations can be teacher-driven ("I've been wondering about this student") or theme-driven ("next week we focus on math groupings")
Team members actively seek opportunities to observe the “nominated student” to bring noticings from different perspectives.
Observations are discussed across four lenses: academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and the student as a community member
Each student should be “nominated” once a quarter (more or less depending on class sizes/team sizes, but I would suggest 3 conversations about each student in an academic year is the minimum)
A timer keeps the meeting moving (2-5 minutes per student works)
A rotating note-taker tracks what's said so change is visible over time
A shared reset phrase pulls the conversation back when it drifts
Use regular reflection prompts to help the conversation stay focused:
- What is their strength? affirms the whole child before moving to action
- What is our next move? names the immediate action step
- What new understanding emerged? surfaces what the team now sees together that no one saw alone
- Which team member could contribute something valuable? names who holds the next piece of the puzzle
Wrap up each student discussion with one next step and one named person identifying who will do what to take the lead on next steps for this student

A Protocol: Affirm. Add. Ask.

Many teams can get off track in team meetings. So you’ll probably need a shared routine or protocol to follow. You may need a facilitator (at the start), but it’s not necessary. Over time, the routine becomes second nature.

I modified the “Affirm. Add. Ask” protocol for the student discussion. At least read through it and see what is at its core so your student meeting runs effectively.

When talking about a student, first we affirm to build trust and validate what's been noticed. Add extends thinking and strengthens the picture of the student as a whole being. Ask invites deeper conversation and shared ownership.

Be specific.

Be respectful.

Stay curious.

An Example Conversation

Here’s an example of a 2-minute discussion about Nyla, a Pre-K learner who has recently started school with no English background. I've noted the team members present at the discussion, how it starts, then evolves through the "Affirm. Add. Ask" protocol, and how next steps are identified and documented.

The teachers include:

Angela (Nyla’s Home Base Teacher)
Charlie (Imaginative Play Center’s Teacher)
Samra (Teaching Assistant)
Tiff (Literacy Center’s Teacher)
Xavier (EAL Support Teacher)

conversation starter

Angela: We all observed Nyla this week. I noticed she is entering the classroom space with more confidence each morning. She is beginning to understand the morning meeting routine and is even joining in the “Days of the Week” song. I nominated her because I wondered if this confidence is limited to her home base only.

affirm

Charlie: I have seen Nyla engage enthusiastically in hands-on play in the imaginative play area, particularly in the "vet" center.

Samra: The PE teacher told me that Nyla is very confident during PE and always participates.

add

Tiff: I have observed her attempting English during sand play. I’ve also seen her play with Kirstie on the playground and when mark-making.

Samra: I’ve also seen her use the visual calendar independently.

Xavier: I have observed Nyla speaks Spanish confidently with Javier and Carlos, but she doesn’t seem keen to play with them.

Charlie: You’re right; she has said “No” to their play invitations on a few occasions, but I've only noticed that on the playground.

ask

Angela: How can we scaffold English in more engaging, low-entry-point activities for Nyla?

Xavier: What if we paired her with a language buddy?

wrap up/next steps

Tiff: If she has already connected with Kirstie, why don’t we pair the two girls together more strategically?

Angela: During our bug and insect investigation next week, let's put Nyla in Kirstie’s group.

Samra: I’ll make that change. Kirstie is in your group, Charlie. I’ll add Nyla to that group.

What Good Looks Like

If Angela, Nyla’s home base teacher, was the only one to see her throughout a learning day (week, term, and year), her observations would have been so limited. A single teacher may not have known that Nyla speaks Spanish confidently to others, or that she’s made a friend. Alone, she had part of the picture, but together, the team has seen Nyla in so many different ways. Collectively, the learning community teachers can build a fuller picture of successes and support for Nyla. Together, they are creating ideas and ways to help her on her learning journey.

And this support doesn't stop at Nyla. It exists for all students in the community.

Before You Try It With Real Students

For some, the student meeting can be tough at first. And when you’re discussing students you know and have a vested interest in, you can take things personally or spend too much time discussing each student. I suggest you practice first.

I have created a practice tool for you. It includes a set of student cards (from PreK-Grade 5) with biographical data about the student, a different teacher’s role (including homeroom, specialists, paraprofessionals, and administrators), and the perspective they offer to the conversation. There are also reflection prompts.

Try the meeting first with a fictional student so the routine becomes more natural before the stakes are real.

Who Else Belongs in the Room

Most team meetings include only the home base/subject specific teachers. In a learning community, that circle is broadened to include as many people as possible. In our student meetings, we regularly include the counselor and any teaching assistants and paraprofessionals who work with the students. Sometimes, an administrator is included.

Though this meeting often occurs when students are with specialist teachers (in PE or in art class), we often tell the specialist teachers which student we’re looking at this week and whether they have any information to add. We want to include as many perspectives in the conversation as possible because they add a layer of context. In short, anyone who holds a piece of the student's picture should be welcome to share.

For Administrators

If you're a leader reading this, I have two asks of you this week. One, start by encouraging your teams to meet one more time each week with the sole purpose of talking about students. You may want to work through the practice activity at a faculty meeting, so teams have been introduced to the routine with low pressure. Then, put it on their weekly schedule… it is, after all, why we do what we do.

Second, I ask you to invite yourself into the room sometimes. Not to evaluate the teachers, but to contribute. I know you’re busy, but you see things that teachers don’t. Your presence signals that this meeting matters, the students matter, speaking about the whole child matters, and that you see students too! The student meeting is one of the most important parts of helping teams become learning communities.

Remember the WHY!

Alone, you have part of the picture. Together, you see the whole child. That's not a slogan. That's what happens every week when a team sits down and decides that no student should be left to chance in a single classroom.

That’s what happens in a learning community.

And the student meeting is one of its most important parts.

Here are all the downloadable assets in a Google Doc, which you are free to copy. If you and your team get stuck, I'm just an email away!