Planning and Implementing Guidance Programme in Schools

Basic concepts and process of guidance and counselling in schools.

1. Planning and Implementing Guidance Programme in School Dr R K Mohalik [email protected]

2. Guidance Goals

3. Principles of Guidance All children are unique and should be treated with respect and dignity. Every student can succeed. Learning is a lifelong process. Fostering a positive self-image is the collaborative effort of the school, home, and community The diverse needs of all students must be addressed at all educational levels through the guidance and counseling program. Every student needs appropriate personal and social skills to achieve optimum benefits from the educational program

4. School Guidance Programme It should aim at total development of the child. Combined involvement of students, parents, teachers and school administrators to meet needs of individual and institution. It should have inputs related to all guidance services. Collaborative effort of teachers, guidance workers, medical practioner , psychologist etc.

5. Planning for Guidance programme For making guidance programme systematic and effective, it requires planning.

6. Planning for Guidance programme To make guidance programme effective and acceptable, it has to be aimed at benefiting every student. The goal of the programme should be in line with philosophy of the school, and facilitate academic achievement, career planning and personal-social development.

7. Principles of Guidance Plan Be accessible Recognise that guidance is a specialist area within education Recognise that guidance is a whole school concern Be impartial Be student centered Be transparent Be balanced Be inclusive Be responsive Respect confidentiality in counselling and assessment activities Empower participants to take responsibility for their own development Promote equal opportunities Deploy and make full use of available resources Be reviewed on an ongoing basis

8. Planning Guidance Programme-Steps Need assessment: can be done by using direct observation, consultation with students, teachers, parents, focused group discussion, psychological test. The DEPFE, NCERT has developed a problem checklist for identifying students problems.

9. Activity-1 Write down guidance needs of your students and teachers

10. Identification of Student Competency Competencies to be developed among students in terms of knowledge, attitude or skills that are observable and can be transferred from learning situation to a real life situation.

11. Develop a Calendar A master calendar of events helps to an analysis of the time that is used within the programme. It display the weekly and monthly schedule of counsellor .

12. Activity-2 Develop calendar of guidance activities for first month of academic session

13. Develop a Written Curriculum The written curriculum serves as a guide and blueprint in delivering the guidance and counselling services.

14. Creating a School Guidance Committee Consist of representative of people you serve. Students, parents, teaching and non-teaching staff, counsellor, principal etc. The principal will be the Chairperson and Counsellor will be the Convener. Main task is to set programme goals, provide support, offer advice, review activities and advocate for the counselling programme within the community.

15. Resources Required for Guidance Programme Personnel: Identify people who will be involved on basis of qualification, interest and understanding of students as well as community. Finance: Prepare budget for one academic session basing on different activities and benefits for learners.

16. Resources……. Facilities: Room should be neatly maintained and furnished with comfortable furniture to create pleasant ambience. Table, chairs, almirahs , display board/ racks to display materials, posters and charts. Counselling Handbooks

17. Resources……… Psychological Tests : The Raven’s Progressive Matrices (RPM ) Self Directed Search (SDS), Occupational Aptitude Survey and Interest Schedule (OASIS), Career Interest Survey (CIS) Occupational Aptitude Survey and Interest Schedule (OASIS)

18. Psychological Test Differential Aptitude Test (DAT ), David’s Battery of Differential Ability (DBDA). High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ), Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI ), Eysenck’s Personality Questionnaire (EPQ ), Personality Style Analysis (PSA )

19. Psychological Test Self Directed Search (Holland) Career Interest Inventory (CII) Occupations Aptitude Survey (OAS) Identifying and Analyzing the Life Career Themes (LCT ) Self-concept – rating scale Learning style – rating scale Decision making style – checklist Motivation – rating scale

20. Resources……… Handbooks Mental Year Book of Measurement Manual of Counselling

21. Roles of principal in managing guidance programme Coordination: It involves regulation or monitoring different activities planed so that there is a proper linkage and integration. Cooperation: All personnel involved in guidance programme should work as team. Effective communication: Care must be taken that the personal touch is not lost and feed back is obtained. Evaluation: Every guidance activities should be evaluated.

22. Models of Guidance Programme Specialist Model: Guidance offered by full time professionals who are certified/ trained in school counselling. This model followed in developed countries: US, UK etc. Career Teacher Model: Teachers with short-term training (2-6 weeks) offer guidance services in school.

23. Teacher Counseller Model : Teachers receive full-time training and do both guidance and teaching work complementary to each other.

24. Activity-3 Think for five minutes and write down the merits and demerits of all the three model.

25. Teacher-Counsellor Model Teachers can be trained to perform guidance functions along with their teaching work. Because they have better understanding in students need and problems, any deviant behaviour due to close contact with students in classrooms, library, laboratory etc. It establish a relationship with each student based on mutual trust and respect.

26. Role of Teacher……….. The students are likely to approach their teachers to discuss their personal problems. Source of student referrals: Psychologist/doctor/physiotherapist) Discovering students potential: Special abilities in dance/singing/acting/ drawing. Career planning: Career options in concerned subjects.

27. Activity-4 List referral institutions located in and around your school for students referral List career options available in your subject.

28. Implementing Guidance Programme A comprehensive guidance programme should have four components Guidance curriculum Individual student planning Responsive service System support It should aim at learning to live, learning to learn and learning to work

29. Guidance Curriculum The guidance curriculum includes structured experiences presented systematically through large- and small-group activities from kindergarten through grade twelve. The curriculum emphasizes decision making, self-understanding, career development, and the improvement of study skills. The role of guidance worker is to plan, formulate, implement and evaluate the programme

30. Individual Student Planning It provides an opportunity to every students to reflect on his/her personal growth and development. Guidance worker helps students in planning and monitoring their progress by analysing and evaluating their abilities, skills, interests and achievements. Guidance worker develops ongoing activities to help students

31. Responsive Services It consists of activities to meet the immediate needs and concerns of students such as prevention of drug abuse, suicide preventions etc. Such services include personal counseling; crisis counseling; agency referral; consultation with parents, teachers, and other professionals; and support groups

32. System Support The system support component includes indirect guidance management activities that maintain and enhance the total guidance and counseling program. The responsibilities of guidance counselors in this component encompass staff and community relations, special research projects, committees, professional development, and student-support teams.

33. Tentative time for each components Components Weitage in Percentage Guidance curriculum 15-25% Student Planning 25-35% Responsive Service 25-35% System Support 15-20%

34. Guidance Activities for Secondary School This stage is transition from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. Students are prepared to leave the school and enter into a larger world. It is stage of anxiety for education and career

35. Learning to learn (academic) Study skill development: Post secondary educational planning: Decision Making Critical thinking Transition from childhood to adolescence

36. Personal and Social Development Facilitating self understanding Social skills Violence prevention Conflict resolution and substance abuse

37. Learning to work (Career Development) Career exploration Career choice and planning Diversity and career choice

38. Expectation from Guidance Worker Brainstorming What you expect from a school counsellor? Think for five minutes and jot down

39. Guidance Activities That Assist Students To Make Choices Counselling - helping students to explore their thoughts and feelings, and the choices open to them; giving care and support to students learning to cope with the many aspects of growing up.

40. Assessment - helping students to obtain a better self-understanding through the use of psychometric tests and other inventories. Information - providing students with objective and factual data on education and training opportunities, occupations, labour market information, entitlements etc.

41. Advice - making suggestions based on the advisor’s own knowledge and experience. Educational Development Programmes - facilitating the transfer of knowledge and skills relating to studying, examination performance, choices of subjects and levels.

42. Personal and Social Development Programmes - facilitating the transfer of knowledge and skills relating to a student’s personal and social development, self-awareness, decision-making and planning.

43. Referral - this includes two types of activity: i ) referral of an individual student by the guidance counsellor to other Professionals outside of the school, ii) referral of an individual student to the guidance counsellor by teachers, Board of Management, school management, and parents. The voluntary participation in counselling of the referred student must be respected by all concerned.

44. Guidance Activities That Assist Students To Make Transitions Careers education/career transition programmes - enabling students to make transitions to further and higher education, training and employment. Placement - work experience, work shadowing, and preparing students for employment. Follow-up - following up former students regarding progression routes and destinations.

45. Support the Achievement of The Aims Of The School Guidance Programme Consultation with parents, school staff and students. Feedback - giving feedback to the Board of Management, school management and staff on the needs of individual students, groups and the school as an organisation , and how the school guidance programme has supported students’ choices and transitions. Networking - establishing links with employers, relevant agencies and institutions to enhance guidance work with students. Promoting change - assisting curriculum development in the school. Managing, organising and co- ordinating guidance activities into a coherent programme.

46. Role of Counsellor-Programme Management Counselors work with faculty, staff, students, parents, and community members to plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive guidance program. Counselors must be able to use a planning process to define needs and priorities and to determine appropriate objectives. Counselors must be able to organize personnel, physical resources, and activities in relation to defined needs, priorities, and objectives. They also must evaluate the guidance and counseling program to maintain its contribution to the total educational program.

47. Guidance School counselors provide a proactive, comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program for all students from kindergarten through twelfth grade, within the school. The developmental approach focuses on the “normal” processes of growing up in a complex society. Multicultural issues, individual differences, and problem centered concerns are taken into account when considering the focus of the comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program. All students need guidance for maximizing personal/social development, academic development and career development; thus guidance is provided to groups of students.

48. Counseling Counselors provide appropriate theories and techniques of counseling to develop and maintain effective individual and group relationships and to provide counseling in response to individuals and small groups with educational, career, personal, and social needs or concerns.

49. Consultation and Student Advocacy Counselors, functioning as consultants, provide professional expertise to assist faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and other community members to understand both individual behavior and human relationships. In addition, counselors interpret relevant information to those persons concerning the development and needs of students.

50. Coordination Counselors, as coordinators, bring together people and resources in the school, the community, and the district for the fullest personal/social, academic, and career development of the students.

51. Assessment Counselors collaborate with other school staff to select testing and appraisal programs that help students identify their abilities, aptitudes, achievements, and interests. I n addition to test data, other sources of appraisal information include interviews, biographical summaries, academic records, anecdotal records, personal data forms, and records of past experiences. Counselors have knowledge of the principles, practices, and limitations of test data, and are ethically bound to treat assessment data as confidential, so that only those with a need to know have access to the information. Counselors should not have the responsibility of coordinating and administering the testing program in their school. Their role is to interpret the test data and provide input to administration. In addition to the six key roles listed above, school counselors demonstrate

52. Role of the Counselor in Parent Education Programs to assist and support parents/guardians in the parenting process are an important part of a school’s comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program. In addition to conducting PTA/PTO presentations and sending communications home, schools can take an active role in this process by offering parent-education opportunities.

53. Role of the Counselor in Working with Students with Disabilities Students with disabilities have a right to, and will benefit from, a well-planned and implemented comprehensive guidance and counseling program. School counselors have an ethical and legal obligation to be knowledgeable of their students’ needs and to provide the appropriate programs and services on an equitable basis. School counselors must adhere to both state and national legislation impacting the education of students with disabilities like RTE Act, Disability Act etc.

54. Role of the Counselor in Student Discipline Consultation is one of the key intervention strategies employed by the school counselor to create positive change and facilitate the growth and development of the students served. The counselor serves as an arbitrator between school faculty and students regarding problem situations and relationships in the classroom. A systematic process can be utilized that may include meeting with the school faculty and with the students individually, monitoring progress, and evaluating outcomes.