This is the encompassing compilation of discussion posts by myself in Module 2.
Module Introduction:
"Typically Guidance Counsellors are employed in secondary schools. Whether you are taking this course as an elementary or secondary teacher, the role of guidance is not limited to the Guidance Counselling Office. As educators, we all have a role to play in 'guiding' our students.
Begin Module 2, by reading about a Guidance Counsellor who offers emotional, academic and professional support for students and teachers. Read the following article from the Professionally Speaking magazine. As you read consider your current role as an educator and what steps, if any, you could act upon to help 'guide' students.
Article titled, 'A World of Guidance"
As per module,
"What does a day in the life of a Guidance Counsellor look like? What are Guidance Counsellors doing? For this task, you have the choice of exploring some online resources or talking with a Guidance Counsellor.
Option A) What does a day in the life of a Guidance Counsellor look like? Compile a list of 5 to 8 interview questions to ask a Guidance Counsellor about what they do. Visit and interview a Guidance Counsellor.
Option B) What are Guidance Counsellors doing? If you don't have access to a Guidance Counsellor, you may choose to explore online resources to answer this question. You may even be lucky enough to find an online interview of a Guidance Counsellor, but you would want to ensure it is based on Ontario educators and Guidance Counsellors. Even if you don't find an online interview, you can learn a lot by the resources available online. Many high schools have Guidance web pages on their websites, which highlight the Guidance Department team and their services. Some Departments have a Twitter Feed, while others may publish a monthly newsletter. Below are a few links to get you started.
Guidance Blog
Guidance Newsletter
Guidance Website
Guidance in Private schools
Whether you chose Option 1 or 2, reflect upon one thing you learned about the role of the Guidance Counsellor and/or Guidance Office. No posting is required."
For anyone reading this who would like to chat with a guidance counsellor, reach out to me in the comment section below or contact me directly :)
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As per module,
"Task 2: Exploring Guidance Resources (Discussion Board)
It is important as Guidance Counsellors to know what resources you have available to you and what you need to carry out your many different roles effectively and legally. We have introduced you to the OSCA website and resources, but there are many more resources you need to be aware of and knowledgeable about as a Guidance Counsellor.
Select one of the following documents from the list below. Examine the document and share 3 things you think every Guidance Counsellor should know from that document and why they are relevant to 'guidance'. Please select one that you are not familiar with or have had little opportunity to examine. If you review the same document as another classmate, try to share 3 different pieces of information. This is not an exhaustive list. If you have a document you would like to review and is relevant to Guidance, go ahead and reference it and share with the group.
Resource List
Ontario Curriculum, Guidance and Career Education, Grades 11 and 12
Ontario Curriculum, Guidance and Career Education, Grades 9 and 10
Creating Pathways to Success
Ontario's NEW Curriculum and Resources site
Ontario’s Education Equity Action Plan
Greater Equity means Greater Student Success
Cooperative Education and Other Forms of Experiential Learning
Ontario Student Record (OSR) Guideline, 2000 -
The Ontario Student Transcript (OST) Manual, 2013
Healthy Schools: Foundations for a Healthy School
Pathways for Success – Sample timetables for supporting students at risk, 2003
Supervised Alternative Learning: Policy and Implementation
Mental Health Resources in Schools
Special Education in Ontario Kindergarten to Grade 12: A Policy and Resource Document
Ontario Secondary School Graduation Requirements
Growing Success and the 2016 Kindergarten Addemdum
Supporting Minds: An Educator's Guide to Promoting Students' Mental Health and Well-being
Website LD@school - Transistion Preparation
Programs for Student Success"
As per discussion,
"The document I have selected to examine in close reading is, 'Programs for Student Success' (2022), with specific emphasis on how it draws attention to the Urban and Priority High Schools Initiative; Indigenous Graduation Coach Program (or its alternative, Alternative Secondary School Program Within Indigenous Friendship Centres) as well as the Student Success Team.
The idea here is that within the school community, there is a significant focus on not what "I can do", but "What we can do". As a guidance counsellor, we are supporting others, but indefinately need to be supported to provide support. Lobbying is a word that comes up in the Ethical Guidelines and a large part of success or failure in lobbying comes from rallying the support of others at the base. Where it is expected that Guidance Counsellors begin the year with the principal planning the programming available at the school, the Counsellors are taking first steps in lobbying and advocating for student success. As someone who can see first hand how busy work becomes, and how easy it is to deal with things that are 'in-front' of oneself, that doesn't mean that all voices are equitably heard/represented. Therefore, being aware of various groups or less observed pathway resources are important to be familiar with. Furthermore, advocating for these programs within the school instil a proactive sense of responsibility to representation of others.
Urban and Priority High Schools Initiative provide students with community partner opportunities, in the past I had been directly apart of this initiative in Thunder Bay. I was volunteering with Big Brothers and Big Sisters "Game-ON" Mentoring program wherein during the school hours we were at a local elementary school working on mind, health, body and literacy supports with students as mentors through gaming-based programming (athletics and discussions mostly).
Although I have not directly worked with an Indigenous Friendship Centre in particular, when I return home, it is a field of education I look forward to becoming involved with again. I had spent some time volunteering with Frontier College in Thunder Bay where I met and volunteered with a great deal of interesting and inspiring people who were working really hard to provide services for indigenous students (in particular) who were coming in from fly-in/isolated communities for high school in Thunder-Bay and Sioux Look-out.
Ultimately, I had mentioned Student Success Teams pondering if I had been on a success team before. I believe in a way I have been in a success team, however the success team and school-based team were seemingly intertwinned. We spent a great deal of time developing supports for students with IEP's namely, however that being said, there waas emphasis on student graduation transitions where needed. In relation to what this course is developing an understanding of I believe my experience on the school-based team is relevant, however during my experience with the principal qualifications program, we had discussed the use of a 'School-Based' Team more frequently-could be semantics, I'll need to search more."
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As per module,
"The Guidance Counsellor’s role is to support student success. For this task, you will create a 'Quick Reference Guide/Infographic', which would act as a resource (something they may keep for quick reference) for 'new' Guidance Counsellors or other Student Support Staff Members in their roles in supporting students, AND, a ‘Flyer’ or an 'Infographic' (static or electronic) for students/parents. (2 submissions in total)
Consider first, a topic or question related to Guidance/Student Success that may be asked by a staff member or student/parent. You can come up with one of your own questions/topics, or if one of the example questions/topics below is of interest to you, go ahead and use it.
Examples of a Question you might address:
What does a student need to get their high school diploma? Are there other options?
Demystifying PPM132 (PLAR eligibility for adult students (18 years +).
What resources are available for students who are failing math?
What courses do I need to take to apply for a Nursing Program?
Are there benefits to doing a high-school co-op?
What is the OYAP program and how do I get involved?
Of course, not all questions will be academic in nature. Consider the following Areas of Guidance when thinking of a question/topic and in considering the related resources to include in your documents. Try to choose a topic that you could use/share with your colleagues or guidance department in your school.
Transitioning to High School (e.g., academic planning and needs, course selection, special pathway programs)
Student Well-Being (e.g., resources for Counsellor, community and school resources/referrals available for students)
Guidance Courses (there is more than just GLC2O in the guidance curriculum)
Education and Career/Life Planning Program
Leadership and Peer Support, Grade 11 course (reference curriculum & OSCA Guidelines)
Workshops that could be offered to support students (reference curriculum & OSCA Guidelines)
Post-Secondary Education/Career Pathways (e.g., College, University, workplace, apprenticeships, career planning goals, OSAP, scholarships/awards, summer program opportunities)
Academic Counselling (special education, effective study habits, exam prep, tutoring, summer school, E-Learning, Co-op)
Academic Requirements (graduation requirements, mandatory community volunteer/involvement hours)
Life Skills (e.g., problem-solving, conflict resolution, time management)
Personal/Crisis Counselling (expectations, websites, community referrals, legalities)
If you are unsure about a topic - please reach out and check with me first (I want you to have the best opportunities for success).
Develop a one-pager quick reference/infographic that addresses your question/topic for staff members. Create a second one-pager that would be appropriate for the students/parents. It is important to consider how the information would be presented so that it is easily accessed and laid out to be 'user friendly'. Since images often break up text and assist the reader in finding information, you may want to consider whether including a relevant image(s) would be beneficial.
Remember to consider your audience – the staff member guide and the student/parent guide will have some overlapping information, but the overall tone and presentation of the information will be different – write and design to your audience. Also, consider equity of delivery for the student/parent flyer. Be reminded that people tend to scan rather than read long blocks of text - try to get your important information across in a manner that will 'catch' the eye of the reader (Quality not Quantity).
Think of how the visual and spatial set-up will impact on the readers ability to absorb the message. Many of these items will seem trivial, but they have a subconscious effect on how the reader perceives and absorbs the message/content. For example:
font size: extra large font implies limited content while super small font may be to hard to read,
blank space/visual balance: excessive blank space implies message is not important while very little overwhelms some readers preventing them from absorbing the message,
colours: the brain looks for complementary colours (think colour theory) and soothing colours give a subconscious sense of ease,
font type: make sure that you pick a font type that is clean and easy to read.
capitalization: use capitalization sparingly - excessive use makes it hard to read as the brain is looking for regular sentence structure (upper and lower case use), and, it can be perceived as "yelling" at the reader
underlines: again, use this sparingly - underlines make it hard to comprehend what is written and screen readers sometimes have difficulty with underlined text
URLs: long URLs distract the reader and waste valuable 'real estate' that could be used for content. Would a QR code be appropriate? What do you want your intended audience to focus on?
eye catchers: note that people tend to see these four things first on a page – Titles, Subtitles, Bold and Bullets – use these to emphasize. Stay away from underlines as they only make it harder for the person to read the content (they create visual clutter)
Note: Guidance counsellors and departments rarely speak directly to a ‘captured audience’. Guidance must “market” their information and services as if they were a product in a store or on a website. It is important to use good marketing strategies to get the audience to notice and engage in guidance services and information. If you cannot get your audience to notice/read the message, then the message is lost and has no effect. Make sure that you make it as easy as possible for them to see, read, and absorb the message(s) that you are trying to convey.
Consider including the following in your one-pager 'Quick Reference Guide/Infographic' for the staff member:
Your Question/topic
What a staff member/Guidance Counsellor needs to know?
Resources to support the staff member/Guidance Counsellor
How to assist the student
Resources the staff member may share with students (with support from the staff member) if applicable
Activities or means of Guidance Counsellor/staff member sharing this information with students
Include Apps, website or social media applications for students that staff members may use with students
What communication needs to be shared with parents and how will this be shared.
Consider including the following in your one-page ‘Flyer/Infographic’ for the student/parent:
Your Question/topic
Information that the student/parent should know
Facts and/or myths, if applicable
Resources for student exploration
Resources for parental exploration
Apps, websites, social media etc. for students and parents
Q & A if applicable
How to get help or assistance if needed
Any other information that you feel relevant to the topic
Refer to Assignment Rubric for assessment criteria - Assignment Assessment.docx Assignment Assessment.docx - Alternative Formats
Submit your assignment to the Dropbox. There is a link in the left-hand menu. Please submit your 2 "One Pagers" as a PDF document, if possible."
As per discussion,
(Both Pages)
Find document accessible through canva.com at the following link:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAF8ivkauts/mKceNrEVtdvXfQkWBFIjxA/edit?utm_content=DAF8ivkauts&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton
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As per module,
"In Module 1, you were introduced to the 2022 OSCA Ethical Guidelines. The Guidelines examine school-related issues and challenges through a 'guidance' lens.
Continue your reading of the Guidelines through to the end of the sections on Confidentiality and Counsellor-Conselee Relationships (Pgs 14 - 25 of the 2022 document). Respond to two of the following and submit your response in the Journal tab to the left.
A graduate student working on their PhD thesis approaches a counsellor to obtain information on teenage pregnancies. Would the Guidance Counsellor be able to provide this information?
Is there a circumstance where a Guidance Counsellor would be within their rights to quit/terminate assisting a student?
A student confides in their counsellor about a teacher they are having difficulties with. Is it okay for the counsellor to approach the teacher, who is a personal friend and share this information?
A student is not doing well academically because of serious home problems, which include an alcoholic father and financial issues. What should the counsellor do?
A counsellor learns a young child seeing them is not bringing a lunch to school. The Counsellor has lots of lunch foods at home and decides to start bringing that child a lunch every day. Is it okay for the Counsellor to start bringing that child a lunch every day?
A counsellor is holding a group session for students and a derogatory comment is directed to one of the students. How can the counsellor address student diversity and inclusion in their group and larger school community?
An 18-year-old student, living alone, tells their counsellor they have suicidal urges. What does the counsellor do?
A Counsellor works in a culturally diverse school. How would a Counsellor ensure that all major faith holidays are recognized in his/her school?
A student asks to see their Ontario Student Record (OSR). Does the Counsellor share with them? If not, justify why you would not share the information. If so, what would be the best way for this information to be shared.
In the staff room, a counsellor relays the experience of one of the students involved in a group counselling session. No names are given, but the identity of the student is revealed by the information relayed. Does this pose a disciplinary or legal implication?
A counsellor learns that a 12-year-old girl is going to run away. What are they obligated to do?
Note: Remember to consider your school, board and federation policies when addressing these issues. Your school or board may have alternative rules/policies, and your federation may have expectations the differ from the guidelines suggested by OSCA and such rules/policies/expectations must be followed or at least be noted.
**Review the Journal Entry Guidelines outlined in Module 1 Task 5 and the Journal Rubric, if you have not already done so."
As per discussion,
"For this task I have selected the following questions,
'I. A student asks to see their Ontario Student Record (OSR). Does the Counsellor share with them? If not, justify why you would not share the information. If so, what would be the best way for this information to be shared.'
As a Guidance Counsellor, you may request the student meet with the principal first to allow the student to access the information of the OSR as it is their right if it isn't for the improvement of instruction. It would be of high importance, if requested, that the guidance counsellor have the student sign a consent form (as created by their school) and make an appointment to take a look at it the following day/agreed upon time, if the student is not of age of consent to sign, it may be wise to have a parent come in to sign consent/sign a log to demonstrate the access of the file. Therein the Guidance Counsellor, (as hypothetically, they have no idea why the student would want to access the OSR), can request permission to access/notify the OSR by the principal. Guidance Counsellor in this particular case isn't checking/opening it for "improvement of student instruction", but rather opening it to ensure that they understand what the student may see and if there is any missing context that might raise-up more questions.
Ontario Student Record (OSR) guideline. (n.d.). http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/curricul/osr/osr.html
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'J. In the staff room, a counsellor relays the experience of one of the students involved in a group counselling session. No names are given, but the identity of the student is revealed by the information relayed. Does this pose a disciplinary or legal implication?'
This does infact pose a risk of charge for slander, breach of confidentiality and/or incompetence. Although the name of a stuednt is not given, the implication is that within the school community the experiences of the guidance counsellor are segregated to an isolated population and the situations within the school are at times seemingly isolated, but in one form or another are capabale of inferencing and pose a risk to the general defamation of the school's population if misinterpreted by onlookers. Likewise, as a professional, "gossip" is not an acceptable form of communication or discussion for a staff room. One may expect that the department head/principal/vice-principal speaks to the counsellor first to ensure that identities and events in question remain confidential as the experiences within the school working hours are privileged and in other more serious cases pertaining to youth privacy laws."
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