(C) Designs and implements prevention and intervention plans related to the effects of: Atypical growth and development, health and wellness, language, ability level, multicultural issues, and factors of resiliency on student learning and development;
The following course syllabi reflect how this competency was met through my graduate studies:
| COUN 504: School Counseling Internship |
Academic and Career Planning
At my middle school, I worked individually with students who were failing one or more of their classes and helped them create academic goals for themselves based on their future career aspirations. We explored future careers that they were interested in, looked up colleges that offered programs in those fields, and noted the requirements to get into the program. For example, one student loved designing buildings, so we looked up information about architecture programs and prerequisites for applying to the program. The student learned that she needed to work harder in math in order to become an architect and joined a homework club to get extra help. I believe that when students see the connection between their current school work and their future opportunities, they become more engaged and motivated.
At my middle school, I worked individually with students who were failing one or more of their classes and helped them create academic goals for themselves based on their future career aspirations. We explored future careers that they were interested in, looked up colleges that offered programs in those fields, and noted the requirements to get into the program. For example, one student loved designing buildings, so we looked up information about architecture programs and prerequisites for applying to the program. The student learned that she needed to work harder in math in order to become an architect and joined a homework club to get extra help. I believe that when students see the connection between their current school work and their future opportunities, they become more engaged and motivated.
| Goal Worksheet |
The Empowerment Project
During my time at the middle school, I was given the opportunity to assist with The Empowerment Project. The Empowerment Project was a peer mentoring program for 8th and 9th grade girls. The girls who participated in the program had diverse academic abilities, backgrounds, and cultures. We provided them with the opportunity to choose how they would communicate to each other through mixed media art forms such as photography, drawings, story tellings and poems. The program fostered support between the high school and middle school girls. It was especially powerful for the students who were struggling academically because they discovered strengths in other areas.
During my time at the middle school, I was given the opportunity to assist with The Empowerment Project. The Empowerment Project was a peer mentoring program for 8th and 9th grade girls. The girls who participated in the program had diverse academic abilities, backgrounds, and cultures. We provided them with the opportunity to choose how they would communicate to each other through mixed media art forms such as photography, drawings, story tellings and poems. The program fostered support between the high school and middle school girls. It was especially powerful for the students who were struggling academically because they discovered strengths in other areas.
Accommodations
In the middle school where I am interning I was presented with a situation where a teacher was concerned about a student with a visual impairment who was not using the iPad given to him to help him access the necessary school work. The teacher was worried that the student felt embarrassed about needing to use additional tools to access the same materials as his classmates. I was asked to intervene to find out why he wasn’t using his iPad and to motivate him to use the tools necessary for him to be successful. When I met with the student I learned that the reason he wasn’t using his iPad wasn’t because he was worried about feeling different but rather that the iPad was not always helpful for him. He explained that for some assignments he preferred to use a large print textbook. I was then able to advocate for the student by communicating with his teacher what the student had told me and encouraged the teacher to speak directly to the student or the student’s vision teacher the next time a concern arose.
In the middle school where I am interning I was presented with a situation where a teacher was concerned about a student with a visual impairment who was not using the iPad given to him to help him access the necessary school work. The teacher was worried that the student felt embarrassed about needing to use additional tools to access the same materials as his classmates. I was asked to intervene to find out why he wasn’t using his iPad and to motivate him to use the tools necessary for him to be successful. When I met with the student I learned that the reason he wasn’t using his iPad wasn’t because he was worried about feeling different but rather that the iPad was not always helpful for him. He explained that for some assignments he preferred to use a large print textbook. I was then able to advocate for the student by communicating with his teacher what the student had told me and encouraged the teacher to speak directly to the student or the student’s vision teacher the next time a concern arose.
