GuidanceServices

by: Lera Mie Ramirez

DefinitionThe systematic and organized procedures,

tools and facilities to assist an individual in securing knowledge and skills needed in making plans and services, and in interpreting life.

These services provide comprehensive information about opportunities, personality development, effective studying and learning.

Help students recognize, accept and develop their potential, adjust to the school, and develop the skills needed to cope with the problems they meet.

Help young people come to know and accept themselves, their aptitudes and interests.

Teach pupils/students learn to use their interests and capabilities.

Teach pupils/students develop the skills to cope with the problems they meet both inside and outside the school.

Purposes

Scop

e1. Services rendered to an individual and his needs –inventory of each pupil, information regarding opportunities, counseling for all pupils, follow-up on studies, placement, and assisting teachers in case studies.

2. Services to staff members in providing for leadership, in securing cooperation of the staff members, in assisting teachers in utilizing information, in organizing and conducting in-service training.

3. Services pertaining to evaluation of services – follow-up making results available, surveys, securing cooperation of parents and community, and conducting research to further improve guidance services.

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Characteristics of a

Good Guidance Service:

1. Identifiable aids to assist individuals.

2. Involved in achieving goals of education.

3. Provide for competent leadership.4. Supported by functional preparations for teachers in guidance services.

5. Based on the knowledge of the needs of the pupils and upon competencies of the staff members.

6. Services made available to all.

7. Needs the cooperation of parents and community.8. More preventive than curative.

9. Founded on the concept of the totality of the individual.10. Should be evaluated constantly.

1. INFORMATION SERVICES

The intentional and purposive delivery of information to students; the primary purpose of which is to enable students to use said information to reasonably guide their choices and actions inside and outside of the school.

This service makes available to learners certain kinds information not ordinarily provided through the instructional program or during the regular period of instruction.

Basic Guidance Services

Types of Information and

Guidance Service Used:

1. Educational Information

- valid and usable data about present and probable future

educational requirements.

Examples:

Plan and lay-out of school plan

Policies governing school attendance, uniform, tardiness, etc

History and traditions of the school

Use of the library and other school services

Guidance Activities: Campus Tour/Open House before school starts.

Early level: Guidance personnel will work with parents and children in the discussion of informing children about how the school operates.

Grade six: Seminars informing students what lies ahead in high school, if they go into one.

High School level: Advise students of extra-curricular activities of the school – joining in sports fests, friendly Quiz Bees and other competitions.

Providing printed materials like pocket-sized school map, summary of the schools policy, vision/mission, list of contact

numbers for the school’s student personnel, etc.

Types of Information and

Guidance Service Used:

1. Occupational Information

- valid and useful data about positions, jobs, and

occupations.

Examples:

Conditions for work

Duties & requirements for work applications

Rewards offered

Existing or predicted supply of/demand for workers.

Advancement/Promotion patterns

Guidance Activities:

Classroom DiscussionsGuidance personnel forums to get a general understanding

about the world of work. Learners can be helped if they come to understand that there are many reasons for working, and that money is JUST one of them.

One-on-One Interview/ConsultationGuidance officers can reach out to students and schedule

interviews with them before graduation and are asked these questions:

What job you want to take? How much money you want to make?

How long would you be willing to work?

Dissemination of job vacancies and opportunities through

bulletin board, posters and flyers.

Mock Job Fair or Mock Interview

Types of Information and Guidance

Service Used:

3. Personal-Social Information

- valid and usable data about the opportunities and influences

of the human being which will help learners to understand

themselves better and improve their relationship with others.

Examples:

Boy-girl relationships

Personal appearance

Home and family relationships

Manners and etiquette

Way of living (health)

Social skills

Leisure-time activities

Guidance Activities:

Home visits

One-on-One Consultation

Seminar-Orientation

Team Building

2. Individual Inventory Services

The process of accumulating and analyzing information about an individual through the use of an Inventory Form and through routine interview. Data may be used to check for students who may need counseling or specialized guidance services.

Provides a synthesis of information about the individual which can be used to gain understanding of themselves as a person – their potential strengths and weaknesses, abilities, interests and needs.

Basic Guidance Services

Covers the collection, organization and interpretation of the data about pupils/students.

Information Obtained (for Individual Inventory Services)

Pupil’s complete name, address, birthdate, gender.

Familial background – names of parents and siblings, their birthdates and birthplaces, parents religion and occupation, their hobbies and interests.

2. Cumulative Record information concerned with learner’s appraisal and should cover the

entire span of their academic career – past and present school performance.

3. Test Records Provides information on the learner’s mental ability, aptitudes and

interests.

4. Interest Inventories Indicative of the learner’s likes and dislikes – thus can indirectly

guide the counselor in determining how the learner choose their goals and purposes.

1. Individual Identification Data

Information Obtained (for Individual Inventory Services)

5. Personalities Inventory - designed to measure emotional adjustment, social relations and the motivational aspects of behaviour. Assess the elusive non-intellective aspects of an individual’s psychological makeup.

6. Non-Test/Self Evaluation Reports- information that are obtained through non-test techniques, like

autobiographies and essays about an important experience.

Guidance Activities: (for Individual Inventory Services)

Asking applicants to fill out Questionnaires

Entrance exams

Screening Interviews

Weekly Homeroom Guidance Class

3. Placement Services

- related to practically all areas of the educational program such as academic courses, attendance, work experience, electives, part-time work, and extra-curricular activities. Through Placement Services, students are placed in grade levels, classes and activities suitable to their needs, interests, abilities, and if applicable -schedules.

Basic Guidance Services

- a continuous program which helps determine the manner (how) to assign a student based on his/her personal and social adjustment.

Types of Placement Services:

1. Educational Placement

Guidance Activities (for Educational Placement): College Admission Tests

Dissemination of Printed Communications listing colleges, universities

and trade schools with a summary of their particular area of specializations.

Surveys/Tests designed to determine the student’s suitable specialization

2. Vocational Placement- also known as “job placement”. Graduates receive appropriate

training and preparation to ensure them that they can land in a stable job after school/graduation.

Guidance Activities (for Vocational Placement):

OJT/Internship – students are sent to external businesses and agencies to familiarize them on the actual working environment.

Guidance Activities (continuation for Vocational Placement):

Posters and Printouts for Job Opportunities

Linkages with schools, industries and agencies for job placements.

- allows students to choose a job which fits academic preparation, needs, abilities and interests.

Job Fair

Series of Symposia

- where professionals and vocation animators are invited to discuss their job requirements and activities.

Field trips

- posted in bulletin boards.

4. Counseling Services- core of the guidance program that is a form of interventionthat leads to a more effective behaviour. This is done where thereis a pressing need to talk to the student or pupil urgently.

Basic Guidance Services

Types of Placement Services:

1. Group Counseling- a group activity aimed to assist EACH INDIVIDUAL

member of the group to solve his/her problem and make adjustments on how he/she behaves in the group.

Guidance Activities (for Group Counseling):

Organizing Home Room Organizations

- earliest form to bring about group guidance activities.

- students/pupils are grouped into committees assigned for a particular task. Most of the time, a leader is chosen to spear head the activity.

- usual groups/assignments: Sweepers of the Day; Front yard Cleaners.

Lectures, conferences, programs, parties and convocations.

2. Individual Counseling- the counseling service is now more focused to one

individual – how he/studies, plays or behaves in a group.

Guidance Activities: (for Individual Counseling)

Consultation – one-on-one scheduled guidance talk between the client and the guidance councillor.

Voluntary Counseling/Walk-in Counseling – when an individual seeks the help of counselor to aid him/her in a difficult or challenging situation.

Referral Counseling – a parent, faculty, counselor or other students recommends a consultation/appointment between the student and guidance counselor.

5. Vocational/Career Services

Basic Guidance Services

Example: Job Fair (as discussed thoroughly

in the “Job Placement Services” earlier)

Guidance Activities:

- set of services specifically designed to assist students in their career and planning choices. It creates awareness and appreciation of the different stages of life and professional careers.

- Cultivates proper attitude towards work decision and choice settings.

Career Education Example: seminars or seminar-workshops on writing an effective

resume, application letter, cover letter,

biodata etc.

Career Information Example: Job posting and dissemination

Career Placement

6. Remedial and Enrichment Services

Basic Guidance Services

- practical measures adapted to enrich students especially those that need more attention to cope up with regular classes. Mostly made available to students or individuals with reading, speech or any other form of learning difficulties.

Guidance Activities:

Remedial Classes/Periods

Tutorial sessions

Organizing specialized groups for specific subjects

like Math Club, Science Club, etc.

7. Special Guidance Services

Basic Guidance Services

a. Developmental Learning Services

b. Psycho-therapeutic Intervention Program

-Seminars or workshops facilitated by counselors or invited resource persons on topics not covered by the information service and personality education classes.

- programs specifically planned, designed, and implemented to meet the need of a particular group of students (i.e. athletes, single-mothers).

- the aim of such program is to promote psychological wellness and prevent future incidents of maladjustments or to remedy an already existing case of maladjustments among students belonging to special target groups.

- The aim of such program is to facilitate the learning experience of students on a wide variety of topics that could help them in their adjustment in school and life in general.

8. Research and Evaluation

Research is a guidance function where the counselor develops and

implements research plans that would generate empirical data about students and student

life that could be used to inform policy and decision-making in the school, especially on

matters relevant to student welfare and development, and to inform the direction and

suitability of the various guidance services, as well as of the other student services and

programs provided.

Evaluation, on the other hand, is a guidance function where the counselor

develop and implement assessment and evaluation plans that would provide soft and hard

data on the quality, results, and impact of the various student services and programs.

Evaluation data can be used as basis for enhancement of existing programs and

development of new programs.

Basic Guidance Services

9. Follow-up Services

- intended to secure information about former studentsand provide continuing services for students after theyleave school. This technique for evaluating theappropriateness and adequacy of the instructionalprogram.

Basic Guidance Services

Counselors coordinate and gets in touch with the parents so the child’s behaviour is still observed even at home.

Types of Follow-up Service

a. In-School Follow-up - help diminish the number of drop-outs by knowing the causes/reasons why students leave school. Also helps students adjust to student life.

Guidance Activities:

One-on-One Consultation and Monitoring

Parent Conference

A test is given, results are kept and are communicated to the student concerned. Counselors continue to monitor the child’s behaviour every now and then.

Types of Follow-up Service (continuation)

b. Out-of-school Follow-up- applies to services extended even to the graduates to instill

in them a sense of belongingness. It also helps the school analyse its effectiveness.

Guidance Activities:

Questionnaires for former students

Questionnaires for employers

Feedback from employers

Organizing alumni associations

Organizing alumni homecoming parties

Interviews with former students

Interviews with employers

End