Category Archives: Classroom Guidance

Sep 17 2012

The 3 Learning Styles

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This week, I am working with my fourth grade friends for the first time this school year.  Over the years, I have incorporated the learning styles into individual school counseling and in my small groups for academic advisement.  This year, I decided to introduce the learning styles to my fourth graders in order to get them thinking now about how they learn best.  I worked with my first class today, and it went very well.

Knowing that all students learn differently, I thought fourth grade would be a good age to introduce learning styles and to help students understand why knowing their preferred learning style(s) can be beneficial to them.  The students seemed very interested during our discussion today.  It was nice to see some of them react when they connected with one of the learning styles as we discussed them.

I decided to create a basic three-flap foldable.  As usual, I made sure my lesson targeted each of the learning styles as well.  This is the same group of students I created the Test Taking Foldable for last year.  I explained that I wanted their new foldable to be another in which they could refer to as necessary.

I gave them a 9×11 sheet of manilla paper.  They folded the paper in half and divided the cover into three equal sections by drawing two lines.  Some simply cut across twice to make the three sections without drawing the lines.  While students were cutting, those who were ready were instructed to draw a hand on the first flap, an ear on the second flap, and an eye on the third flap.  Once everyone got to this point, we were ready to begin our discussion about the three learning styles.  I began my discussion by connecting the three pictures to how we learn.  Using the document camera, I displayed my sample foldable so they could label each flap.  I included two words for each picture: “Doing” for Kinesthetic, “Listening” for Auditory, and “Looking” for Visual. I used both words as I described each learning style.

Behind each flap, the students wrote the meaning of each learning style.  I used the meanings from an activity sheet from Diane Senn’s book Spectacular Guidance Activities called “Which Way Do I Learn?”  These were already written behind each flap on my sample, so I opened each flap one at a time so they could transfer the the meanings onto their foldables.

On the right side, the students wrote the tips I shared for each learning style.  I continued to refer to the “Which Way Do I Learn?” sheet as well as another chart from the book Academic Advisement Program.  We talked about several tips and how they can be used to help students study and learn throughout the school year.  I also talked about how their teacher creates lessons with these learning styles in mind.  Near the end, I asked student volunteers to tell the class how I incorporated the three learning styles into my lesson.  I shared that I am more of a visual learner and talked about the things I do that help me.  I even shared my “Which Way Do I Learn?” sheet in which I used three different colors to highlight the three learning style examples on my sheet to use during my discussion.  The students were able to see that as a visual learner, the colors were helpful for me as I taught the lesson.

I’m looking forward to visiting the remaining four classes to do this lesson.

Stick around!  You can follow Savvy School Counselor with free email updates.  As always, I’d love to hear from you.  How do you teach your students about the 3 learning styles?

Sep 13 2012

“Who Are You?” Thumball Giveaway

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If  you don’t already have one, the Thumball (Thumb Ball) is a great ice breaker to use in your school counseling program at the beginning of the school year.   It is also great for small groups.  I’ve been using it this week during my visits with my fifth graders.  It’s always neat to hear some of the answers they come up with.  Some answers made me laugh, and others touched my heart.  I mentioned the Thumball in my last post and explained that as students catch the ball, they share an answer for whatever is under their thumbs.  The size of the Thumball is about four inches.

Some of the phrases on the ball include:

  • Three Wishes
  • Happiest Memory
  • Three Yummy Foods
  • Three Gross Foods
  • Favorite TV Show or Movie
  • Best Book or Author
  • Great Vacation Place
  • Funniest Cartoon

During one of my classes this week, several students told about their happiest memories.  One student said his happiest memory was when his football team won the super bowl.  Another said his happiest memory was seeing his dad for the first time in the hospital after his heart attack.  A girl shared about a time before her grandma died when her family washed the car with water guns.  Students sharing their three wishes often included things like having certain electronics devices or owning horses.  One student shared her third wish saying, “I wish my mom and dad were never divorced.” Another student wished he could just see his dad. Even during a simple ice breaker activity, I was able to make note of some of the concerns my fifth graders are having.

So today, I want one of you to have one of these Thumballs.

There will be one winner selected to win this prize.  I will contact the winner by email to request the mailing address where he or she would like the Thumball sent.  I have already ordered it with some other items of mine and will ship it directly to the winner once it arrives.  You may enter this contest by using the Rafflecopter widget below this post.  There are several ways to enter.  You will receive three entries for subscribing for email updates.   Two entries are given for liking Savvy School Counselor on Facebook or pinning this giveaway on Pinterest.  Also, one entry is given for following Savvy School Counselor on Twitter.  

Enter to win before 11:59 P.M. EST on Wednesday, September 19, 2012.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.  Thanks for participating!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Aug 18 2012

A Bandage For Your Heart

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Hello all!  After a busy last week of summer vacation, I finally started back to work on Friday, August 17.  I was so excited to move BACK into my guidance office from the much smaller office I used last year.  While cleaning out one of the drawers in my file cabinet, I came across another lesson I’ve used for discussing when students should see the school counselor.   I want to share it with you today.

The activity is called A Bandage for Your Heart.  To make the bandages, I used manila paper.  I cut them 18 inches by 6 inches.  I used a brown crayon to draw the “look” of the bandage.  I cut small red hearts using construction paper.  On the opposite side of each bandage, I added some sentences giving some reasons students may want to complete a self-referral form to see me.

There are eight bandages which have the following sentences:

  • My grandmother died this summer, and I really miss her.
  • My daddy is sick all the time, and he never plays with me anymore.
  • There’s somebody who showed me a knife at school and told me I better not tell.
  • My mommy and daddy scare me when they fuss.
  • There’s somebody on the bus who keeps picking on me and hitting me.
  • I don’t have anybody to play with.  Nobody will be my friend.
  • I got a trophy at my soccer match last Saturday.
  • It’s my birthday, and I’m so happy!

Use the last two statements to give examples of non-urgent situations that do not require an appointment with the school counselor.  Explain that you definitely want to hear good news from them, but an individual counseling session just for that purpose isn’t necessary.

Also, you’ll want to wear a bandage on your shirt close to your heart.  If no one asks why it’s there, ask the students if they noticed anything when you came in the room. From there, begin to share and explain each of the bandages.  Many times,  I would talk about different sized rocks to help explain urgent vs. non-urgent referrals.  A big rock is urgent, and students might need to see you on the same day.  A medium rock means it’s important, but the counselor can see you sometime that week.  A small rock is something you want to talk about, but you can wait until the following week to see the counselor if necessary.  If you use this to assist with your discussion, have the students share examples of what they think a small, medium, or large rock would be.  This is also a great time to show students what the form looks like, where to find it, how to complete it, and where to return it.

Stick around!  You can follow Savvy School Counselor with free email updates.  As always,  I’d love to hear from you.  How do you explain self-referrals to your students?

Jul 26 2012

School Counselor’s First -Aid Kit

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While looking for more meet the school counselor ideas, I found a familiar idea from an old magazine on my bookshelf.  The original article was written by Michelle Jordan.

Many of us have heard of placing items in a bag and relating them to the school counselor’s role.  The School Counselor’s First-Aid Kit follows the same concept.  First, you’ll want to find something to hold your items.  Your kit can be kept in a box, or you can find a child’s toy doctor bag.  Label your kit “School Counselor’s First-Aid Kit.” Inside the kit, you’ll need the following items: a tissue, a toothpick, a Hershey’s Kiss, a star, a penny, a bandage, an eraser, a Life Saver, and a cotton ball.

After asking the students to tell you what first-aid kits are usually for, you can share each of these items one by one.  With your help, the students can tell how each item relates to your role.

    • Tissue-  A school counselor wants to help students dry their tears.  Students need to know it’s okay to cry if they have a problem.
    • Toothpick-  A school counselor helps students “pick out” their problems and work on them.
    • Hershey’s Kiss-  A school counselor wants to help students feel better and a treat can do just that.
    • Star-  A school counselor can help students find their way when they are lost.
    • Penny-  A penny reminds students that they are valuable and special.
    • Bandage-  A school counselor wants to  help heal students’ wounds.
    • Eraser-  The eraser reminds students that everyone makes mistakes.  School counselors help students deal with their feelings about the mistakes they’ve made.
    • Life Saver-  Life savers serve as a reminder that students can see the school counselor if they need someone to talk to.
    • Cotton Ball-  This reminds students that the school counselor is full of warm fuzzies and compliments.
To make the kit, I found a container at The Dollar Tree. I also used Making Memories’ “Creative Letters.”  I used foam sheets to make the star and to decorate the lid.  I found a nice, large eraser at The Dollar Tree also.

This kit can be kept in a visible spot in your office to remind students about your role.  You can also use it as you meet new students throughout the school year.

Stick around!  You can follow Savvy School Counselor with free email updates.  As always, I’d love to hear from you.  What else would you include in the First-Aid Kit and why?

Jul 20 2012

Using Thinking Maps in School Counseling: Careers

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Thinking maps are great tools that can be applied to all content areas including school counseling.  They assist students with thinking more in depth about a topic.  School counselors can use them in many ways to enhance the impact of classroom guidance lessons or small groups.  Today, I want to share how you can use these eight thinking maps when teaching about careers.

The eight thinking maps are the circle map, tree map, bubble map, double bubble map, flow map, multi-flow map, brace map, and bridge map.  In this post, I will show how to use each of these thinking maps when teaching students about career awareness.

The circle map is used for defining in context.  This example shows medical careers.

The bubble map is used to describe using adjectives.  This example shows the desired characteristics of a nurse.

The tree map is used for classifying or grouping.  This example shows three career areas.  Under each area are examples of jobs in those careers.

The flow map is used to show sequence and order.  This example shows the steps it might take to obtain a job.  I say might because people starting their own businesses could follow a completely different path.

The multi-flow map is used to show causes and effects.  This example shows what it takes to go to college and how college will in turn lead to knowledge, a degree, and a job.

The bridge map is used for seeing analogies.  This example shows that a chiropractor is a type of doctor just as a professor is a type of teacher.

You can use the double bubble map to compare and contrast two jobs.  It is similar to a Venn diagram.  The three bubbles down the center show similarities, while the bubbles on either side will only show attributes of the bubble they are connected to.

The brace map is used for analyzing whole objects and parts.  Students can chose one job, list three parts of that job, and then further analyze the three parts.

If you haven’t already used thinking maps in your school counseling program, just know they are a great tool to use in order to help students become better learners.

Stick around!  You can follow Savvy School Counselor with free email updates.  As always, I’d love to hear from you.   Do you use thinking maps in your school counseling program?