I chose this article because it gives information on how counselors using a structured plan for classroom guidance improved students’ ratings of themselves and teachers’ ratings of students. Knowing that results can be traced back to the school counselors shows a clear path to assessing whether or not the instruction provided the desired results. By looking at counseling topics as something that needs to be understood and applied by students and not simply remembered, the information on how Understanding by Design could help school counselors is something I plan to look into more on my own. This article also includes a case study on how one counselor (Mr. Mendez) was able to help his students connect the lessons each month by using Understanding by Design instead of his usual lesson plans. This case study gives a practical view of how counselors could use this guide to help with lesson planning. 

Summarize the important concepts. 

Although school counselors are required to develop and deliver lesson plans to the students they are assigned to, not much practice is given or required when it comes to lesson planning and implementation. The article even states that “of the 33 CACREP school counseling specialty-area standards, only one standard (G.3.c) relates to the topic of curriculum development” (Dack & Merlin-Knoblich, 2019). School counselors need to be given more opportunity to practice creating effective lesson plans that will reach the students’ needs while also being cohesive instead of randomized and disconnected. The Understanding by Design model has design stages to help with creating effective lesson plans. As someone who has been a teacher before, I am familiar with most of the explanations of how to create a lesson plan, but having these stages written out is a great guide for anyone choosing to become a school counselor who does not have a teaching background. The appendices for the article include helpful examples of a unit plan outline that was created using the Understanding by Design model. 

Compare the information in the article with your experience with school counselors. 

For most schools I have been in within the past 10 years or so, I have only been able to witness a school counselor presenting a lesson plan once. The lesson was relaying to high school students how to calculate their GPAs. Even though the school counselor I observed had been a science teacher in years prior and had gone through the process to become a National Board Certified Teacher, she still could have done a better job in presenting the information. For me, this shows that even the best of us get things wrong sometimes. The goal for school counselors shouldn’t be about perfection, but instead more about making any improvements we can to better serve the students. Although the article states that the “ASCA (2012) recommends school counselors spend 15%–45% of their time (depending on school level) delivering classroom guidance” (Dack & Merlin-Knoblich, 2019) I would say that many barely reach the bottom line percent expectation. Since counselors are often given many tasks that do not seem to relate directly to counseling the students, it leaves much less time for school counselors to do the job we are trained to do. If we add in the article’s notion that more planning is needed in order to make the counseling sessions more effective, we then add more time demands on people who are already in a time crunch. I know effective planning is important, so there needs to be some give and take on current counselor expectations in order for students to get the counseling they deserve 

References 

Dack, H., & Merlin-Knoblich, C. (2019). Improving classroom guidance curriculum with understanding by design. The Professional Counselor, 9(2), 80–99. https://doi.org/10.15241/hd.9.2.80 

 

My core beliefs as a school counselor state that all students deserve to learn in an environment that is best suited to their individual needs, schools and caregivers should work together with the students to determine what those needs are, all students can achieve amazing things and schools are meant to prepare students for their lives as adults in an unknown future.

As an advocate for every student, a school counselor should be a dependable source of information and help for any student regardless of need. Even though some students may need more support than others, no student should be bypassed when it comes to advocating for their education and their future in this world. Counselors should provide instruction and feedback to all students under their care and offer one-on-one support in an equitable manner.

Although school counselors may focus more on academic support for students by preparing them for acceptable behavior in a classroom setting, school counselors should also focus on social skills development and mental health awareness with all students. Working with students to be great academics is only part of the equation; in advocating for the whole student, social skills and mental health must be included in conversations about their plans for success.

A school counseling program I would establish as a counselor would have room for collaboration and advocacy. I will work with caregivers, teachers, and administrators to plan instruction that is most needed; those same collaborators will provide me with feedback. Lessons planned and delivered to the students will cover social skills and mental health issues. These lessons will be a place for students to learn about self-care and how to live alongside others without sacrificing their own well-being. 

As a school counselor, it is my goal and responsibility to prepare students for life outside of school by enriching all students' academic, social, mental, and emotional wellness.