Module 5: Small Group - Donut Worry About the Test! by Marisela Garza

Description/Intentions of the Group

mgarza69 — 2021-04-16 01:22:51 UTC

This small group will help students prepare for the STAAR testing season on a social-emotional level. The small group consists of secondary school students ranging from 6th-8th grade who were referred by school staff, parent(s) or who self-referred. The current learning environment due the pandemic and the importance/pressures associated with standardized testing have caused some students to increasingly experience different forms of anxiety. Group participants will focus on understanding testing anxiety, how it affects them physically/emotionally, and which coping strategies they can use to overcome anxiety during tests. A pre/post-assessment will be administered to measure growth.

Mindset & Behaviors to be mastered through participation in this small group.

mgarza69 — 2021-04-16 01:29:38 UTC

M1. Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being.

M2. Self-confidence in ability to succeed.

M5. Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes.

B-LS3. Use time-management, organizational and study skills.

B-SMS6. Demonstrate ability to overcome barriers to learning.

B-SMS7. Demonstrate effective coping skills when faced with a problem.

B-SS4. Demonstrate empathy.

B-SS6. Use effective collaboration and cooperation skills.                     (ASCA, 2014)

Helping students with Test Anxiety

mgarza69 — 2021-04-16 01:45:50 UTC

Proposing the Small Group: During the monthly faculty meeting, counselors will have the opportunity to explain and present the curriculum to all staff. This will give the opportunity for staff to have a question and answer session with the counselors. An additional information session on recognizing any manifestations of anxiety will be done at the STAAR training with teachers who will be proctoring the STAAR the days of testing.

Finding Participants: An informational text/email with a survey link(google form) will then be sent to all administrators, teachers, and staff reiterating the intentions of this small group and for student referrals for the small group. Recommendation by teachers will not be the only method used to identify these students. An informational text/email with a survey link(google form) will also be sent to all students so they can self-recommend for this small group.

The 3 Stages

mgarza69 — 2021-04-16 02:27:54 UTC

Stage 1: The majority of Stage 1 will be getting to know each other, setting norms, and building trust which will take place with group discussions. This will initially take place during the welcome part on Lesson 1, but will continue throughout each lesson. The group sessions are held in a large conference room with a large round table to encourage group discussion. During this stage, the group is introduced and starts to familiarize themselves with goals, timeline, and rules. It is important for team members to develop relationships and understand what they can achieve as individuals and as a group. This stage focuses more on the people than on the work. Therefore, students will not produce a tangible student-created product at this meeting.  However, this meeting will set the stage for the foundation of the group. They will learn about the challenges and the opportunities that they will overcome.  Group confidentiality will be discussed and strongly encouraged for all sessions but students will be aware of possible breach of confidentiality due to size and age of group. Individual meetings with students will always be confidential.

Stage 2 The group will continue to work together in this stage and start to excel.  Students will work as a team to create individual and group goals together in addition to goals already created in the curriculum.  Having the commonality of goals as a group will create cohesiveness between the members. While working together, they will find ways to solve and fix any problems that come up individually and as a group. They will continue to work all together to get to the next stage as a team and will continue to build relationships with peers and share interests. Progress monitored through lesson activities and participation.

Stage 3The evaluation, observations,  and comparison of the assessments will determine if outside resources will be needed for additional support. Success will be measured by students learning coping strategies and skills related to anxiety.  For monitoring, counselors will meet individually with any students who indicate a need for intervention or emotional support. Depending on circumstances, outside sources can be utilized if needed. The need for possible additional support from outside resources will be addressed on the consent form parents signed. Even though sessions will not be scheduled, students are reminded that all lines of communication will always be open with counselors and administrators. A follow up informal gathering will take after testing to discuss students' successes.

Counselor-Student Meeting

mgarza69 — 2021-04-16 03:25:29 UTC

After all recommendations have been received, students will be individually notified by the school counselors. Counselors will describe the group, discuss meeting times, and expectations of the group. The counselor will also explain what are the advantages of joining the group which include, learning new skills, creating goals, meeting new people and having a good time. The most important step in the screening process is asking the student if they want to participate because it is all voluntary. Adding a student that does not want to participate can be counterproductive to the group climate. Selecting individuals that are motivated and can contribute to the group maximizes open interactions. Students will have the opportunity to review ground rules, review attendance policy, and understand the importance of participation. This will determine if the student is a good candidate for the action plan(Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

mgarza69 — 2021-04-17 03:18:01 UTC

The Situational Leadership would work best for the dynamics of this group because this style takes group preparedness and maturity level into account. It allows the flexibility necessary to best serve a group of participants who are supposed to grow their test anxiety coping skills set over time. The flexibility of Situational Leadership can be attributed to the various sub-leadership styles within it. Therefore, as group members demonstrate growth, the counselor can adjust the sub-leadership style they use to adapt to the group’s needs. For example, during Lesson 1 in the Action Plan the counselor may need to use the “Selling” sub-style of situational leadership because the group members, although willing and enthusiastic, lack the ability at the present time to cope well with their test anxiety. As the lessons progress and the group members become more skilled, the counselor may, and hopefully would, find it necessary to transition to the “Participating” sub-style of Situational leadership. In the end, Situational Leadership allows the counselor to give only as much as is necessary depending on the complexity of the tasks at hand and on the group’s knowledge and maturity level (Cherry, 2020a; Cherry, 2020b).

mgarza69 — 2021-04-17 03:22:39 UTC

Counselor-Parent Communication

mgarza69 — 2021-04-17 03:32:26 UTC

Once student nominations are received and students agree to participate, the consent process will begin. Parent consent form will be mailed/emailed with a description of the presentation to parent/guardian of the nominated student. Parent/Guardian can request a copy of the curriculum if needed. All participating students will need a signed consent from parent/guardian before being able to attend any session. Student information regarding recommendation by teacher, all data from the teacher, assessment results, and all discussions will remain confidential (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

mgarza69 — 2021-04-17 04:06:39 UTC

Many of Yalom’s Therapeutic Factors could potentially arise from the group sessions over the course of time. The idea of “instillation of hope” can positively affect the students of the group. It gives faith that the group activity can and will be effective in helping them overcome any testing anxiety they could encounter. By working in a structured counseling group, many of the participants will also realize “universality” with other members of the group, it demonstrates that they are not the only ones dealing with testing anxiety. Knowing that other people have similar issues, gives a sense of inclusion to the students. One of the goals by the end of the sessions is to learn how to self help, this can help students gain confidence in their actions. Once a student is able to help themselves, it gives them the opportunity to rise up and help others that share similar issues. Yalom's theory of “altruism” gives students the feeling of being useful and needed in the group.

Being in a group teaches the students many aspects of social learning in addition to original procedures. Yalom’s therapeutic factor of “development of socializing techniques” also demonstrates that participants in the group learn many different forms of socializing techniques. Participants start to develop social learning skills and also develop interpersonal skills. According to Yalom’s therapeutic factors, the members of this small group will learn more than how to deal with testing anxieties, they will learn skills that will continue to be utilized as they mature (Yalom, 2020).

The Six Be's

mgarza69 — 2021-04-17 04:16:08 UTC

1. Be supportive
2. Be kind 
3. Be attentive - Listen and respect others points of view
4. Be respectful - Respect others right to speak without interrupting
5. Be respectful - Respect others points of view
6. Be respectful - Respect others confidential information

After introductions and during the first lesson, the ground rules will be introduced to the students. The ground rules clarify the expectations and behaviors of the group. The ground rules are fluid so the students as a group can add to it or possibly take rules off as long it benefits the group. Once the rules are discussed and clarified, the rules are confirmed and will guide the discussions. The group's agreement allows the team members to directly address an issue if a ground rule is not followed. The attached form will help guide the group in the incorporation and adjustment of rules as necessary (Missouri Professional School Counselors and Counselor Educators, 2015).

Texas Adminstrative Code...

mgarza69 — 2021-04-18 05:12:07 UTC

Title 19, Part 7, Chapter 239, SubChapter A, Rule §239.15, Standard II. Learner-Centered Skills: "Standard II. Learner-Centered Skills: The certified school counselor applies the knowledge base to promote the educational, personal, social, and career development of the learner as outlined in The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. The certified school counselor must: (3) counsel individuals and small groups using appropriate counseling theories and techniques in response to students' needs"  (19 Tex. Admin. Code §239.15 (2017).

Participation in this small group will promote the educational, personal, and social development of the students by helping them learn to manage their test anxiety. In doing so, they will gain the confidence and empowerment necessary to face other obstacles within and outside of the academic.

In RRISD, all small groups must be approved by the district.

American Counseling Association: A.9.a Screening

mgarza69 — 2021-04-18 05:20:04 UTC

According to the American Counseling Association(ACA) Code of Ethics, counselors screen prospective groups participants and must ensure that the selected members' needs and goals are compatible with the goals of the group. The willing participants' wellbeing will not be jeopardized and their membership will not impede the group process (ACA, 2014).

In the screening process for this group, not only is a recommendation needed for this group, counselors will also interview students and discuss the foundations and goals of the group with the students. This gives the opportunity for both counselors and participants to determine if goals and needs align to the group. The commonality of all participants having the same goals creates a unique cohesiveness with everyone that begins with the screening process before the group begins.

mgarza69 — 2021-04-18 06:15:44 UTC

mgarza69 — 2021-05-02 07:35:16 UTC

During the monthly faculty meeting, counselors will have the opportunity to explain and present the curriculum to all staff. This will give the opportunity for staff to have a question and answer session with the counselors. An additional information session on recognizing any manifestations of anxiety will be done at the STAAR training with teachers who will be proctoring the STAAR the days of testing.

An informational text/email with a survey link(google form) will then be sent to all administrators, teachers, and staff reiterating the intentions of this small group and for student referrals for the small group. Recommendation by teachers will not be the only method used to identify these students.An informational text/email with a survey link(google form) will also be sent to all students so they can self-recommend for this small group.