Role of Counselors in Developing

Students’ Executive and

Study SkillsBy:

Rolly Ceniza Remitar

Asian Psychological Services & Assessment Corp.

Some people wonder…

What do school counselors DO?

How School Counselors Spend their Time• Individual Counseling• Group Counseling• Consulting & Collaborating w/Teachers, Parents, Administrators,

Students, other Counselors• Build Relationships• Crisis Situations• Conflict Mediation• Classroom guidance• Parent Education• Referrals

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Our Children Today

• So what is different from when you were a child?

• What has changed in the way they behave and how you had to behave?

• How is their child world so different from our childhood world?

TO ALL FOLKS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1950's, 60' s, 70's and early 80's

• Some of us survived being born to

mothers who did not have an OB-Gyne but just a comadrona and drank coconut wine while they carried us.

• While pregnant, they took cold or cough medicines, ate sweet delicacies and didn't worry about diabetes.

• Then after all that trauma, our baby cribs were made of hard wood covered with lead-based paints, at kung minsan itali lang ang kumot at ginagawang duyan… at tayo ay nauntog

• We had no soft cushy cribs that play music, no disposable diapers (sako sa harina ng General Milling with faded picture ang mga gamit), and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, no kneepads, and no breaks and yet we were able to manage everything.

As children, we would ride in hot un-airconditioned buses with wooden seats no airconditioning & no seat belts. Kasama natin ang mga baboy at manok sa bus ngunit hindi naman tayo na swine o bird flu

• Riding on the back of a carabao on a breezy summer day was considered a treat. Ngayon ibang mga bata hindi pa nakakita ng totoong kalabaw…sa google lang

• We drank water from the garden hose and NOT bottled mineral water sa Nature Spring or Viva, or Absolute Mineral water. Sometimes we drank from the wells

• We shared one soft drink bottle with four of our friends, and NO ONE actually died from this.

• We ate rice , lumang kanin na may asin at mantika ng baboy, drank raw eggs straight from the shell, and drank softdrinks with real sugar in it (No diet coke or Pepsi Max), but we weren't sick or overweight

• We were always outside playing.We would leave home in the morning and play all day, and get back when the moon light came on. Syatong, Luksong tinik, o chines garter, hanap palaka o kaka at iba pa

• No one was able to reach us all day ( hindi pa uso ang cellphone) . And yes, we were O.K.

• Ang mga lumang kahoy o kawayan lalagyan ng gulong yari sa lumang tsinelas…basta gugulong, masaya na kahit nahuhulog tayo sa mga kanal.

• We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 100 channels on cable, no DVD movies, no surround stereo, no IPOD's, no cell phones, no computers, no Internet, no chat rooms, and no Friendsters, facebook, twitters.. ........ ...WE HAD REAL FRIENDS and we went outside to actually talk and play with them!

• We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no stupid lawsuits from these accidents. The only rubbing we get is from our friends with the words..masakit pre ? Ngunit kung kalaban natin…sisigawan lang ng Buti nga!

• We played marbles (jolen) in the dirt , washed our hands just a little and ate Pan Bahug-bahug & Bagumbayan (recycled bread man diay to kay wala mahalin!) We were not afraid of getting germs in our stomachs.

• We had to live with homemade guns

• We made up games with sticks ( syatong ), and cans ( Bato-Lata )and although we were told they were dangerous, wala naman nabubulag noon

• Mini basketball teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't pass had to learn to deal with the disappointment. Wala pa yang mga childhood depression ug damaged self esteem ek-ek lang yan. Ang magalit. Talo!.

• Nanonood lang ang mga magulang noon sa mga liga ng basketball o ibang mga laro, hindi makipag-away.

That generation of ours has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers, creative thinkers and successful professionals ever! They are the CEO's, Engineers, Teachers, Doctors and Military Generals of today.

Factors that Hinder Brain Development

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‘Children today are more confident and self assured’

Implications:• The ‘now’ generation – instant

gratification• They are more confident and

expect more freedom• More outgoing and challenging• They can be more demanding and

materialistic• Their range of choices is amazing

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‘Today’s children are exposed from varying backgrounds’

Implications:• Boundaries set may vary

greatly• Parents often spend less

time with their children• Varying family care

circumstances

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‘The children of today have a lot choicesImplications:• They want to be encouraged to have

opinions• They expect individual attention• They thrive on variety and action in their

activites• They expect to have interaction, to have

their say• Want to choose a certain activity

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‘No longer the generation “gap” – rather the generation “lap” ’

Implications:• They are ‘digital natives’ we are the

‘digital immigrants’• They are used to IT, computers and ‘hi

tech’ equipment (e.g. flat screens, power points, web design, web cams, i-pods, play stations, mobiles, tablets, blackberries, PDAs, online blogs, U Tube etc)

• Exposed to a huge amount of learning content

• To an extent control their own learning contexts

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Our ‘knowledge of children’s learning needs has changed’

Implications:• Thinking skills ‘are in’ - memorization ‘is

out’

• They learn in small chunks or bites

• Many of them even know about their preferred learning style! (auditory, visual, tactile/kinesthetic etc)

• Have high expectations of what they can and will achieve

• Increasing numbers have short attention spans

EXECUTIVE SKILLS

• High level cognitive function that help us regulate our behavior

• Skills that provide for intentional, goal directed, problem solving action

• Allow us to plan and organize our activities, sustain attention, and persists to complete a task

1. Planning/Priotizing The ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal or to complete a task.

It also involves being able to make decisions about what is important to focus and what is not.

Executive Skills

Executive SkillsPLANNING / PRIORITIZING

Specific Problems Behaviors1. Does not know where to start on

assignment/ project2. Cannot develop a timeline for long term

projects3. Does not think ahead about possible

problems4. Difficulty breaking work into smaller parts5. Inability to prioritize what is important or

urgent 6. Starts assignments/ projects at the last

minute

Tips...

Let the students...a. Reflect (pulling of thoughts)b. Recordingc. Action planningd. Executinge. evaluating

Executive Skills2 .ORGANIZATION

The ability to arrange or place things according to a system

Executive SkillsORGANIZATION

Specific Problem Behaviors1. Loses/ misplaces things2. Unable to keep track of

belongings3. Unable to keep bag clean and

organized4. Unable to keep room neat, desk

tidy5. Unable to keep notebooks,

papers organized 6. Unable to keep belongings neat

and in appropriate location

Tips...

1. Work with parents2. Daily planner3. Notebook organization4. Clean up time5. Clean work area policy

Executive Skills

3. TIME MANAGEMENT

The capacity to estimate how muchtime one has, how to allocate it, andhow to stay within time limits and

deadlines.

It also involves a sense that time is important

Executive Skills

TIME MANAGEMENT

Specific Problems Behaviors1. Unable to finish work on

time2. Unable to follow a timeline3. Difficulty estimating how

long it will take to finish a task

4. Wasting time on irrelevant activities e.g. TV, video

Tips...

• Actively maintaining a homework assignment pad or, preferably, a daily planner.

• Setting aside the same time each day for homework and planning.

• Writing a homework schedule that allows for time segments dedicated to each subject.

• Building in a “catch-up” day for difficult subjects.• Identifying rest periods and earned time for

relaxation.

Executive Skills

4. WORKING MEMORY

The ability to hold information in mind while performing complex tasks.

It incorporates the ability to draw on past learning or experience to apply to the situation at hand or to project problem-solving strategies into the future.

Executive Skills

WORKING MEMORY

Specific Problem Behaviors1. Difficulty memorizing2. Difficulty following multi-step

directions 3. Losing things4. Unable to write down assignments5. Forgetful with directions6. Difficulty remembering

instructional sequences

Tips...

A. Give Directions in Multiple FormatsB. Teach Students to Over-learn MaterialC. Teach Students to Use Visual Images and Other

Memory StrategiesD. Give Teacher-Prepared Handouts Prior to Class

LecturesE. Teach Students to Be Active ReadersF. Write Down Steps in Math ProblemsG. Provide Retrieval Practice for StudentsH. Help Students Develop Cues When Storing Information

Executive Skills

5. METACOGNITION

The ability to stand back and take a bird’s eye view of oneself in a situation.

It is the ability to observe how you problem solve. It also includes self- monitoring and self-evaluating skills e.g. how am I doing? How did I do

Executive Skills METACOGNITIONSpecific Problems Behaviors1. knowing what to study/ how to study2. Failing to check work3. Forgets to catch mistakes4. Unable to solve problem on his own.5. Unable to recognize that he has a problem6. Does not even know what he does not

know

Tips....

• Connecting new information to former knowledge.

• Selecting thinking strategies deliberately.• Planning, monitoring, and evaluating thinking

processes. (Dirkes, 1985)

Executive Skills6. RESPONSE INHIBITION The capacity to think before you

act.

The ability to resist the urge to say so or do something allow us the time to evaluate a situation and how our behavior might impact it.

Executive Skills

RESPONSE INHIBITION

Specific Behavior Problems1. Say things without thinking

(verbal impulsivity)2. Acting impulsively3. Provoking fights4. Interrupts others5. Difficulty waiting turns6. Spending money impulsively7. Hanging out kids who gets into

trouble 8. Accident proneness

Executive Skills

7. SELF- REGULATION OF AFFECT

The ability to manage emotions in order to achieve goals, complete tasks, or control and direct behavior.

Executive Skills

SELF-REGULATION OF AFFECT

Specific Problem Behaviors1. Becomes easily upset2. Throws temper tantrums3. Easily frustrated when mistakes are

made4. Small events trigger big emotional

response 5. Easily overwhelmed by large tasks

Executive Skills 8. TASKS INITIATION

The ability to begin a task without undue procrastination in a timely fashion.

Executive Skills

TASK INITIATIONSpecific Problems Behaviors1. Trouble getting started on his

own2. Needs cues to start work3. Puts off long term projects

Executive Skills

9. FLEXIBILITYThe ability to revise plans

in the face of obstacles, setbacks, new information, or mistakes.

It involves adaptability to changing conditions

Executive Skills

FLEXIBILITY

Specific Behavior Problems1. Gets upset by unexpected changes to schedules

or plans2. Gets stuck on one problem solving strategy3. Unable to access appropriate resources to help

solve the problem

Executive Skills

10. GOAL- DIRECTED PERSISTENCE

The capacity or drive to follow through to the completion of a goal and not be put off by other demands or completing interests.

What the counsellors should do?

• Profile of students How do you gather the profile of students ?• Make a program

Skills Section A Section B Section C AveragePlanning/Prioritizing 2 3 1 2.0Organization 2 3 1 2.0Time Management 2 3 1 2.0Working Memory 4 2 3 3.0Metacognition 4 2 1 2.3Response Inhibition 3 3 3 3.0Self Regulation 2 3 2 2.3Task Initiation 1 3 3 2.3Flexibility 4 4 3 3.7Goal Directed 2 4 2 2.7AVERAGE 2.6 3 2 2.5

Planning/P

rioriti

zing

Organiza

tion

Time M

anag

emen

t

Worki

ng Mem

ory

Metaco

gnition

Response

Inhibition

Self R

egulati

on

Task

Initiation

Flexib

ility

Goal Dire

cted

AVERAGE

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Section ASection BSection CAverage

AREAS Sec. A Sec. B Sec. C Sec. D AVE.

Learning 4.00 2.14 3.68 3.11 3.23

Processing 3.81 2.56 3.55 3.76 3.42

Mental 3.43 2.89 3.14 3.15 3.15

Regulation 3.06 2.93 2.98 2.79 2.94

AVE. 3.58 2.63 3.34 3.20 3.19

STUDY HABITS PROFILE

STUDY HABITS INVENTORYrefers to one’s preferred patterns of studying or learning

using different modes in the following domains:

1. PROCESSING STRATEGIES 2. REGULATION STRATEGIES 3. LEARNING ORIENTATIONS4. MENTAL MODES OF KNOWLEDGE

PROCESSING STRATEGIES

These constitute the ways or methods in which students process information that they are learning (e.g., relating, structuring, memorizing). High scorers on this domain will know what his or her preferred way of learning. The different ways of learning include relating, structuring, analyzing, applying, concretizing, applying, critical processing, memorizing, and selecting.

REGULATION STRATEGIESThese are ways or methods that include the coordination and control over ways in which students learn and process information. It also refers to the way on how you monitor or control your own learning. Regulation strategies include planning, testing, diagnosing, monitoring the process, evaluating, adjusting, and reflecting.

LEARNING ORIENTATIONSThese refer to the students’ motivations concerning their personal goals, attitudes and doubts about their studies.

This is closely linked with one’s purpose in life and whether one has a clear idea about his or her future career. This may include learning for the purpose of getting high grades, learning to pursue a particular profession, or leaning to prove that you are worthy of it.

MENTAL MODES OF KNOWLEDGE These refer to conceptions and misconceptions that students possess about the learning and teaching processes.

These opinions are very important as they help to determine how you study and your opinions about studying determine how you interpret the instructions of the teachers. For example, in studying a Chapter, one may opt to study it by heart as he or she believes that studying this Chapter entails learning facts. Another student may opt to draw a diagram or make a summary as he or she believes that one has to accumulate knowledge or insights to study Chapter .

WORKSHOPSkills

1Planning/Prioritizing2Organization3Time Management4Working Memory5Metacognition6Response Inhibition7Self Regulation8Task Initiation9Flexibility

10Goal Directed