Role of Counselors in Developing Students Executive and Study Skills By: 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

4 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

24 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

25 Todays children are exposed from varying backgrounds Implications: Boundaries set may vary greatly Parents often spend less time with their children Varying family care circumstances

26 The children of today have a lot choices Implications: 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

27 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

28 Our knowledge of childrens 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

PLANNING / PRIORITIZING Specific Problems Behaviors 1.Does not know where to start on assignment/ project 2.Cannot develop a timeline for long term projects 3.Does not think ahead about possible problems 4.Difficulty breaking work into smaller parts 5.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.Recording c.Action planning d.Executing e.evaluating

Executive Skills 2.ORGANIZATION The ability to arrange or place things according to a system

Executive Skills ORGANIZATION Specific Problem Behaviors 1.Loses/ misplaces things 2.Unable to keep track of belongings 3.Unable to keep bag clean and organized 4.Unable to keep room neat, desk tidy 5.Unable to keep notebooks, papers organized 6.Unable to keep belongings neat and in appropriate location

Tips... 1.Work with parents 2.Daily planner 3.Notebook organization 4.Clean up time 5.Clean work area policy

Executive Skills 3. TIME MANAGEMENT The capacity to estimate how much time one has, how to allocate it, and how to stay within time limits and deadlines. It also involves a sense that time is important

Executive Skills TIME MANAGEMENT Specific Problems Behaviors 1.Unable to finish work on time 2.Unable to follow a timeline 3.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 Behaviors 1.Difficulty memorizing 2.Difficulty following multi-step directions 3.Losing things 4.Unable to write down assignments 5.Forgetful with directions 6.Difficulty remembering instructional sequences

Tips... A. Give Directions in Multiple Formats B. Teach Students to Over-learn Material C. Teach Students to Use Visual Images and Other Memory Strategies D. Give Teacher-Prepared Handouts Prior to Class Lectures E. Teach Students to Be Active Readers F. Write Down Steps in Math Problems G. Provide Retrieval Practice for Students H. Help Students Develop Cues When Storing Information

Executive Skills 5. METACOGNITION The ability to stand back and take a birds 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 METACOGNITION Specific Problems Behaviors 1.knowing what to study/ how to study 2.Failing to check work 3.Forgets to catch mistakes 4.Unable to solve problem on his own. 5.Unable to recognize that he has a problem 6.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 Skills 6. 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 Problems 1.Say things without thinking (verbal impulsivity) 2.Acting impulsively 3.Provoking fights 4.Interrupts others 5.Difficulty waiting turns 6.Spending money impulsively 7.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 Behaviors 1.Becomes easily upset 2.Throws temper tantrums 3.Easily frustrated when mistakes are made 4.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 INITIATION Specific Problems Behaviors 1.Trouble getting started on his own 2.Needs cues to start work 3.Puts off long term projects

Executive Skills 9. FLEXIBILITY The 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 Problems 1.Gets upset by unexpected changes to schedules or plans 2.Gets stuck on one problem solving strategy 3.Unable to access appropriate resources to help solve the problem

Executive Skills 10. GO AL- 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

AREASSec. ASec. BSec. CSec. DAVE. Learning Processing Mental Regulation AVE STUDY HABITS PROFILE

STUDY HABITS INVENTORY refers to ones preferred patterns of studying or learning using different modes in the following domains: 1.PROCESSING STRATEGIES 2.REGULATION STRATEGIES 3.LEARNING ORIENTATIONS 4.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 STRATEGIES These 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 ORIENTATIONS These refer to the students motivations concerning their personal goals, attitudes and doubts about their studies. This is closely linked with ones 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.

WORKSHOP Skills 1Planning/Prioritizing 2Organization 3Time Management 4Working Memory 5Metacognition 6Response Inhibition 7Self Regulation 8Task Initiation 9Flexibility 10Goal Directed