Technology for the Win!

I presented a breakout session earlier this week at the TN School Counselor Leadership Institute called "Technology for the Win!" targeted for elementary school counselors.

This is a copy of the handout that I gave out to a packed room! I also shared that I'd be uploading some lessons in Notebook onto SMART exchange for download. This should be the link to files I've uploaded onto this site. Will continue to add things to exchange so check back!

Technology Guide for Counselors

I hosted a PLC session for elementary counselors in my school district last week. I'm fortunate to have worked in schools that have invested in technology, and I use a Smartboard and computer and iPad daily at school. I know that not all school counselors have equal access to technology tools . But if you do, here are some links that I shared with my colleagues that may be of use to you as well!

Clicking on the picture should take you to a copy of the technology guide.

Listening.

I discuss listening quite frequently in my lessons. Whether I frame it as good listening, respectful listening, or active listening, the basic concepts of listening with our ears, eyes, and heart are covered.

In first grade (earlier this year) we read the book Listen Buddy by Helen Lester. This is one of my all-time favorite stories to read to students each year. After our discussion about what Buddy needed to do to improve his listening skills, I told the students I was going to test them to see how well they could listen. With some silly directions, students had to listen (and not ask questions) to follow my directions for how to color Buddy (I adapted this resource.)

In second grade, I read The Worst Day of My Life Ever! by Julia Cook. We discussed how much listening can affect how we feel and what happens to us. I reinforced the lesson with some of the resources found in the activity guide that accompanies the story. The listening game from this guide is great fun for the students (though still a bit complex for 2nd graders.) We will keep practicing this throughout the year! 

Feelings Centers.

This year our school schedule has a unique Friday rotation to allow for vertical PLCs to meet. Because of this I have 3 55-minute classroom guidance rotations on Fridays outside of my usual every other week schedule, and I see these Friday classes every 6 weeks. I have been using these extra guidance times for "Fun Friday" so that these classes don't move ahead from their peers in my classroom guidance curriculum.

One of the things I've done so far with 3rd - 5th grade classes is centers, and these were a huge success! I loved being able to rotate around the room and observe the students learning and engaged, and the students were excited for a change of pace! This first rotation of centers focused on feelings. They were easy to put together and the students had a blast. Each rotation lasted about 10 minutes which was perfect for what I had planned. Here were the rotations I used:

1. Reading Center: I had a bucket full of books from my shelves about feelings, and students were invited to sit in my chair or lie on the carpet to read for a while.

2. iPad Center (definitely a favorite): I had access to 5 iPads so each child could use their own, and students explored the Feel Electric app. It has various games using feelings vocabulary. (I also researched how to set the iPads in guided access mode so students could not get out of this app.)

3. Poetry Center: I had students choose a feeling word to focus on and write a poem using a template I provided. They could then illustrate their poem and share it with others at their table.

4. Game Center: Students played Feelings Bingo and took turns being the caller of the feeling words for their group.

5. Art Center: I had this template of blank feeling faces for students to use to illustrate and label 12 different feelings.

I'm excited to try centers focused on other topics. I'm thinking bullying will be my next rotation to put together. Have you ever tried center rotations in your school counseling program?