the adventurous school counselor
  • under construction
  • About Me
  • Adventurous Stephanie

Welcome!

I'm Stephanie, an international school counselor and traveler.

As a school counselor at international schools,
 I get to do the best job in the world
with students from all around the world!

​I also have the opportunity to travel to places that I once only dreamed of visiting.

I'd like to share my adventures, both professional and personal, with you!
​
FACEBOOK
PORTFOLIO
instagram

Adding Tools to Your Toolbox: a Parent Workshop Series

3/22/2016

8 Comments

 
My fabulous co-counselor, Karen, loves to try new things. We sit around and come up with crazy ideas in the hopes of meeting the needs that we see around our neck of the woods (not there are any woods in this desert...)! At the start of the year, we thought it would be a great idea to have a 4 week series for parents. So we put it in the master calendar... and promptly forgot about it! When January rolled around, we suddenly realized we were actually going to have to plan and present on four separate topics, each one being 1.5 hours long. Whoops!
Picture
And, all joking aside, it turned out to be a fantastic experience. ​Karen and I had the chance to dig into materials that we'd studied years before. We brainstormed interactive discussion topics and activities, and found fun or inspiring video clips. We made pretty slide shows and handouts. We worked out details like flyers, newsletter blurbs, emails, room reservations, IT difficulties... so many little things!

And the best part? That would be when the parents came, and actively participated, and asked insightful questions, and engaged in meaningful conversations with other parents.... It's what school counselors only dream about! And I couldn't have done it on my own... I'm so thankful to have such an enthusiastic and experienced partner in this.

Scroll down for the four topics we covered, along with just a few of the activities & resources we shared:
1. Parenting Styles & Skills
2. Fostering Skills in Executive Functions
3. Growth Mindset & Resiliency
4. Dynamic, Changing Families
(scroll down to read more!)


1. Parenting Styles & Skills

This session focused on parenting and attachment styles. Parents identified their style(s), and learned about the impact of each style. We also shared techniques that foster authentic relationships between parents and their children.
RESOURCE: Dr. Daniel J. Siegel
I am a huge fan of Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, whom I have mentioned on this blog before. We based much of this session on a book he co-wrote with Mary Hartzell, Parenting From the Inside Out: How Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive. The premise of the book is parents' attachment style influences how they parent their child(ren). The book begins by helping readers to identify their own style, then gives practical parenting strategies based on each style. 
Picture
Picture
ACTIVITY: Family Tree
After sharing about her own history and family tree, Karen discussed how we are all shaped by a unique combination of:
  • Parental background and experience
  • Culture(s) and religion(s)
  • Family Size
  • Birth order
  • Socioeconomic status
  • Educational background
  • Our own temperament/ personality
Then, each person was given a family tree  and asked to write down their family members' names and a few details related to the list above. They were asked to share about the patterns they found in their family trees with their table groups.

2. Fostering Skills in Executive Functions

This session focused on first defining 9 executive skills, then discussed how parents can develop and improve those skills in their children. As executive skills improve, it enables them to work more efficiently and effectively at home and at school. These skills include: planning & prioritizing, organizing, time management, flexibility, emotional control, impulse control, task initiation, sustained attention, and working memory.  (This was the #1 topic requested through a parent survey we'd sent out earlier this year.)
RESOURCES: Peg Dawson
​Another favorite author, Peg Dawson, co-wrote a book with Richard Guare, Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention. It's geared primarily to educators, but the executive skills screener is excellent and can be used by parents to identify skill gaps. We also recommend Dawson's book, Smart but Scattered, which is written specifically for parents.
Picture
Picture
ACTIVITY: How long is a minute?
​As a part of the discussion about one executive function, time management, we asked, "How long is a minute?" We explained that children must learn, often through experience and practice, to become aware of two aspects of time: accurately predicting the experience of units of time and how long individual tasks will take.

Parents were given the following instructions:
1. Put their heads down or close their eyes.
2. Start their minute when we say "go."
3. Raise their hand when they felt a minute had passed.
4. Look up or open eyes when we say "stop."

As the minute passed, we tally-marked each hand raised in 15-second intervals for two minutes on a white board. Then we asked parents to look at their estimations and discuss how they did as adults (they are generally fairly accurate). We ask them to predict how children in upper elementary do at the same task (generally about the same because they often know strategies such as counting to 60 or listening to the tick of a clock). We discuss the difficulty of adding other tasks and distractions... can we accurately predict a minute if we can no longer count or listen to the ticking clock? We learn to notice a minute based on previous tasks or with the use of tools like timers and alarms, so we, as parents and educators, must build in opportunities for students to practice tasks estimating and confirming timed tasks.


3. Growth Mindset & Resiliency 

A growth mindset thrives on challenge and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligience, but as a springboard for growth. This perspective, along with building a capacity for being able to ‘bounce back’ from hardships and/or disappointments, are vital for experiencing success and ultimately happiness. This session focused on developing these important skill sets.
RESOURCES: Carol S. Dweck
The founder of the growth mindset movement is Carol S. Dweck, who wrote Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. She is an active researcher, professor, and public speaker. Check out her video to the right which better explains the philosophy behind growth mindset. 
The YouTube video below comes from  the Vook "Mind in the Making: The Essential Life Skills Every Child" (find the link on YouTube). The clip gives a great overview of fixed versus growth mindset, as well as the basics of Carol Dweck's research findings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXrV0_3UjY&feature=youtu.be
Picture
BONUS VIDEO!
ACTIVITY: Learning Swahili
​To examine our thinking in the midst of a challenging new activity, we asked parents to learn a few words in Swahili! Ten Swahili words and their meaning in English were shown to participants for three minutes. Afterward, they tried to write down the words and meanings they could remember. Then we asked about their strategies, mistakes, and self talk as an introduction to the topic.
"Thank You Mom" is a Proctor & Gamble Commercial from the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, created by the ad agency Wieden + Kennedy (http://www.wk.com/) in 2014. It clearly shows how children must fall, again and again and again, before they can be successful... and parents have to be willing to let them take those risks!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SwFso7NeuA

4. Our Dynamic, Changing Families

This session focused on the ways in which families adjust to various challenges and transitions. We touched upon how family roles and dynamics affect the family system. We covered the wonderful joys of siblings: both fostering relationships and dealing with rivalries. Finally, we discuss the importance of open communication, including "I" messages and family meetings, when dealing with conflict and changes as a family.
Picture
ACTIVITY: Create a genogram
As an introduction to family roles and dynamics, we watched a clip from Season 3, episode 12 of American comedy, The Middle. The scene at the start of the episode gives us a glimpse into the conflicts and bonds the family members have with one another. Karen and I then used this television family as our example in creating a genogram, which we continued to refer to throughout the session. Parents were invited to build a genogram of their own family.
RESOURCE: The Positive Discipline website
​One of the websites to check out when discussing any and all family concerns is the Parenting and Parent Q & A sections of Positive Discipline. They have many great tools, including the "I feel _____when________  and I wish___________" formula, how to run successful family meetings, and many other topics on the blog. We touched on some of these topics within our presentation, but parents can search on their own as needed.

After our sessions were over, Karen and I sent out a survey to request feedback. Parents were kind, and gave helpful responses. I am grateful to have had a partner in creating and presenting, as I've learned a great deal from this experience. I also feel more confident and comfortable talking with parents in general! I hope that this post gives you a taste for what we presented, and perhaps inspires you to try your own. And I truly value collaboration with other counselors, so if you already run workshops, please share in the comments below! 
8 Comments
Christina S
3/23/2016 05:29:35 pm

Thank you so much for sharing this! I'm a new follower, so this was an exciting post! I have been wanting to have parent meetings this coming school year. What time of the day did you have these meetings? I was thinking about starting them on Fridays afternoons, some parents are off on Fridays.

Reply
Coralina link
6/30/2016 11:09:48 am

Thanks for sharing! Parents can learn so much from education counseling, I'm definitely going to be reading this blog in the future!

Reply
Michelle link
8/13/2016 10:30:14 am

how did you get parents to attend?

Reply
Muhammad Saad link
10/17/2016 11:43:07 pm

Thanks for sharing! Parents can learn so much from education counseling, I'm definitely going to be reading this blog in the future!

Reply
House painting  link
9/19/2017 02:59:27 am

Parenting is not an easy task, such activities let parents know how can they groom their kids. Good post, I would love to read more about such activities. Thanks

Reply
CLIL fun link
9/11/2019 04:39:38 am

Thanks for sharing. Great job.

Reply
Technicolor painting link
10/5/2020 05:56:12 am

Basically i loved this portion "Fostering Skills in Executive Functions" Wow relay i loved it, Thanks for the help it was great content.

Reply
Deerfield Beach Locksmith link
7/20/2022 06:46:51 am

Nice post thanks foor sharing

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Adventurous
    ​Stephanie


    International
    ​School Counselor
    ​&  World Traveler
     




    Categories

    All
    504 Coordinator
    Advocacy
    Art Therapy
    Beginning Of Year
    Behavioral Systems
    Blogging
    Book Recommendation
    Boundaries
    Brain
    Brain Hand Model
    Brochure
    Bulletin Board
    Calming Down
    Cause
    Child Protection
    Child Safety
    Classroom Lesson
    Closure
    Collaboration
    Communication
    Community Building
    Conversation Skills
    Coping Skills
    Counseling Office
    Counseling Systems
    Counseling Techniques
    Curriculum
    Educators
    Effect
    Elementary
    Emotional Regulation
    Emotions
    Encouraging Participation
    End Of Year
    #escchat
    #escchat
    Fairness
    Family Dynamics
    Family Support
    Farewell
    First Grade
    Friendship
    Games
    Giving Tree
    Global Citizenship
    Goals
    Goodbye
    Growth Mindset
    Hero
    Holidays
    Individual Counseling
    International School Counseling
    Interpersonal
    Interpersonal Skills
    #intlSC
    Job Fair
    Job Search
    Journals
    Kindergarten
    Kindness
    Leadership
    Lesson Planning
    Listening Skills
    Maximize Space
    Memory Book
    Mentoring
    Metacognition
    Mindfulness
    Neurobiology
    Office
    Organization
    Parenting
    Parenting Styles
    Parent Workshop
    Pbis
    Planning
    Plc
    Problem Solving
    Professional Development
    Random Acts Of Kindness
    Red Ribbon Week
    Referral Form
    Referral Process
    Reluctant Students
    Resiliency
    Response Skills
    Role Of School Counselor
    #scchat
    #scchat
    Schedule
    Second Grade
    Self Care
    Self Control
    Small Group
    Social Media
    Sportsmanship
    Student Engagement
    Subscribe
    Superflex
    Third Grade
    Transition Cycle
    Transition Lessons
    Transitions
    Travel
    Twitter
    Welcome


    Teach.com

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • under construction
  • About Me
  • Adventurous Stephanie