Developing Teachers as Counselors – The Empowerment Model

Authors: [1] Dr. Nimrat Singh [2] Ms. Pramila Shashank Silakari

Pages: 36-40

Abstract:

Although India’s Education scenario has radically improved over the period of last decade, the learning outcomes of India’s children show little progress. One of the important lessons from two decades of research has repeatedly highlighted that teachers are the fulcrum that determines whether any school initiative tips towards success or failure. This paper explores the impact of training to create a pool of Teacher-Counselors who would facilitate and manage the various transitions and phases in students’ lives. 16 out of 44 teachers in one of the Rural Grant in Aid High Schools of Banaskantha District were selected for the process. Pre and post assessment was carried out using 16PF and Draw-A-Man Test. Teachers found to be low on self-level attributes namely – emotional wellbeing, self-esteem, social skills and stress tolerance were selected for the first module – ‘Self-Management and Personal Empowerment’. Designed to bring them on par with the other teachers and hence empower and sharpen their skills in reaching out to students via self -learning. The findings during the sessions, after the training and as described by the students was encouraging and reflected a paradigm shift in the Teachers’own social skills and emotional maturity. The outcome was an enabling class environment with focus on learning and teaching effectiveness. The post training assessment on the 16PF suggested, positive changes on Factors H (social boldness) & Q3 (perfectionism). The above study signifies the emergence of a new model in education enlarging the role of a teacher to build the students holistically through personal empowerment and improved teaching techniques.