Educational Guidance: Role of Teacher, Preparation and Training, School Curriculum and Guidance

 Educational Guidance

     Educational guidance is assistance provided to students to adjust to schools, curricula and school life. It is concerned with assistance given to pupils in their choices and adjustments concerning schools, curriculum, courses and school life.

     It is related to every aspect of the school: the curriculum, the methods of instruction, disciplinary procedures, attendance, scheduling problems, extracurricular, the health and physical fitness program and home and community relations.

Role of a Teacher

      In an educational institution, the teacher is closest to the students. The teachers have to play multiple roles, one of them being a guide. He interacts with students daily and is well-versed in the behaviour of students. The teacher’s role in the guidance program can be outlined as follows.

1. Establishing Personal Contact with Students - By remaining in constant touch with the students, the teacher can gather adequate knowledge about a student’s environment, activities and friend circle.
2. Understanding Students - Students differ at individual levels; hence, a teacher should be conversant with psychological theories and principles to understand these differences and unique characteristics.
3. Making Available Vocational Information – Teachers should also inform students about essential educational qualifications and skills for taking up a particular occupation.
4. Identifying Maladjusted Youngsters - A teacher, by identifying maladjusted youngsters, can help them make adjustments. A teacher can progress by personally guiding them.
5. Serving as a Link - Teacher can also act as a link between guidance experts, guardians and youngsters.
6. Promoting a Healthy Environment - Teachers must create a healthy classroom environment so students feel free to express themselves.

Preparation and Training

काक चेष्टा, बको ध्यानं,

स्वान निद्रा तथैव च ।

अल्पहारी, गृहत्यागी,

विद्यार्थी पंच लक्षणं ॥

     The students must be prepared and trained to deal with fast-paced technological growth. The demands of industry need to be central in the curriculum design. Preparation and training are essential avenues for development. The students must be prepared and trained to handle different life situations. The training enhances job-related performance, helps engender behavioural changes, and develops life skills that lead to personal growth. Training equips students with the competencies that help them to cope with the day-to-day problems of living, and to manage and improve interpersonal relations and effectiveness. Training focuses on developing knowledge and competencies appropriate to work and life situations.

Following are a few points for preparation and training: -

1. Soft and hard skills,
2. Preparing technological base,
3. Evaluative and analytical skills,
4. Developing creative skills,
5. Learning through self-exploration and strength,
6. Application of class room learning outside the class,
7. Tech resilience and academic patience,
8. Importance of knowledge economy,
9. Health and mental health,
10. Social and personal values,
11. Nationalism and the importance of Indigenousness, and
12. Cultural and traditional practices.

School Curriculum and Guidance: -

     The NEP 2020 (3.7) recommends that efforts be made to involve community and alumni in volunteer efforts for enhancing learning by providing at schools:

1.   one-on-one tutoring;

2.   the teaching of literacy and holding of extra help sessions;

3.   teaching support and guidance for educators;

4.   career guidance and mentoring to students, etc.

     In this regard, the support of active and healthy senior citizens, school alumni and local community members will be suitably garnered. Databases of literate volunteers, retired scientists/government/semi-government employees, alumni, and educators will be created.

School Curriculum and Guidance: -

     The school curriculum should be designed based on the principle of NEP-2020, “The purpose of the education system is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution”.

The curriculum must include the contents that help in (NEP-2020): -

1. Recognizing, identifying, and fostering the unique capabilities of each student,
2. Flexibility, so that learners have the ability to choose their learning trajectories and programmes,
3. Multidisciplinarity and a holistic education across the sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, and sports,
4. Creativity and critical thinking,
5. Promoting multilingualism and the power of language

6. Promoting multilingualism and the power of language,

7. Learning life skills such as communication, cooperation, teamwork, and resilience,
8. Synergy in curriculum across all levels of education
9. Developing a rootedness and pride in India,
10. Extensive use of technology,
11. Developing respect for diversity & respect for the local context, and
12. Understanding total equity and inclusion.

Guidance is not an isolated phenomenon. It has its base grounded in the school curriculum. The curriculum designs and shapes the ambitions and aspirations of students. The curriculum and guidance are the building blocks of the school program. Curriculum is concerned with all the learning experiences at school, while guidance is a specific planned effort of the school to meet individual needs and provide for individual differences. The primary focus of guidance is development.

When guidance and curriculum collaborate, we observe some of the following results.

1. Provision is made for maximum flexibility in the curriculum.
2. Emphasis is placed upon understanding the individual and permitting each pupil to progress at his own rate.
3. Teaching procedures are individualised.
4. Emphasis is placed upon assets and successes.
5. An enriched curriculum is provided, which permits each child to proceed with the most significant self-discipline acceleration possible for him.
6. The child is helped to realise his most significant potential and develop more realistic self-concepts.
7. In mostself-discipline instances, independent study is provided in areas where the child has a genuine interest.
8. The emphasis is on the ultimate goals of education and hence on self discipline.
9. There is a genuine concern about enhancing the individual's worth.

 

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