My Collaboration With a Group of Students

Categories: Students And Social Service Students Life Teamwork For Students

Essay, Pages 5 (1240 words)

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My support group will consist of students who are at risk of graduating high school. Many at risk students drop out because no one tried to stop them. They lacked the extra push/support needed. Some students have learning difficulties or required special needs, some students just were not acknowledged, and some just have a more unique way of learning or simply had other things going on at home. These are the students who will be the focus. During the initial stage of the group we will have an orientation and exploration where we will:” determine the structure of the group, getting acquainted, and exploring the members ‘expectations.

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During this phase, members learn how the group functions, define their own goals, clarify their expectations, and look for their place in the group” (Shulman, 2015).

“The national high school dropout rate has received significant attention during the past few years. A report from the Alliance for Excellent Education reports that over a million students who enter ninth grade each fall fail to graduate with their peers four years later, and that approximately seven thousand students drop out every school day.

The EPE Research Center reports that, nationally, approximately seventy percent of students graduate from high school on time, with a regular diploma, but that little more than half of African-American and Hispanic students earn diplomas with their peers”(ncsl, 2018 ). http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/at-risk-students-dropout-prevention-and-recovery.aspx

To form group I would work with the guidance counselors in school to identify the students at risk.

Collaborate with the school to make it a credit giving course. So that would be the main incentive for attending. Provide information for next meeting, mentioning specifics and enticements for attendance (highlight exciting plans or incentives). Also assign “roles” for next time if appropriate. I would also consider some type of handout for the parents that will give them ideas on some of your focused activities and suggestions of how to create an environment for open dialogue and ways they can be supportive.

We can address the issues of group treatment by discussing the problems and creating solutions as a group. According to Schulman we can:

Introduce group members to each other.
Dual credit courses, GED, Buddy studies, Guest tutors, Self-evaluations, Web planning Apps.
Discuss Will the group run for a certain number of weeks or be ongoing/closing dates?
Discuss where will the group meet? Will we always meet in person, or use the Internet to connect via online chatrooms.
To obtain feedback from the group members on their sense of the fit between their ideas
To clarify the group leader’s role and method of attempting to help the group do its work.
To deal directly with any specific obstacles that may obstruct this particular group’s efforts to function effectively: stereotypes group members may hold concerning groups or people in authority.
To begin to encourage inter-member interaction rather than discussion only between the group leader and the group members.
To begin to develop a supportive group culture in which members can feel safe.
To help group members develop a tentative agenda for future work.
To clarify the mutual expectations of the group members. For example, what can group members expect from the leader? In addition, what expectations does the leader have for the members (e.g., regular attendance, meetings starting on time)? Such rules and regulations concerning structure are part of the group contract.
To gain some consensus on the part of group members as to the specific next steps; for example, are there central themes or issues with which they wish to begin the following week’s or future week’s discussions? How do the interests of the members fit with the content outline if the group content is already structured?
To encourage honest feedback and evaluation of the effectiveness of the group (Shulman, 2015).

Once I access the group’s interest, I would establish goals such as offering incentives, snacks, make the environment as fun as possible include: 1 Icebreaker or collaborative group task. Basic icebreakers can start a group off on general participation. (Examples: Name games, Human Bingo, etc. Consider using an activity or task that requires teamwork and participation of all members.

While icebreakers are helpful in getting the group to be more generally comfortable, actually working together at a collaborative task will further gel the participants’ relationships. Relationships and teamwork help make those bonds that cause children to truly feel more comfortable and safe for sharing and discussion, and for repeated group attendance. For additional ideas, please refer to the reference list at the end of this handout. note: Be ready with several icebreakers/ collaborative tasks in case your group appears to need multiple introductory activities(Phoenix society, 2015).

My plan of action would consist of providing a group syllabus and discuss the count down until the end of sessions. To keep the group motivated, each meeting should begin with progress reports, where we would discuss exams, how things are working out with buddy study, upcoming special guests and major events. We will discuss other options such as Tutoring, night school, weekend school, and summer school.

Discuss the learning styles so that the school understands how to deal with and vary instruction to increase student engagement. Discuss what the issues are, ask questions. When discussing possible solutions with the group about the problems they are facing, I would not tell them what to do but brainstorm solutions. Have the group come up with their own answers. I would know according to the weekly updates and test scores how effective the group is. I would evaluate if we are making progress by measuring where they started and where they currently are.

I would keep in mind that terminations can be hard, however, the purpose and the end of the group signifies an important conclusion. The students will be graduating and preparing for college. They will be looking forward to prom and all the good benefits of being a senior. On the syllabus, I would label the last day as reflection day and make it a day of celebration. “The group leader may ask for feedback on how the group has functioned: What were the positives, and what were the negatives? How had the group leader done, and how well had the members accomplished their goals? When the feedback is almost all positive, this is a sign of the farewell party—no group is always great. The group leader needs to reach for the negatives so that the group members do not “pad” the experience by only reflecting on the positives. It is also not unusual for group members to suggest throwing an actual farewell party in an attempt to avoid the pain of the ending. What is often left out is a discussion of the loss that accompanies the ending of the group. I am not arguing against a good, old-fashioned farewell party; however, it should not be a substitute for saying good-bye” (Shulman, 2015).

References

http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/at-risk-students-dropout-prevention-and-recovery.aspx
https://www.phoenix-society.org/resources/entry/start-your-support-group
Shulman, Lawrence. Empowerment Series: The Skills of Helping Individuals, Families, Groups, and Communities (MindTap Course List) (Page 421). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.
Shulman, Lawrence. Empowerment Series: The Skills of Helping Individuals, Families, Groups, and Communities (MindTap Course List) (Page 423). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.
Shulman, Lawrence. Empowerment Series: The Skills of Helping Individuals, Families, Groups, and Communities (MindTap Course List) (Page 629). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.