Reflections on Teaching Essential Skills for the International School Counselor

When I was invited to facilitate the "Essential Skills for the International School Counselor" course for the Counselor Training Center, I found myself reflecting on my readiness to teach this material. With many years of experience as a school psychologist and as a Director of Student Support Services, I felt confident in my knowledge base. However, the prospect of teaching an online course was uncharted territory. Partnering with Sue Easton, the Director of the Principals Training Center (PTC), proved to be both enlightening and humbling. Together, we developed a curriculum designed to “teach for impact,” drawing on the latest research, best practices, and professional standards. Utilizing the PTC's well-structured scope and sequence provided a solid framework that guided my teaching. The professional learning I experienced was immense; I gained insights into effective teaching strategies and learned how to facilitate discussions that bridged theory and practice in ways that were new to me. An additional learning for me was the vast differences I noted between international school counselors, school environments, and professional practices.  The varied experiences international school counselors have around the globe are significant. An additional takeaway for me is that collaboration and professional training, licensing, and credentials are imperative to meet the current needs of students in international schools. This collaboration not only enhanced my teaching methods but also enriched the learning experience for our participants in ways I had not predicted.

I utilized multiple strategies to make the synchronous classes personalized and engaging. Participants used their first names, rather than an alias, to help create a sense of familiarity along with an active chat feature and a virtual hand-raising feature used to encourage participation without creating interruption. During classes, I would ask everyone to turn off their screen and answer questions by turning on their screen if, for example, “You work in the elementary setting." Small break-out rooms were often utilized, sometimes organized by job description or the grade level in which participants worked, to allow for personalized discussion, always with the inclusion of an active counselor. Using case studies and role plays in these break-outs helped make virtual teaching more engaging and relevant. 

As we took a “fresh look” at the essential role of the international school counselor, my understanding of how to support future and current counselors deepened. Considering the changes in international schools post-COVID-19 and the increase in social-emotional needs of students, families, and faculty, it is apparent that the skill set of the international school counselor must also adapt to the needs. Considering the identified needs of international school communities became the overarching guide for developing the curriculum and the “tool kit” we shared with the class. Breaking down the nuances of the role within the structured scope and sequence allowed us to design synchronous activities that were both comprehensive and relevant. Both synchronous and asynchronous aspects were employed to further a space of learning. Participants were often asked to create video or voice messages in the asynchronous learning to have a virtual discussion on the learning platform. I would then respond to every answer with a voice or video message of my own, personalized to each participant, in addition to the feedback they got from their course colleagues. This helped me feel connected to the participants, and hopefully, helped them connect more with me. The videos were especially conducive to creating a sense of community, and as a whole, were more engaging than written media. Despite the inherent challenges of virtual instruction and my initial anxiety, I was able to forge meaningful connections with the course participants.

During both synchronous and asynchronous learning, participants were encouraged to learn from each other, rather than looking to me as the sole source of information. Participants were asked what tools they utilized in their current jobs that fit the specific counselor responsibility we were learning. All participant responses, links, and resources were compiled into working documents that were shared with the entire group to create a dynamic resource bank. Teaching a virtual class can put a barrier between the facilitator and participants, which was initially a struggle. After the first synchronous class, I received feedback that guided my response and improved my teaching strategies.  For example, I committed to only reviewing three to four slides worth of information before I would have a student participation activity. I would pose questions related to the topic being discussed, and participants would answer verbally, or answers would be written in chat. These formative assessments of  student understanding during the synchronous class guided each section of the course. For example, in a discussion about child protection I asked participants if their current school had a safeguarding policy. The answers provided helped us understand the various environments the students were working in and informed our need to highlight best practices, blending this focus into both synchronous and asynchronous work.

By incorporating both synchronous and asynchronous elements, we created a learning environment that supported independent exploration while still fostering community engagement. I discovered that even in an online format, it was possible to cultivate a sense of community and engagement. This realization was both surprising and gratifying, as I had initially feared that the virtual setting would hinder relationship-building.

Navigating the complexities of facilitating an online course presented a steep learning curve, yet the personal and professional rewards were significant. Once each synchronous class had ended, all participants were asked to fill out a feedback survey regarding the session. These surveys covered the effectiveness of virtual activities, lessons learned, and transferability to their school context. I quickly learned to modify the synchronous sessions based on the given feedback. A few examples were breakout room time was shortened based on participant requests, and I learned to give clearer detailed directions for the small group discussions and activities. Participants mentioned on the surveys that they were being given too much information at once, so I shifted my delivery and pared down to core introductory topics during synchronous time, knowing that participants would be able to get a deeper understanding during the  asynchronous learning. The consistent feedback from participants served as a reaffirmation of our teaching approach, and I learned to embrace constructive criticism as a tool for growth. Adapting the coursework based on this feedback was both exciting and humbling, reinforcing my need for flexibility in teaching and my responsibility to respond to the evolving needs of participants.

Overall, facilitating the "Essential Skills for the International School Counselor" course has been a journey of profound growth for me. The opportunity to engage with such motivated individuals has enriched my professional life and reminded me of the vital role we play in supporting all students in their academic and personal development. As I stated in every synchronous class, “we” is an important part of the work. As international school counselors, we never stand alone, we work within a team and support our students, parents, and community as a coordinated team effort partnering with all stakeholders. As I move forward, I carry with me the lessons learned from this experience, eager to apply them in future endeavors and continue fostering meaningful connections and impactful learning experiences for future school counselors.