Designing for Change: How a School Counselor Formed and Facilitated a Teacher Work Group Focused on Promoting Desirable Teacher-Student Relationships

Educational leaders play a critical role in creating change in schools (Fullan, 2001; Reeves, 2009; Sheninger & Murray, 2017; Ziegler & Ramage, 2017). Increasingly, school counselors are being asked to take on leadership roles during a time of educational reform (Amatea & Clark, 2005; Baker, Robichaud, Westforth Dietrich, Wells, & Schreck, 2009; House & Hayes, 2002; Lewis & Borunda, 2006; McMahon, Mason, & Paisley, 2009; Shields, Dollarhide, & Young, 2018; Young, Dollarhide, & Baughman, 2015). The research on school counselors leading collaborative change efforts is very limited, and the behaviors and characteristics of counselors that influence the formation and facilitation of teacher teams have not been studied. Using a design-based methodology, this study examined how a school counselor organized and implemented an effective work group that aimed to support the formation of desirable teacher-student relationships. The focus of the study was on the planning process that was implemented by myself, the school counselor, not the outcome of the process. The qualitative data that was collected during the process describes the structures and processes involved with the initial planning stages, formation, and functioning of the work group. The data captured the importance that relationships, empathy, planning, and reflection all had on the formation, facilitation, and group processes. Lastly, six design principles were developed for school counselors to use as practitioners when forming and facilitating teacher work groups.

Grantor dc:publisher

Temple University. Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Wabnik, Alison Young

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Hall, John

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Gross, Steven Jay
• Sandilos, Lia E.
• Kaplan, Avi

• Education
• Educational leadership
• School counseling
• Group facilitation
• Teacher work group
• Teacher-student relationships

Statement dc:rights

• IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12613/4002

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/4002