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Unit 19: Organizing Counseling Services at School Level

Observations of behaviour systematized through the use of the anecdotal record provide a rich Notes
source of data for child study. The teacher in an elementary school is in a strategic position to
conduct child study, for he sees the child in many differing situations and has frequent opportunity
for contacts with parents.
The first-grade teacher who must provide more formal learning experiences for children entering
school for the first time faces a big task in studying the individual pupils in his class. Too frequently
a reading-readiness score is the only objective evidence of individual differences.
This score is too often interpreted as a measure of general mental maturity. The need to establish
other levels of readiness and maturity must be met in order to provide a learning situation in which
the child can find the satisfaction which will lead to more learning.
Readiness for learning depends upon physical and mental factors, situational factors, and the self-
system of the child. The child must see what is to be learned as meaningful and useful as it relates
to his needs, goals, and self-concept. The teacher must first look at the individuals in his class in
order to determine each child’s readiness for learning, the degree to which individual needs are
being met, and how each child sees himself.
The teacher also looks at himself and raises the question, “How do I feel about each of these pupils?
What are my personal needs which may influence my relationship with the group or with individuals
within the class ?

The mental development in middle childhood is characterized by learning to read
and by the acquisition of many other knowledges and skills. Olson says there is
evidence that these children learn best when they can be active while learning.

19.3.2 The Teacher Collects Data About Children
Early identification of individual needs makes educational planning more valid. Identification and
planning, however, must be continuous and not a one-time experience.

Identification involves observation in many areas of behaviour, a study of developmental records,
and interviews with parents and children. Kough and DeHaan provide teachers with techniques
and procedures for observing behaviour. Their handbook provides descriptions of behaviours which
can be observed as a basis for recognising children with special interests, abilities, or problems.
One of the most useful techniques for informal study is the anecdotal record together with the roster
of observations kept by the teacher.
Such records, if they represent accurate and objective reporting of incidents, can help the teacher
better to understand individual pupils and to recognize more clearly the relationships within the
class group.
Teachers need help in developing skill in this type of reporting. An excellent discussion of this and
other informal methods of collecting data is found in The Role of the Tenche, in Guidance.
The teacher will also participate in the collection of data by more formal methods and will utilize all
the data in the cumulative record of the child. Such data usually cover personal and family
background, health, attendance, scholarship, and activities both in and out of school. The standardized
test, inventories, and rating scales may all be used in the elementary school to provide essential
information for understanding children.

The cumulative record which the school develops is designed to help teachers function more
effectively by grouping the data collected so that conclusions are more easily drawn. Effective use
of pupil records is possible only when the information covers all the fundamental areas of human
development and when it is so organised that developmental patterns are evident.

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