School counselors’ experiences strengthening classroom instruction through professional development

Abstract

The field of school counseling has evolved to feature varied means of supporting students, including individual counseling, group counseling, and classroom instruction. However, classroom instruction is typically overlooked in school counselor training programs, and school counselors often lack the skills needed to design effective lessons. This longitudinal study explored the experiences of 21 school counselors in a year-long, post-master's professional development program focused on improving classroom instruction. Data were drawn from interviews, curricular artifacts, and reflective journals and analyzed using interpretive qualitative methodology. This study's contributions lie in findings that illustrate school counselors’ nuanced perceptions of the utility of the Understanding by Design instructional approach as a framework for implementing ASCA Student Standards; the utility of learning science as a framework for designing classroom instruction that leads to long-term learning; and supports or challenges to implementing classroom instruction in individual contexts.