Running head: CLASSROOM GUIDANCE LESSON 1

School Counseling Practicum

Ashley D Johnson
CNDV 5390 CA1 AP4
Lamar University
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Classroom Guidance Lesson

In today’s society, students are more technologically savvy than ever before. With social

media sites such as Facebook, Instragram, SnapChat, and Twitter, students are being exposed to

a wide array of online personalities. Counselors should be equipped with the necessary tools to

help students interact safely in online forums.

Introduction of Topic

Social media is more prevalent than ever before. Students often turn to social media

seeking acceptance from online peers when they are deprived from face to face interaction with

their school peers and family. Even if they do receive attention from those in their immediate

surroundings, students are more likely to expose themselves emotionally, physically, and

mentally on online forums. Predators and bullies are in abundance in online arenas. Students

should be aware of the necessary precautions they should take when interacting online as well as

the consequences of posting to online forums.

Target Audience

This classroom guidance lesson can be geared towards teens in middle school and high

school. Students normally get a cellular device during their middle school years and should be

aware of the risks of online interactions (Brown, 2004). Thus, it is imperative that counselors be

knowledgeable of all risk factors and educate students on the importance of safely and

appropriately navigating the world wide web.

Overview & Objectives

In learning to safely navigate the web and interact in a precautious manner, students

should be able to understand the risk factors of using the Internet and be equipped with proper

coping strategies associated with these risks. Students should also be able to recognize that face
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to face interactions with peers is a more effective way to communicate and problem solve as

opposed to utilizing an online forum. Furthermore, students should be able to recognize the

positive and negative consequences associated with social media usage, online bullying, and

harassment. Additionally, students should be aware that their online activities can be traced by

authorities and that once something is posted it cannot be removed. Moreover, students should be

able to understand how to avoid online sexual predators and bullies.

Prior Knowledge

Brown (2004) asserts that 61 percent of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 utilize

social media sites; 70 percent of teens have reported receiving messages from unknown persons;

30 percent have admitted to considering meeting someone they have interacted with online and

14 percent have actually met someone they have interacted with online. With this knowledge, it

is essential to educate students on the risks of utilizing social media platforms and how to do so

in a safe manner.

Students have been victims of online bullying, harassment, some have committed suicide

due to online bullying, and some teens have even died or been molested at the hands of someone

they have interacted with and met from an online social media site (Brown, 2004). Research

shows that those most at risk for developing risky relationships of making precarious posts

online are those students who experience problematic familial situations (Brown, 2004). These

teens are seeking acceptance from online personas and usually receive the exact opposite. Teens

should be aware of common risk factors and consequences associated with online usage. While

online activity can be beneficial in networking purposes, it can also be a hindrance to teens as

well. Teen should be aware that employers and colleges can easily access online profiles and this

can be a determining factor in the acceptance or denial of a position.

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Gauge Learner Desires

Students should know and understand the importance of safe interaction and the

importance of safely interacting. Students should also be aware of necessary steps to take in the

event that they fear an online persona. Additionally, students should know how detrimental their

posts can be to their future endeavors.

Developmental Activities

I This lesson can begin with a “True/False” test of online usage with statements such as

“It’s easier to communicate with someone on the internet than in person” or “If a message has a

friend’s address, I can be sure that it is sent from my friend.” Student’s responses to these

questions can begin dialogue about social media usage. Students can then look at statements

from different senders and determine the intent behind the statement such as is it bullying, is it

likely a predator, is this a genuine post or not. Students can watch video clips of the negative

effects of social media use such as suicide and denial of a position or loss of an asset due to

online postings. Students can then engage in a Socratic Seminar to discuss their thoughts after

the lessons of online use.

Differentiated Instructional Strategies

To ensure that each child is able to participate, the counselor can ensure that he or she has

online versions, paper versions, or some other version of each activity for the learner. Students

should be given the opportunity to orally express themselves in the event that the writing

activities do not align with their learning style. Additionally, most of the activities align to

multiple learning style, thus each student who participates in the guidance lesson will have the

opportunity to make input at some point during the lesson.

Conclusion
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In concluding the lesson, each student can stand up and give one important thing they

learned from the guidance lesson or share something that resonated with them the most.

Additionally, students can engage in a written or oral assessment of the learning. Moreover,

students can complete a post test of the same statements included in the pre assessment of the

lesson and gage how their understanding of the content changed upon completion of the lesson.

Assessment

Students can engage in a project in which they showcase their understanding of the

content. This can be in visual form, a public service announcement, a student created news

article, or on a poster board or presentation such as PowerPoint or Google Slides. Offering

student’s a variety of methods to complete the project caters to multiple learning styles and

offers creativity in showcasing their learning.

Follow Up

To ensure that the lesson successfully resonated with each student, the counselor can hold

mini group guidance sessions to discuss the student’s online use after a week or so. The

counselor should also get written feedback from the students as to the effectiveness of the

presentation or any changes that could be made to make the session more effective for future use.
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Resources

Brown, D.M. (2004). Safety first on the internet: A common sense approach to sagely using and

enjoying the internet. Philadelphia, PA. Xlibris.