· Guidance Department which works in accordance with the vision of the Gelişim College, aims to support the student-centered activities in order to raise happy and successful individuals. It also aims to provide the self-sufficient students on the cases they live in.
· These goals are parallel with the Gelişim Student Profile. According to this profile Gelişim College Students
ü are aware of their abilities, strengths and weaknesses and accept themselves as they are
ü take decisions on academic and social development, make plans and try to put them into real life
ü responsible
ü have conciliatory attitude in problem solving
ü have effective communication skills
ü internalize cultural and universal values,
ü environmentally- responsible
Individual and grup work activities , considering thel characteristics of the age group, can be grouped under three main headings:
1. FAMILIARIZING WITH STUDENTS
a- Student Recognition Studies
· Student Recognition Forms which are filled out by parents are used to get to know the new students.
· Students’ emotional, cognitive and physical development is monitored. The observations and the practices are evaluated and reports and records kept. accordingly.
· Observations made in the student's natural environment, impression they leave on others, reflective tests and inventories applied at various times are used to recognize the students.
· Besides this, the students’ interests and abilities are determined. The main objective here is to improveand develop the identified skills.
b- Individual Guidance and Counseling Studies
· Counseling is a systematic and professional assistance to ensure the individual's development. Interviews were conducted based on the student needs, collaboration with teachers and demands from students’ own and their parents. In addition to this, ‘Programming the non-school time’ is done to introduce and internalize the habit of studying regularly and effectively.
c- Individual-Educational-Vocational Guidance Studies
· Group activities are done in each levels to support the social development of students, if facing any problems while doing it, to solve these problems, and help them to improve their interpersonal skills, These skills are; asking questions, recognize and being aware of the feelings of one’s and others, drawing attention in an appropriate way, coping with isolation and bullying, sharing, cooperation and thinking positively. In addition to this, activities are done to help them gain universal values such as responsibility,respect, love, environmental consciousness, sensitivity to social relations and events etc.
· Various games are played and drama activities are done with the homeroom teachers’ leadership during the assembly hours from 4th to 6th grades and with the leadership of the counselor from 4th to 8th grades not only to support the students to recognize and accept themselves as they are but also their environment.
· Guidance department aims that students understand and accept the environment that they are in. Therefore various games, drama and activities are planned with physicologists in the guidance lessons for 4th,5th and 6th grades and with homeroom teachers in assembly time for 4th to 8th grades. It is their goal that the students gain some social skills like communication and decision making through these planned lessons.
· With the vocational guidance activities, students are assisted to recognize themselves and the occupations to choose the most appropriate one for themselves.
d- Preventive Counseling Studies
· In order to reach towards the future with firm steps, we need some stable facts in this rapidly changing world. So what are these facts? These facts are our values and they are determined by our school. As part of the social services programme, values such as self confidence-responsibility-love-respect-self discipline- justice- sharing-cooperation- forgiveness- empathy- friendship and courtesy are installed into the lessons in primary and secondary schools. The main objective of this program is to help children to gain the effective communication skills by using these values during the activities.
· Members of the Community Service Programme were selected on a voluntary basis among the 6th,7th and 8th graders. These members worked at ‘Ulukent Primary School’ during club hours every Thursday.Preparations for the show which is going to be performed in May are still going on. In addition to this, to make them feel the atmosphere and collect money, club members organized a bake sale at school.
· Above all, in order to raise sensible young people, academic and other activies are planned. These activities aim to teach tolerance,respect, cooperation, assistance and sharing. Magic words like ‘welcome’, ‘enjoy your meal’, thank you’,’please’etc. are used to show that how important our values are.
· To establish the values of belonging together, love and respect, activities are planned with the primary and secondary school students together. In these hours, they come together with their school sister or brother and create something. This is planned by matching the students from different levels from the beginning of the school year. Younger classes want to feel that they are not alone so a student from older classes are there for them throughout the year. With this, students improve their values of sharing, respect, love and belonging.
· In a democratic society, these values are established within family first, and then school supports it. That’s why, every year students choose representatives for the ‘Student’s Council’ who will plan and organize the upcoming events of the year. Elections are held in a democratic and energetic atmosphere. Student’s Council organizes different activies such as New Year parties, Teacher’s Day Celebrations etc. and also organize activites to help and support the charities.
· Also, to support the provision of a positive and realistic self-development ‘Pride Card’ is given to the students to encourage them to behave positively.These cards are given from teachers to students, or from students to taechers or among students to reinforce the positive behaviour.
· To support and help to gain problem solving and healthy communication skills Prof. Dr. Selahattin Öğülmüş’s ‘I Solve Problems’ (ISP) programme is applied during meeting times for kindergarten, pre-school, 1st and 2nd grades. This programme is supported withvarious materials in the classes. At this step, after the programme, students are much more creative and they are able to understand each other’s feelings and they produce different solutions to problems.
d- Seminar Workshops
Seminars are held for the students by the guidance teachers with the help of experts on the topics of ‘Effective studying techniques, Communication Skills, Setting Goals, Reading Rapidly’.
2. INFORMING PARENTS
a. Private Parents Meeting
Private parents meeting are held with an appointment to inform the parents about the observations made at school, inventories and to exchange information. This meeting is based on the idea of ‘ ‘Communication between the school-parent-student is extremely important to understand the development and change of the student.’
b.Bulletins
Bulletins are preapared and sent monthly in accordance with the seminars held and requirements from parents.
c. Training Seminars
Throughout the year, seminars are held every month with the help of the guidance teachers and guest experts; parents are informed about the childhood and adolescence problems and they are advised about problem solving methods and stages of development. Topics are chosen according to the demands of parents and guidance teachers.
3. Teacher Workshops
a. Training Seminars
Throughout the year, seminars are held by the experts with the participation of teaching staff to learn and follow the newest methods and techniques, to keep up with the changing demands of the educational year, to improve themselves and to reflect this to their students.
