From Worksheets to Exercises: Elevating Guidance Activities -

Abstract

Guidance counselors use worksheets as the primary tool in guidance activities, which focus on providing information and creating new experiences but stop merely at activity completion without creating opportunities for students to practice various skills and apply them to real life, thus not aligning with 21st-century learning. This article proposes a transition to using exercises with a three-part structure: knowledge provision, skill practice to proficiency, and assessment, which provide opportunities for students to practice analysis, decision-making, and application until they achieve mastery.

Exercises are more effective in developing life skills and can transfer learning to new situations better than worksheets. Guidance counselors should implement them across all five guidance services to transform guidance activities from information reception to real life skill development. The article proposes a three-phase implementation process: 1) preparation and inspiration creation, 2) practice in simulated situations, and 3) validation and transfer to real life, along with concrete design approaches, pilot testing, and assessment methods to enable guidance counselors to enhance the quality of guidance effectively.