life_vol2_2023

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Empowering our students

Honours-degree students in educational psychology receive further broad action training (BAT) to prepare them for their service learning.

Dr Lynn Preston, subject head of Educational Psychology, says training our BEdHons educational psychology students takes time, energy and dedication.

“These students are given intense broad action training to promote their self-confidence and knowledge, and equip them to function effectively in the community environment.”

With this in mind, they also train as wellness counsellors through the Association for Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners (ASCHP).

Lynn says this association has partnered with the NWU since 2020 to enable our students to obtain the unique status of wellness counsellors after they complete their BEdHons qualification.

“The affiliation with the ASCHP provides an extra career path to students who have completed their honours degree and are looking to obtain experience before applying for the professional master’s-degree course in educational psychology.”

A group of education students kicked off this year with a big “brick bang”, spreading colourful bricks all over the NWU and a few community partners.

Care for Education is a non-profit organisation and partner of the LEGO Foundation. They provide training and educational resources for children, schools and organisations. Their goal is to make an impact on early childhood development and primary education, using blocks to engage children in playful learning.

Mastering the ABC of 6Bricks®

The instructors from Care for Education trained our students in the use of 6Bricks® and showed them how to incorporate these techniques in their service learning experiences in the communities in which they will be working.

Dr Lynn Preston, subject head of Educational Psychology, says staff from the NWU’s Centre for Health and Human Performance (CHHP) at the Faculty of Health Sciences also joined the training sessions.

“This created many possibilities for a close working relationship between our two faculties. The CHHP also received bricks, which provide them with endless resources for the therapy work they do with children.”

Preparing them for the real world

Lynn says that, besides the 6Bricks® training, the students also received further broad action training (BAT) to prepare them for their service learning, which starts in April.

“Various aspects were covered to help them cope with interviewing children and adults who will cross their paths during their service learning.”

Legal aspects were also covered in a BAT workshop that Adv Chris Maree, an advocate in private practice from Pretoria, presented on 8 March 2023. “He provided the students with excellent knowledge regarding ethical and legal aspects that a student wellness counsellor needs,” explains Lynn.

It all started on 6 February, when the BEdHons students in educational psychology had their introductory session, followed by a week’s LEGO® training from the Care for Education trainers.

Honours-degree students in educational psychology receive LEGO® training from the Care for Education trainers. This is part of the 6Bricks® education programme that they use in their service learning experiences in communities.

Meeting their partners

The students were then introduced to the community partners, the Potchefstroom Hospital and Laerskool Stilfontein.

On 10 March Maureen Sekano, a social worker from Potchefstroom Hospital, trained the students on all aspects needed for their work at the hospital.

A few days later the students and staff had a meet-and-greet session at Laerskool Stilfontein with the principal, Riaan Grové, and members of the school-based support team.

“The next step for our students will be to experience working in the field under the supervision of the educational psychology lecturers,” says Lynn.

“Do follow us on this exciting journey as we develop much-needed wellness counsellors to enter the field of education and counselling,” she adds.

Students visit one of their community partners, Stilfontein Laerskool. With them from the left are the NWU’s Jaco van der Merwe, Dr Elmari Fouché and Elmaré Mong. On the other side of the students are Elmari Deale and Chantel de Lange from Laerskool Stilfontein, the NWU’s Dr Wanda van der Merwe, and Riaan Grové, the principal of Laerskool Stilfontein (on the far right).

Empowering
our students