Psychopedagogical advice is defined as an intervention coming from an external agent independent of the advised body (the educational center and its professional components) in which a collaborative relationship is established between both parties with the purpose of both addressing possible problems that may arise in the exercise of professional teaching practice, as well as in the global prevention of their future appearance.
Thus, in psychopedagogical counseling two main objectives are distinguished: the clinical one, or “direct intervention” in real and current dysfunctional situations, and the “training of the professional”, more related to the preventive aspect.
Cox, French and Loucks-Horsley (1987) made a list of the functions attributable to the advisory group, which were differentiated according to three different phases of development of the advisory intervention: initiation, development and institutionalization.
1. Initiation phase
Regarding the initiation phase, the advisory figure must assess the needs, capacities and resources presented by both the educational center and the client with whom it collaborates and the set of final beneficiary users of the action. Besides, must carry out an assessment of the type of practices that are applied in the center as well as the preparation of the list of objectives and goals to be achieved with the intervention.
Likewise, you must work on creating your proposal to improve the center’s current practice by providing training in new work strategies; organizing and assigning different functions to the teaching group; acting in the optimization of both material and non-material resources; and finally, facilitating the establishment of a positive and committed link of collaboration between the various parties involved in the intervention process.
In the development phase, the advisor must emphasize the offer of training in solving specific problems existing in the educational practice of the center in question, as well as monitoring the proposals for the suggested changes and carrying out an evaluation of said process.
3. Institutionalization phase
In the final phase of institutionalization, the aim is to incorporate the set of actions carried out into the list of guidelines and curriculum of the intervened educational center. Also An assessment and monitoring of the implemented program is carried out and teacher training continues. (especially in the case of new additions to the staff) and the provision of resources to enable its continuity once the advisory group has finished its work at the educational center.
Characteristics of the psychopedagogical advisory service
Among the characteristics that define the psychopedagogical advisory service, it stands out, first of all, that it is an indirect intervention, since the advisory figure works together with the center’s professionals (the client) so that the guidance provided is finally reflected in the students (ultimate users). Thuscould be defined as a “triadic relationship”, in which a commitment is established between the advisory group and the client
On the other hand, as mentioned above, it is a cooperative, consensual and non-hierarchical relationship, in which both parties agree to collaborate together as equals. Finally, as it is an independent body, the advisory group does not exercise any position of authority or control with respect to its client, and therefore its relationship is understood to be non-binding in nature.
Possible criticisms of the role of the psychopedagogical advisor
As Hernández (1992) states, some of the criticisms regarding the function and intervention of the advisory figure in the educational center refer to the reflected feeling, on the part of the team of teaching professionals, of a decrease in their own autonomy regarding to the performance of their daily work.
Furthermore, linked to this feeling of lack of freedom of action, the teaching staff can develop the idea that their task is limited to carrying out bureaucratic procedures, leaving their creative capacity to make possible innovative proposals limited. On the other hand, understanding the advisory group as a mediating agent between the administration and the educational system can diminish the connotation of independence of the advisory figure.
Psychopedagogical advice in the educational center
In the proposal made by Rodríguez Romero (1992, 1996a) on the general functions performed by the figure of pedagogical advice in the field of education, the following stand out: training, orientation, innovation, supervision and organization.
Except for the supervisory function, the remaining four have been accepted and agreed upon without any type of theoretical-practical questioning. Regarding the supervisory function, yes There is some discrepancy regarding the intrinsic nature of the advisory function itself. It is understood that the relationship established between the advisory body and the advised body is one of cooperation, defined by a bond between equal parties. In this way, the concept of supervision comes into conflict with this type of operation, since the latter term has an associated connotation of asymmetry or hierarchy, understanding that the supervisory body is at a higher level, while the supervised body would be at a higher level. a lower level.
As indicated above, There are two main functions of psychopedagogical advisory teams in the educational field:
The first is related to the purpose of solving real problems, already existing in the functioning of everyday teaching practice. This “remedial” function focuses on the problematic situation itself and aims to offer a solution at a more specific level.
The second refers to a more preventive or “training” objective and is oriented towards advice for the team of teachers with the aim of providing them with strategies and resources to promote the proper functioning of their professional practice and avoid future problems. Thus, the advice does not focus on the problematic situation, but on the intervention in the group of teachers to provide them with certain skills and competencies to perform in their teaching task in a general way.
This second option is the central function in EAP teams, although they can also be dedicated to the first in a complementary way.
A significant consideration regarding the particularities of EAP teams refers to their characterization as a highly professional and competent group in the field of educational counseling. This causes this figure to be associated with a high connotation of collegiality in his area of professional activity. Derived from the traditional generation of certain types of criticism related to the establishment of a clear and specific definition of what exactly a psychopedagogical counseling team is and what its specific functions are (role conflicts), an internal movement of self-reaffirmation has been generated. in order to combat these criticisms coming from other external groups.
