Think about your own self efficacy as a learner. In which subject, if any, in your academic background have you judged yourself unable to succeed? Ho has low self-efficacy affected your academic performance? How does self efficacy affect your students reading?
I remember growing up having a really hard time in Chemistry, and as a result, my engagement levels in Chemistry were zilch. I never gave up, though, because my parents would make sure I had plenty of time by keeping me in the house until my grade went up. I know many of my students feel the same way about reading and writing that I felt about Chemistry. I also know that many of my student’s parents do not play the same role that mine did in making sure I passed.
ReplyDeleteHowever, now that I’m a teacher I realize that it’s not always about grades and test scores, but whether or not a student has the skills to succeed. Many of my students do not believe they have the skills to succeed and are often giving up before they have begun. I remember a specific example from 2 weeks ago. A young girl in my class read a Lois Duncan book which had a reading level much higher than what she was use to. She read the book and loved it. Then, she took an AR test and got a 60%. She was heartbroken. She had tried so hard to be successful and then AR told her that she failed. When she went back to the library she came back with a Scooby Doo chapter book I asked her if that’s what she really wanted to read she replied, “No, but I don’t want another 60.” If AR were not in place, she would have gone back to the library, got another Lois Duncan book and would have been reading something that she both enjoyed and challenged her.
We need to pump our kids up about reading and make them feel successful. What does successful mean? Of course we want all children to read at grade level or above, but is a student not successful if he/she does not? Are they making progress? Do they feel successful? Are they excited about reading? Are they going to be lifelong readers and learners, or students who just read to pass class? Ask yourself, what’s more important?
I personally have read a great deal. I attribute this to having alot of sisters. To avoid them I just read. This grew from there into something I really enjoyed and it became apart of my life. I attribute my reding ability to all the other success I have had. Good reading skills are esential in all parts of making a living.
ReplyDeleteI have met many students who struggle with reading. To get them motivated to read is difficult. One student told me she liked to read, but she wasn't very good at it. Most kids I would think are not intrinsically motivate to do poorly, so they avoid reading and possible failure, or they do as little as possible to get by. I remember when I was a kid I got hooked on the Hobbits and the Lord of the Rings series. If the kids could find a series and get "hooked" on it, they could find that reading can be entertaining.
As a child and still today, I feel like I am just lousy at doing math, especially geometry. I never could and still do not see how all those angles and shapes are supposed to fit together. I have always seemed to have to work harder in math, but the funny thing is that math is the section I have scored the best in on all the standardized tests like ACT, SAT, GRE, and Basic Skills.
ReplyDeleteI have always done well in school academically and have never had to struggle, which is why I have always had a good attitude and like school even now (sometimes). My sister always had done poorly in school, but is great at doing hands-on tasks, like fixing things. We are just the opposite; I could not take apart and fix anything. But I always feel sorry for those students that do not like school; it must be a chore everyday just to go. Perhaps teachers need to change the way that we are teaching so more learners are engaged.
Like Aron, I can take a book and just use it as an escape. I enjoyed reading to hide from my sister as well and still enjoy reading when I am stressed out. This year, at work, I have met many struggling readers because I am trying to tutor children with low reading skills to help meet the RTI initiative. All of the readers seem to struggle with something different, and many of them hate reading, especially reading aloud. Motivating these children is definitely a challenge; I think that appreciating and recognizing all of these children's little successes or progress would be uplifting. Let us focus on what these children can do well, and not just their faults.
I have always had trouble in math. I hated it and in high school I never tried. I only made it to algebra 1/2 after failing it the year before. However, my first algebra 1/2 teacher I felt could care less if we learned. He taught it one way and one way only regardless if we got it. Bascially if you don't get you then tough luck. He was one of those teachers that were just there to collect a paycheck. Which I eventually told him about and was kicked out of class. Anyhow, the second time I took algebra 1/2 with a different teacher. He is the one teacher that I remember til this day, and was my favorite teacher. He had multiple ways of teaching and if you did not understand he would continue to teach until you understood. He would come in as early as you needed him and stay as late as you needed him to. He made me begin to like math and made me feel like I could do it. That year I did pass.
ReplyDeleteMy experience goes to show how a teacher can bring a child who hates doing something to at least if not loving it, attempting it and that is in any subject. In terms of reading I think that it is so important to set those high expectations in the classroom. If you let your students know that you believe in them and be their cheerleader will make all the difference in building up their self-esteem and their low self-efficacy. Also if you meet your students where they are at and build from their their self-efficacy will grow. It will grow because they are not doing work that is above what they can do, you start at what they know and build from there. When you let them know how they have grown in reading by comparing what they did then and where they are now, and they actually see it for themselves via portfolios,that low-self efficacy I believe will begin to disappear.
Math has always been a difficult subject for me. I had difficulty with math in the elementary grades and still had trouble with certain areas when I entered college. “Math is a subject you either get, or you don’t” was the attitude for many of my teachers. Unfortunately, they focused more on the saying rather than actually doing something about it. There was no variety in my math classes and I always knew what to expect. The teacher would stand up at the white board, teach the concept of the day, and assign us our homework. The next day we would enter the classroom, check our own math assignments, change the problems we missed, and then start a new lesson for the day.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason I think I had trouble with math was because there was absolutely no variety. As educators, we must take into consideration that not all students are going to be able to acquire the same concepts through the same process. Just like any other subject area, reading requires a lot of variety in the method that it is taught. You have to go through different processes and find out which process works best for your students. There will not be 2 students in the classroom that will learn the same exact way. We must accommodate and modify our classroom day to day, week to week, and year to year. The world has a variety of ways to teach a new concept it is our job to explore them!
I confess that I struggled with mathematics concepts in school, but I never judged myself incapable of succeeding. I had to put more effort into the subject matter than other classes, but I acknowledged this and pushed myself to meet the agenda that the school system had placed before me. Since we are at an advanced level in our educational program, I trust that none of us actually believes that we are unable to succeed in anything we have set our intellect to. True, we are more conscious of the effects of teachers, parents, and ourselves on our capability of learning and therefore are able to recognize our weaknesses and use our strengths to assist in overcoming a weak area, but that is just it, a weak area, not a spot where we are unable to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy is that everyone learns, but we learn at different rates. My 16-year old niece has Down’s syndrome and is nonverbal. She has several of the physical abilities of a four-year-old, and with exposure to different, repeated situations, she has shown development in basic areas-she is learning and is able to succeed-at her level. I have to determine her growth by judging it against her previous knowledge base, not against others. As a teacher, yes I am inclined to measure my students against others; however, I also have to assess them against themselves to help facilitate their growth in my subject matter. I have often times meet a student, which once I get to know them I associated him/her with another student that I have had in the past. I use my prior knowledge of that student’s learning system and try to implement his/her ideas of learning into my new student. Often times, the new student is similar enough to the old student that my teaching concepts help him/her achieve. You have to meet students where they are and then move them forward from there. I had my teachers, parents, and self to encourage me to strive toward a more effective understanding of math, but just as Kristen pointed out, sometimes the teacher may be the only one pushing the student onward. I need to provide positive feedback and engaging activities to help the self-efficacy of my students because I may be their only hope.
Math was a big issue for me growing up. I NEVER had anyone who would explain it multiple ways until HIGH SCHOOL....by that time it's a little too late. Sadly enough, from about 5th - 8th grade I copied the majority of my homework just to get 100's...then when I bombed the test, the grade would average out. My mother always said "it's ok I can't do math either"...I guess I just keep telling myself, "it's fine you can't do it". When I got to Jr. college I had a professor who worked with me to re-learn the basics of simple algebra. After I became successful on my own, I realized how much I really liked math. I like it most of all because there isn't JUST ONE WAY! Obviously low self efficacy effected my performance growing up. I flat out cheated my way through middle school (in math). I knew I wasn't any good and had come to accept this.
ReplyDeleteSelf efficacy plays a HUGE part in all subject areas. If you have been told "It's ok, I don't understand either" or "You won't really need that in the real world"...How hard are you going to try if you have already been told you've failed?
As we all know reading can be a challenging task to master, especially when you are starting out. Teachers need to provide CONSTANT feedback in a positive way to all students. If you have strugglers, try to encourage each of them in their own way. We are not all motivated the same way. Find out what motivates each of your students and use that to encourage them in all subject areas not just reading.
Self-efficacy is a serious matter; your students need to feel they matter and that they can be successful. Encourage them continually!
Math. It seems like what ever I do in math it never works out right for me. I have had to work harder in math than any other subject. If my self efficacy is low in any subject it would have to be math. I think I do poorly in math because I expect that I will. I probably don’t work as hard at it because I feel that my attempts will fail anyway.
ReplyDeleteI would expect that students who have poor self efficacy in reading feel much the same way that I do about math. It makes them not like reading because they’re not “good” at it. It’s human nature to not like something that you do not feel comfortable with. It all adds up to an avoidance of reading which only makes the situation worse for a struggling reader. If a struggling reader avoids reading then they will not get any better at it. It really just turns into a vicious circle.
I have always had trouble in science and math classes. Luckily my dad loves science and math, so I was able to have a personal tutor at home. He made sure that I always completed my homework and studied for tests. I realize that my parents played an important part in my success in school. I know some of my students will have parents who go above and beyond for their children. For the other students in my classroom who struggle with academic subjects and are bummed by their failure to succeed, I will try my best to bring them to a level where they can succeed. I think it is important for teachers to allow their students to succeed at any level.
ReplyDeleteThere is not really a subject that I have judged myself unable to succeed in. There are some subjects that are more difficult to learn. I feel that I am not as strong in English, particularly in spelling and grammar, as I would like to be but I don’t see myself as unable to succeed. The school that I went to did not teach all the parts of speech, etc. So I just do not know them. I don’t feel that my academic performance has been affected, thanks to spell check. I do feel that I am not able to succeed in sports or physical education. I struggled with those skills from elementary school to high school. Having a low self efficacy affected my feelings towards exercise and participating in P.E. I felt as though I could never succeed so why should I bother. I feel that my students often feel the same way about reading. They struggle and develop a low self efficacy toward reading. They do not believe that they can learn how to read so it affects their performance and desire to learn to read. They feel frustrated and as though they will never be able to get it so they quit trying. Students need to be constantly encouraged that they can succeed. They also need to be taught to set small realistic goals so they can consistently succeed in the areas that they struggle. I also feel that it is important that the students’ areas of strength are built upon and acknowledged by the teacher. Students need to feel successful in something and recognize not everyone is good at everything.
ReplyDeleteThe class I thought I'd fail was my junior year chemistry class. I had a difficult time with the equations. I was always a straight A student in high school for the most part, but this class was extremely hard. Our teacher did not use a text book, he wrote it own over the 34 year period that he taught. I had to work extra hard in my spare time just to keep up with the material. I never had a lot of homework, but that year I had chemistry worksheets everynight. There was no variety in his instruction, it was the same type of delivery, same style of worksheets, and same format for test. If a student was unable to understand one concept, then they would actually fail behind because the next lesson was built on the previous lesson.
ReplyDeleteYou can relate this concept to student reading. Often times, teachers do not offer enough variety. It is the same delivery, and material everytime. Unfortunately, some teachers don't care if their students understand the material, they will move on regardless of the situation. When a student does not understand a concept, and no one acts like they don't care, then do you think they will try? No! Educators need to care if their students fail or succeed. After all, this is our job. Most important thing you can do to build your students self-efficacy is let them succeed on the subject, and then build off their motivation.
I have always felt that I had low achievement in science-related subjects such as Biology, Chemistry and Physics. It was those parts of the day that I dreaded the most because I knew that I was not confident in the subject area. Unlike other subjects, it did not come easy to me and I almost always wanted to just avoid the homework and assignments that was assigned in those classes. My junior year of high school I was lucky enough to have a Biology teacher that was able to help me in the subject and give me the extra time necessary that I needed. My parents also played a big role in my classroom success because they would push me at home to do my homework and they would provide help if I needed it. This can be the same with reading; if a student does not understand it and he/she doesn’t receive extra help at home they will have much difficulty in succeeding. Like Marshall said, if someone doesn’t like something they avoid it. Much like my parents and my freshmen Biology teacher I hope to be able to assist the students in helping them achieve their goal in the classroom and give them the extra push that they need to make them confident in the subject area.
ReplyDeleteI have always had trouble in reading or language arts. When I was giving ERAS and EWAS I was thinking about how I would answer the questions when I was in elementary school. All through elementary school I felt writing and reading was the teacher’s way of punishing me. Since I struggled with language arts the teacher made me practice my writing and reading all the time. Any free time I had I was required to read a book or write a story. Still to this day I feel that this teaching strategy did not change my attitude toward reading and writing. The only aspect of this teaching strategy that influences my life still today is I have developed a coping strategy to improve my writing. Since I have a low self-efficacy I do not feel comfortable writing a paper without a little assistance. Also, I never feel I have a great paper and I still to this day do not like to read aloud. Reading should be exciting to the students and the teacher should provide different teaching strategies to make reading interesting and exciting.
ReplyDeleteAs a learner I have always had low self efficacy in math. In school I was never confident in my math answers, I always had to think just a bit more than in any other subject. To this day a dread math classes and when I took my final one here at SIUC it was a relief and a miracle to me that I got though it decently. Since I have never been good at math I never really thought that this was something I could get better at…EVER! I believed that my self worth in math was low therefore I did not let myself become better at math and continued to let my grades stay at an average level. This summer I got a job as a bank teller and it took a lot of courage for me to even apply for the job, since it required math skills. Since then my self efficacy in math had went up considerably because I have found I am good at something that has to do with math. In the classroom setting now students who have a low self efficacy in reading will have the same problem I did with math, they will continue to dislike it, stay away from it, and possibly get bad grades because of it. Students who are confident and have high self value in a subject will succeed in it because they have a drive that will make them want to do better because they know they can.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that language arts/spelling was an area I struggled with in school the most. Looking back I remember just getting by memorizing words and forget the rules by the next time around. I also feared I was going to be the one picked to write answers on the board or write something in group projects. I enjoy writing but always hated when we had to peer edit our papers.
ReplyDeleteNow that I am a teacher I feel that I am much better at language arts. I have kind of retaught myself the rules and feel much better about using them.
My students who have low self-efficacy are differently the ones who are struggling writers. I have quite a few students who are always worried about how the harder words are spelled and can't waste a lot of time on them, even after I tell them to spell them the best they can.
Throughout grade school and high school, my self-efficacy was fairly high. When it came to creative writing or story writing, I had low self-efficacy. My senior year of high school, I remember we had a really short second quarter, so by the time mid-quarter reports were given I was failing English. We only had two assignments in the grade book, and I did not do one of them, which was a creative writing assignment. By the end of the quarter I brought my F up to a B, but if I had done the assignment, I would have gotten an A in the class. I have also had low self-efficacy in college. Before I decided I wanted to become a teacher, I was taking an economics class thinking I might want to do something in business. I got the first test back with a D, and I expected my grade to be very poor. I studied for the test and tried, but there was no way I was going to pass the class. I knew I was not going to succeed in this class, so I dropped it.
ReplyDeleteFor my students, I feel that they probably go through the same emotions as I did. They get frustrated and want to quit. They do not have the option to give up, so their frustration level is probably higher than mine was, but we probably share a lot of the same emotions. If a student cannot read as well as other students in the class, that student knows they cannot read as well. That student does not want to be embarrassed, so they probably do not want to read on front of the class. Low self-efficacy for a student in reading would affect a student in a negative way. As a teacher, I hope to keep reading experiences very positive.
I did well in school until I got to high school. Math wasn't a struggle exactly but I wasn't great at it. I had to motivate myself to do the homework, to study.
ReplyDeleteI remember dreading going to class on days when we had to put problems on the board and solve them in front of everyone. It would sometimes take me forever and I felt like kids were laughing at me. I could solve it on paper, given enough time but in front of everyone, it was hopeless.
I learned very quickly to avoid things that I could not be successful in. There were classes I didn't take because I knew it would be a repeat of the math classes. I knew I liked to read and was good at it so I always leaned toward classes that contained lots of reading like History, American Literature, English Literature, Creative Writing, Political Science and others. I did well and I enjoyed the classes. I can't imagine what things would have been like for me if I hadn't been a fluent reader.
I have students that struggle with reading and struggle in other subjects because of that. My son is a struggling reader. He likes to read, wants to do well but he gets lost when he reads. Then he is concentrating so hard on keeping his place, his pronunciation, his expression and everything else, he has no idea what he has read. Then, he gets upset and frustrated with himself and doesn't want to work at because he thinks he's not smart. Absolutely untrue by the way, he struggles and his teachers tell me that they have to move through all this information, etc. Our students who are struggling, whether in reading, math, science or any other subject need their teachers support, understanding, compassion and time to make in school. If they don't get those things they will be lost and feel like their lost.
As a learner I feel pretty confident in my effort. Although I do often times feel as if I am less than my peers around me. I think that if I was to pick one subject in general it would have to be history. With dates and straight facts you are either right or wrong and that always makes me a little unsure. I think that my personal feelings of being less than my peers, in some cases has made me a quiet student. I am always eager to let one of my peers answer first in class. I think that it is my duty as a future teacher to make sure all my students feel welcome and safe within my classroom. I think it is obvious that if a student is a good reader then they will rise to the top of the class (usually) and their self efficacy will be higher than their peers who do not read as well. If a child can perform well in class then they usually have a high self esteem. If they struggle in school then their self esteem is usually lower. So in closing I feel that self efficacy will affect my students reading based on their ability to read, my ability to encourage educational growth, and also my ability to provide a safe reading environment for all my students.
ReplyDeleteI started off having trouble with math. I remember getting put into a slow track math class in third grade. This was devastating to me. All of my friends were in the regular track math class, including my twin sister. I would see her getting to do different math lessons and see her moving at a faster pace than I was able to do on a daily basis. I remember almost shutting down at this time. I was no longer interested in math. I was ready to give up at times. Thankfully, I have parents that were there to help me and push me along. I do not think I would have done well in math all the way through my education if I did not have help at home.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me realize how my students feel at times when I know they are struggling.
I know I have several students that have reached that stage of giving up. However, I try to give them that extra push to get them going again. I have to find a way to get every single one of them interested in reading. Without help, I don't think very many of them will even try to improve their reading skills. Even in middle school, my students have trouble seeing the future. To some of the students that have trouble reading, they are just focused on how that affects them right now. They are not looking into the future on how that very well could jeopardize their future jobs. This thought process could be coming from home. Several of my parents are just trying to make it through that day, not the entire month or year.
My grades in math went down consistently until I realized that unless I put more effort into my work, then I will never get moved up into the math class my friends were in. Once I find some good strategies to use with these students and get them into some good books, they really put aside some of their fears of reading. After this point, it is so much fun to see students grow in their reading ability!
I fall into the Organizer group. I like things to be clear as to learning objectives. I do well in classes that have clear answers to clear questions. I do well with multiple choice tests and writing papers that have a detailed rubric. Fuzzy, and there is no wrong answer, are not my strong points. I did well as an Electronic Tech in the Navy because there is only one correct answer in electronics. However, with that said, I know that is not how all children learn nor what they prefer. I know it’s important to find the strength of the student and use that strength to their advantage. I personally would not do well in a class on poetry or art.
ReplyDeleteLow self efficacy has caused me in the past to avoid subjects or readings, and I suppose that is true of many students. I thing it’s important to find away for the student to succeed, at least until they have developed an intrinsic motivation to continue, even after experiencing some failure.
I have judged myself unable to succeed in 6-12 reading and writing. In refection, something happened after fifth grade, and I think it was a prohibition on the self-selection of reading and a ban on free writing. During my senior year in high school a counselor allegedly begged a teacher to change an “F” to a “D” that I could graduate. The curriculum had a different agenda, and only now, beyond high school, do I find that I am allowed to determine what works contribute to my learning and write in a manner that allows my personal voice. The many grades assigned to me in “grade school” were co-constructed by instructors refusing to claim ownership. If additional learning opportunities did not exist for me, I would have failed long ago, as the quantum of self efficacy in those allegedly academic environments stood solidly at zero. It would seem low self-efficacy has resulted in academic success.
ReplyDeleteFor the young ones with whom I read, self-efficacy is high. I maintain it at that level because I do not accept a text for reading unless it is selected by the readers. This results in a phenomenon in which students actively compete for the opportunity to present the next selection. Low self-efficacy is unacceptable, because it is not true to say one cannot excel in reading, unless a curriculum has that agenda.
The consequence of all of this is a high self-efficacy with regard to teaching.