In working with my students to build their self efficacy, I have been noticing the dialogue in our discussions has improved tremendously. The students confidence in sharing their ideas, confusions, misunderstandings and challenges has opened up more opportunities for dialogic discussions about our project topics and tasks.
Noticing and reflecting is a vital tool because at times we can take what is happening before our eyes for granted and not realise that some changes have occurred in how the students are learning.
Albert Bandura's work is similar to the work of Pajares on self efficacy.
Bandura states 'Self- efficacy is concerned with perceived capability. The items should be phrased in terms of Can Do rather than Will Do'.
When reflecting on this statement, I cast my mind to my years of teaching with a focus on boys and reading. The reluctant readers. The boys who do work because they know they have to not because they want to. That intrinsic motivation to read for learning and to understand is not there. Rather they read to gain the information they need to complete the task so they can say it is done. These are the WILL DOs.
The Can Dos. They can read for learning, interest and understanding. They can do the task because they have the self efficacy to achieve the task. If it is challenging they have strategies and support systems in place to help them do the task. They Can Do the task because they Want To and they know How To.
Now, having high self efficacy does not mean you have mastered a high level of skills in any given area of learning. Rather is it about your ability to perceive the task ahead and how you can manage the task. It is about your perceived judgement of capability rather than your self worth. Self efficacy is about judgement of capability, self esteem is about your judgement of self worth. How each person judges their self worth is different but often it relies on how you are received by others in your social circle.
In working with my students to build their self efficacy, I had to tread carefully and not put so much pressure on them that they felt they could not cope. Rather it was a scaffolded approach of mentoring which I took.
Vital to building self efficacy is the students' ability to self reflect. Reflecting on our journey so far, it has been challenging for a lot of my target group. I have often thought about how these students have gotten to where they are with their lack of self efficacy. "Miss I can't do it". When this was said to me, it was with all honesty and I welcomed this statement as a cry for help. I was very happy the student opened up about his frustration in completing a task which required, finding information, reading and understanding the information then creating a presentation to show what he has learnt. As well as given reading materials, the students have to do some independent researching for their Project Based Learning tasks. This to a student with low self efficacy in reading can be very challenging. An assumption I had was that, these boys have been so used to being in reading groups with a teacher aide help and they relied on the teacher aide to read and unpack the reading materials for them. Now I was pushing them to be more independent. I suppose the inexperienced Mrs Tofa could have said 'Yes you can do it but you are not trying' and leave the student try and complete the task. Rather experienced teacher Mrs Tofa sat down next to the student and unpacked the task, went through the given materials and then gave an example of how to complete the task. Show me don't tell me.
Examples are vital in building the self efficacy of students. When the students low self efficacy in an area of learning, they need a lot of examples of what the task might look like. This is where I utilised peer modelling. As Pajares discusses in his research. Students peer modelling to each other is more powerful than teacher modelling. I have seen this eventuate into students strengthening their friendships and trust with each other. Once I asked a student to contact me if he needed help for his work. His reply was that he is fine as he contacts his friend in our group when he needs help. Peer tutoring and modelling in action.
Reference: Albert Bandura. Guide for Constructing self efficacy scales. (2006).
