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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%">Brittany, your observation is similar to the observations
that I have also had. The school that I teach at is intermingled with teachers
who have high self-efficacy rates and teachers that have low self-efficacy
rates. Typically the teachers that have low self-efficacy rates are those who
have been teaching for an extended period of time, and the teachers who seem to
have a high self-efficacy rate tend to be the younger teachers. I don’t know
yet if there is a correlation between the two, but I can’t help but think that
maybe all the change that education has seen in the past decade has played into
the lack of self-efficacy. I think one way that veteran and rookie teachers
alike can handle this issue is by staying ahead of changes and by continuing to
try new methods and ideas. <span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%">Like you school, my school also has collective efficacy on
both large and small scales. My TBT, just like yours, is centered on discussing
way that we can help our students grow to their highest potential. After we
discuss the ways that our students can grow, we work on the steps that we can
take as a grade level to help the students meet the goals that we have set for
them and the goals they have set for themselves. The most important thing that
I see that you made and the point that I love the most is that you all share
the same vision. When teachers can collectively share a vision, we can reach
goals much easier.<span> </span><span></span></p>
<br><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Self-efficacy exists within most teachers, especially fresh
new teachers who are eager to make a difference. When in college, I observed a
teacher who didn’t have much self-efficacy. She would often laugh when I’d
speak of making a difference in children’s lives. She’d say things like, “Oh, I
remember when I thought I could make a difference.” She did not believe in her
capacity to make a difference. She felt all the outside influences in
children’s lives predetermined if her students would succeed or not. This leads
me to believe that she had an external locus of control. There are a few
teachers at my school with similar self-efficacy as this teacher. However, I
attempt to surround myself with like-minded people and every day I witness
teachers with a strong sense of self-efficacy- those who believe they can make
a difference in student lives, regardless of any outside influence.
Interestingly enough, the teacher I mentioned quit teaching very shortly after
I observed in her classroom.<span></span></p>
<span style="font-size:11pt;line-height:107%;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Collective efficacy can be found both small and
large scale in my building. At a smaller scale our fifth grade team truly
believes we can have a positive effect on our student’s lives. During TBT grade
level meetings this can be seen throughout the entirety of the meeting, we
constantly strive to better ourselves, so that we can better our students. It
is a collective effort, and we all share the same vision for our students. By
the same token, this mentality of collective efficacy can be found building
wide. The majority of staff members share the same perception that our building
as a whole can make a difference. I believe one factor that has affected our
collective efficacy is our new principal. Prior to adopting him, we had a
principal who had basically given up, and was waiting for retirement. The
school climate was unenthused, and it was extremely disorganized. With our new
administrator, however, he has restored collective efficacy by convincing us we
do make a difference. He is constantly sending emails telling us just that.</span>
<br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><font color="#274e13" size="4"><b>Codie Ward</b></font><div><b><span style="font-size:12.8px">Vinton Elementary</span><br></b><div style="font-size:12.8px"><b>4th Grade Language Arts and Science</b></div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><b><a href="mailto:gl_jward@seovec.org" target="_blank">gl_jward@seovec.org</a></b></div><div><font color="#073763" size="4"><b>1 Peter 3:18</b></font></div></div></div></div>
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