Efficacy

Summary

Teacher efficacy, the belief in one's ability to help students learn, significantly impacts student achievement, surpassing socioeconomic factors. High efficacy leads to persistent teaching, effective strategies, and fostering student efficacy, which is the belief in one's learning ability. Mastery experiences, where students succeed in challenging tasks, further enhance both teacher and student efficacy, promoting high-quality learning.

Takeaways

• 📚 Teacher efficacy is the belief that a teacher has the ability to help children learn, which significantly impacts student achievement.
• 🌟 High teacher efficacy is a better predictor of student achievement than socioeconomic status.
• 💪 When teachers believe in their ability to teach, they persist more in the classroom, work closely with students, and try risky strategies.
• 🤔 Teachers with high efficacy engage in rich problem-solving, take up wrong answers, and allow students to explore and learn from their mistakes.
• 🔍 High teacher efficacy leads to the use of more effective strategies in teaching, particularly in subjects like mathematics.
• 🌱 Student efficacy is the belief that a student has the ability to learn, which is crucial for their success in learning mathematics.
• 🏆 Students with high efficacy persist longer with difficult problems, showing a correlation with their academic achievement.
• 🎓 Building mastery experiences for students is key to enhancing their efficacy; these are moments when students succeed in challenging tasks, boosting their confidence.
• 👩‍🏫 Teachers can also experience mastery when they see their students succeed, reinforcing their belief in their teaching abilities.
• 🔗 Both teacher and student efficacy are interconnected, creating a cycle of high-quality learning when both parties believe in their abilities and persist in learning.

Q & A

What is teacher efficacy?

Teacher efficacy is a teacher's belief in their ability to help children learn. It is directly connected to student learning and achievement.

How does teacher efficacy impact student achievement?

High teacher efficacy leads to teachers persisting in the classroom, working closely with students, trying risky strategies, and engaging in rich problem-solving, which in turn improves student achievement.

Is teacher efficacy a better predictor of student achievement than socioeconomic status?

Yes, teacher efficacy is a better predictor of student achievement than socioeconomic status.

What strategies do teachers with high efficacy use in the classroom?

Teachers with high efficacy use effective strategies such as persisting with students, working closely with those with learning disabilities, trying risky strategies, and engaging in rich problem-solving.

How does teacher efficacy influence student efficacy?

When a teacher believes in a student's ability to learn, it helps build the student's efficacy, making them more likely to persist with difficult problems and achieve higher.

What is student efficacy?

Student efficacy is the belief that a student has the ability to learn, which is crucial for their persistence and success in learning, especially in mathematics.

How does a mastery experience affect a student's learning?

A mastery experience, where a student successfully tackles a challenging task, boosts their confidence and belief in their ability to learn, leading to a stronger desire to persist with difficult problems.

How can teachers create mastery experiences for their students?

Teachers can create mastery experiences by providing challenges that are slightly beyond a student's current abilities but still achievable, allowing them to experience success and build confidence.

What is the relationship between a teacher's mastery experience and their efficacy?

When a teacher observes a student having a mastery experience, it reinforces the teacher's belief in their ability to help students learn, thus enhancing their own efficacy.

Why is it important for teachers to engage in professional learning?

Professional learning helps teachers build skills and strategies to create more mastery experiences for students, which can enhance both teacher and student efficacy, leading to improved learning outcomes.

How can professional learning contribute to a cycle of high-quality learning?

By engaging in professional learning, teachers can develop the skills necessary to facilitate mastery experiences, which in turn can boost both teacher and student efficacy, creating a cycle of continuous improvement in learning.