As I was reading the section of the Hoy and Miskel text about collective efficacy I couldn’t help but be reflective of my own experiences in the building in which I work. Being honest, I would have to say that I think my building is making strides towards having collective efficacy but we are not there yet. In the past three years we have gotten a new superintendent and building principal. I think the transition to the new leadership has gone positively but slowly. I don’t feel or hear of a “fire”, or an overwhelmingly contagious energy. Even as I write this I am questioning, “what is South Elementary about?” or for that matter “What is Vinton County Local Schools about? I’m not sure if the lack of answers to this question means we do not have collective efficacy but I do find it troubling. (Have I not paid attention during a really important meeting?) I feel like often times we, myself included, like to fall back on students’ backgrounds, family situations, etc. as reasoning behind our expectations of them and their achievement. According to the text, Bandura found that “(1)student achievement was significantly and positively related to collective efficacy, and (2) collective efficacy had a great effect on student achievement than did student socioeconomic status.” (Hoy&Miskel, 9th Edition, pg. 192-193). That is such an important finding. That research tells me that as an administrator a top priority would be to get my building on board and in line with district vision, to establish and communicate clear goals to staff and families, and work diligently to develop a strong level of collective efficacy. Self-efficacy is a result of intrinsic motivation. I am much more intrinsically motivated than I am extrinsically, and therefore I feel that I have a good level of self-efficacy. Does this mean that I never question myself, or think for a fleeting moment that maybe I can’t do something? No, certainly not. However, I buckle down, grin and bear it, and see it through. This is how I was raised. My parents instilled in me from an early age and it is a very helpful quality to have as a teacher. You never know what challenge you may face from year to year or even day-to-day depending on your students. I think it is important to approach situations with a sense of determination and optimism. A self- efficacious person can be very impactful in a classroom, and a building full of self-efficacious people can be very impactful to families and the community. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: < http://listserv.ohio.edu/pipermail/ous-lp-rp13/attachments/20180622/aaeadefe/attachment.html >
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