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Define “success” in clear and relevant ways.  Display pictures or videos of students at work on projects with comments about the skills being demonstrated.

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Encourage students to feel more relaxed and not threatened in the classroom. This will help them feel more confident in their ability to succeed. Learn more about how you can use mindfulness practices to help achieve this here.

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What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of awareness and a practice; it involves attending to the present moment and cultivating an attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance of one's experience. It is a secular (non-religious) practice that is backed by a growing body of compelling scientific evidence that indicates a wide range of potential benefits, from improving physical and mental health to promoting pro-social behavior. Mindfulness can play a vital role in helping students and teachers create a classroom environment conducive to learning and personal growth.

Learn More about Mindfulness

Below, you can download our Mindfulness Toolkit-a 90-minute professional development session designed for educators seeking research-based strategies to help their students build this particular competency.

Why Download the Mindfulness Toolkit?

Our free toolkit provides educators with a variety of resources and strategies to support the development of mindfulness.
The toolkit includes:

More information on what mindfulness is and why it matters;

A range of strategies teachers can integrate into their practice at all grade levels;

A video on student and parent perspectives on mindfulness; and

A facilitators guide (including an abbreviated guide for a 45-minute session).

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What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is a state of awareness and a practice; it involves attending to the present moment and cultivating an attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance of one's experience.

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Celebrate small amounts of progress and leverage momentum by tracking and displaying a classroom- or school-wide goal (for example, with a goal thermometer). Focus on what’s already been achieved by showing students that they’re already x% of the way to meeting their goal (even if x is a low number). Celebrate each incremental step towards the goal to give students the experience of being successful in small ways.

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Highlight students who initially struggle but eventually succeed at an activity or with challenging content. If they’re willing, ask them to share how they accomplished their success. Find ideas for how to facilitate conversations with peer models here.

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Click for video about using models. Modeling is a type of social comparison that has an important influence on children's self-efficacy during skill acquisition. Modelingan occur in two forms:

Children who observe a successful model similar to themselves are likely to believe that they can perform as well as the model and thereby experience higher self-efficacy (this section).

Children can also serve as their own model by observing tapes of themselves or by mentally reviewing the steps they need to complete a project (next section).

Digging Deeper: Research on Models

Considerable research has shown the usefulness of models. Teachers are important models, of course, but Dale Schunk and Antoinette Hanson (1985) found that students can be just as potent. When they showed elementary students a video of peer models learning a skill, the observers gained more in self-efficacy and achievement than when they watched a video of a teacher. Predictably, both types of models were more effective than no model at all.

Donald Meichenbaum (1971) found that models who verbalized their coping strategies were more effective than models who appeared to immediately master a task. Dale Schunk and Jo Mary Rice (1984) learned in their research that students who verbalized strategic steps had higher self-efficacy and listening comprehension performance than students who did not. They also found that verbalization prior to performing a task also had a positive impact. It is possible that verbalizing draws attention to the progress the model is making, similar to the way goal-setting allows one to monitor progress.

The variety and number of models provided also has been found to influence self-efficacy. Alan Kazdin (1974, 1975) reported that subjects who imagined multiple models rather than a single model showed greater progress. Multiple models increase the likelihood that the observer will perceive himself as similar to at least one of the models.

Remember, another important principle of modeling is perceived similarity between the observer and the model. When the observer considers herself similar to the model, learning is more likely.

How to Effectively Use Models to Increase Students' Self-Efficacy

Student Models During Lessons
Many learning activities do not provide objective standards for assessing performance, and students must evaluate their capabilities in relation to the achievements of others. Within a classroom, students make judgments about their own abilities by assessing their progress in comparison with their classmates, as well as by observing how well classmates progress. The more a student perceives himself to be like a classmate, the more the classmate's success or failure will have an impact on his judgment of his own ability. This perceived similarity to the model is an important factor. Models who are similar in competence provide the best yardstick for students to assess their own skills and ability.

You can easily include your students in classroom demonstrations. Select students with a variety of skill levels for the demonstration, and confirm that the student can accomplish the skill correctly in the demonstration prior to having her model it in front of the class. This modeling strategy is NOT intended for use at the end of the lesson, where students may be tempted to compare their work with what the model has accomplished. In order for the models to be effective with the student you are working with in this study, the student must perceive herself to be as skillful or more skillful than the models you are using. If your student sees someone succeed whom she believes is less skilled than herself, then she will believe that she can also perform the task. Using a model that your student believes is more skilled, will do little to improve the student's confidence.

Oral Questioning
The common classroom practice of oral questioning provides a continual daily environment in which students assess classmates' competencies and make comparisons. When a student correctly answers a question, a positive experience should result for the student. When a student fails to respond correctly to a teacher's question, not only is the student's self-appraisal of his own skill diminished, the self-efficacy of students in the classroom who perceive themselves as having abilities similar to or less than him may also decline, since they may begin to question their own ability.

The benefits of oral questioning may be limited. Although it affords teachers an easy method to assess what students have learned, it also can build inadvertent roadblocks into the learning process. Imagine that a teacher is presenting new information to her class. Suppose she asks one of the highest achieving students a question and that student is unable to answer the question. How will the incorrect answer affect other members of the class? While it may have a limited impact on those who believe they know the answer, the self-efficacy of those students who are somewhat unsure about the new material may substantially decline. They may be thinking, "This must be hard. Jane is really good at math and she could not figure it out. How will I ever be able to do it?"

Now imagine that one of the low achieving students is asked the question, and she is able to correctly answer it. Those students observing may be thinking, "This stuff is easy. Jane has trouble at math and she can do it. I will be able to easily do it." In the latter case, the self-efficacy of the class may actually increase. The problem for teachers is that it is sometimes hard to predict how well the target student will respond. You may wish to:

Ask open-ended questions that allow for a variety of responses.

Develop a hand signal system with your class. You might have the students show thumbs up for a "risk-taker" answer that they are unsure about, but would like to share.

Let students know that they do not have to proceed alone. When they are unsure or incorrect, allow them to consult with other students to develop a better answer.

Acknowledge all who contribute to solving a question. Even students who have risked giving an incorrect answer at the start of a lesson have contributed toward the solution.

Students can put their answers on slate boards or sheets of paper and display the boards toward the teachers. There is something less intimidating about writing an answer that can easily be erased.

Working in Small Groups

Students who already understand concepts can also serve as models by demonstrating the concepts to other students. Learning with and from each other takes advantage of the power of modeling. Pairing students or allowing them to work in small groups where students serve as each others' models can be more potent than having the teacher model the lesson. Naturally, group work should be structured such that each member of a group can contribute to the process. For example, this might include having some record responses, while others look up information. High achieving students need opportunities to work with each other.

Cross-Age Tutoring
Cross-age tutoring is another effective use of modeling. Not only do the younger students look up to the older students, the older students often act much more responsible when they assume a modeling role. Cross-age grouping also gives older students an opportunity to recognize how much progress they have made, as they compare their knowledge level with younger students. It goes without saying that any one technique should be used in moderation. You may arrange for your student to tutor younger students in a lower grade.

It is important to note that students should not be expected to replace the teacher or to be private tutors. Bright students have a right to learn at a pace commensurable with their ability and it is unfair to slow their learning so they can play teacher. This is not to say that it is not possible to arrange learning opportunities in which they can serve as learning models.

Involving Former Students
Another way to use modeling is to ask some of your former students to visit your class and talk about their experiences. The value of modeling is that it lets students know that others like themselves have successfully accomplished what they are about to attempt. The more your students see themselves similar to the successful model you provide, the more confident they will be about doing well on the new task. Peers usually serve as coping models- someone who succeeds, but with some effort. Coping models are often more influential than mastery models, who appear to do well without much effort. You might arrange to have an older student from an upper grade work with the student involved in this study.

Do not have high achieving students dominate recitation sessions. Despite our efforts to the contrary, students often report that teachers call upon a limited pool of students. Avoid saving the hardest questions for the highest achieving students. Not only does this practice send a message to other students about your confidence in their ability, but high achieving students often complain that they are only called upon when no one else knows the answer. Like everyone else, they don't enjoy being stumped by questions.

Check Your Understanding:

In order for students to set high standards and have model examples, it is effective to showcase the best students' work.
True False

In the next section we will discuss how to use self-modeling with your student.

Next Section: Help Students Serve as their Own Model
Previous Section: Help Students Document Their Growth

© 2000 - Del Siegle - This material may not be reproduced or distributed beyond this website.

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Click for video about using models. Modeling is a type of social comparison that has an important influence on children's self-efficacy during skill acquisition. Modelingan occur in two forms: Children who observe a successful model similar to themselves are likely to believe that they can perform as well as the model and thereby experience higher self-efficacy (this section).

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Ask students to keep a record of something new they learned or something at which they excelled by making a note of it each day on a calendar. Or, have students reflect on past successes using this worksheet.

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Learn about ways to build academic self-efficacy in language arts classrooms by reading the vignettes and recommendations in this article.

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Help students learn from others who demonstrated self-efficacy skills and examine how they might apply those skills in their own lives by following this lesson plan. Reference quotes from historical figures about achieving the impossible here.

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Use Personal Projects to help students practice building their self-efficacy. Find a guide here.

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May 2012 | Volume 69 | Number 8
Supporting Beginning Teachers Pages 86-87

Robert J. Marzano

Students can more easily learn the skills of self-efficacy in the context of strong personal aspirations.

Many frameworks that outline the skills necessary for success in the 21st century emphasize the importance of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief that one has control over one's own life; it's accompanied by a set of skills that include the ability to

Identify long- and short-term aspirations that are personally meaningful and that contribute to one's sense of well-being.

Set concrete long- and short-term goals relative to one's aspirations.

Monitor progress toward long- and short-term goals and revise actions or goals as needed.

Identify, monitor, and change personal beliefs and habits that are impediments to successfully completing one's goals.

Intuitively, these seem like powerful skills to teach, and many classroom teachers try to foster them at every turn. However, they're difficult to teach in the artificial, academic context that's so often embedded in traditional subject areas.

Rather, students can more easily learn these skills in the context of strong personal aspirations. I've found that teachers can use a certain type of classroom project-what I refer to as a personal project- to enhance self-efficacy skills.

Self-Efficacy-In Seven Phases

Personal projects entail seven phases, each of which begins with a question that fosters self-efficacy.

Phase 1: What do I want to accomplish?

In phase one, students identify personal aspirations of interest. Typically, they don't share these with other students; rather, they record them in a journal that's accessible to the teacher only. To help students articulate their aspirations, a teacher might ask, "What would you do if you knew you wouldn't fail?" One female high school student might respond, "I want to go to the U.S. Air Force Academy and eventually fly military jets." A powerful addition to student projects is for the teacher to identify an aspiration and follow the same phases as the students.

Phase 2: Who else has accomplished the same goal, and who will support me?

During the second phase, students look for role models and mentors. The student who wants to fly jets might find her role model in Nicole Malachowski, who not only graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and flew F-15s in combat over Kosovo, but also was the first female to be selected to the Air Force's elite flying team, the Thunderbirds. The student might approach her own parents to be her mentors, just as Nicole Malachowski's parents were mentors for their daughter.

Phase 3: What skills and resources will I need to accomplish my goal?

Whereas phase one encourages students to "dream big" without any limitations, phase three asks them to confront the realities of their aspirations. During this phase, the young female student might find that she has to maintain a high grade-point average, procure a letter of recommendation from a U.S. senator or representative, and be in superb physical condition to be accepted into the Air Force academy.

Phase 4: What will I have to change about myself to achieve my goal?

This phase directly addresses the fourth self-efficacy skill: the ability to identify personal beliefs and habits that get in the way of accomplishing one's goals. It's probably the most confrontational of all the phases. Here, the student might realize that she gets discouraged easily when positive feedback begins to wane. As a result, she might resolve to work against this tendency.

Phase 5: What is my plan for achieving my goal, and how hard will it be?

This phase directly addresses the second self-efficacy skill: the ability to set concrete long- and short-term goals. Students develop written plans that detail the steps they will take to accomplish their goals. With guidance from the teacher, the student who wants to fly jets might develop a detailed two-year plan that, when executed, would most likely result in a higher grade point average and enhanced physical conditioning.

Phase 6: What small steps can I take right now?

This phase partially addresses the third self-efficacy skill: the ability to monitor one's progress. Teachers might ask students to identify something they can accomplish within the next month or two that would be a small step toward their ultimate goal. Because Air Force cadets must regularly run long distances, the student might set the goal of being able to run the mile in less than eight minutes by the end of two months. An effective addition to this phase is for the teacher to ask students to write their small step on a piece of paper and put it in a self-addressed envelope. The teacher then mails these envelopes to students after two months.

Phase 7: How have I been doing, and what have I learned about myself?

In the last phase, students evaluate their overall progress and draw conclusions regarding what they have learned about themselves. The student who wants to fly jets might conclude that she's right on schedule, proud of herself because she's willing to dream big, and ready to celebrate her current progress. This phase is also a time when students can make adjustments in their efforts or time lines. Our student might find that she really isn't as committed to flying as she thought she was but that she's very committed to a career in the military. Such changes in direction are a natural consequence of exercising self-efficacy and are also to be celebrated.

Personal Projects in the Classroom

One nice feature about personal projects is that the teacher doesn't have to attend to each phase every day. Rather, he or she might devote one class period to the first phase and then wait a few days to address the second. After that, the teacher could space each of the remaining phases one or two weeks apart.

Personal projects are most easily embedded in skill-based courses, such as those that teach study skills. Teachers might also embed them in classes that focus on understanding human psychology or in traditional subject-matter classes, in which short periods are set aside to address the seven phases.

Endnotes

Marzano, R. J., & Heflebower, T. (2012). Teaching and assessing 21st century skills. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Heflebower, T. (2011). The highly engaged classroom. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.

Robert J. Marzano is cofounder and CEO of Marzano Research Laboratory in Denver, Colorado. He is the author ofThe Art and Science of Teaching (ASCD, 2007) and coauthor, with Tony Frontier and David Livingston, ofEffective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching (ASCD, 2011).

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Teaching Self-Efficacy with Personal Projects - Educational Leadership

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May 2012 | Volume 69 | Number 8 Supporting Beginning Teachers Pages 86-87 Robert J. Marzano Students can more easily learn the skills of self-efficacy in the context of strong personal aspirations. Many frameworks that outline the skills necessary for success in the 21st century emphasize the importance of self-efficacy.

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Henry Ford said it best, "Whether you think that you can or you can't, you're usually right." But few of us realize the veracity of his statement. Fortunately, there's science (and a little bit of fiction) to back it up - so listen up and learn!
"I Think I Can! I Think I Can!"
Remember the children's story The Little Engine that Could? Defying impossible odds, the little engine did! But did we somehow miss the message of this tale? 50 years have past since the book was first published, and when trying to overcome hardship or pursue our dreams, many of us still think, "I can't." Sound familiar?

The scientific term is " self-efficacy " - the "I-think-I-can" psychological phenomenon that enhances goal achievement. Introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura in 1977, over thirty years later the scientific potency persists (in academia). But even with science on our side, we still haven't quite gotten it. Unlike self-esteem, self-efficacy isn't about a sense of self-worth; it's about believing you are capable of producing a desired result - that you can achieve your goals.

The truth is -- there's so much more to "I think I can" than childhood fiction or a clichéd, feel-good maxim.
The Sway of Self-Efficacy
Everyone has something they'd like to change or improve; everyone has goals. Therefore, self-efficacy is of universal appeal and widespread need. Beyond that, it offers up some really great benefits for potential buyers.

For instance, people high in self-efficacy take better care of themselves, see tasks as something to be mastered, and they feel more empowered. They're not controlled by circumstances. They see setbacks as challenges to be overcome and can cope with hardship better than those with low self-efficacy. They learn from failure and channel it into success, like Thomas Jefferson, Walt Disney and J.K Rowling. People higher in self-efficacy also have a greater sense of motivation and persistence.

Perhaps most important, according to Bandura, self-efficacy affects how we feel, think and act, and low self-efficacy has been linked to helplessness, anxiety and depression. Fortunately, whether your current level is average, ample or absent, much like physical attributes, self-efficacy can be enhanced.
If you Build it, it will Come: Enhancing Self-Efficacy
Here are some simple exercises that you can use to boost your sense of self-efficacy.
Take One Step at A Time
Self-efficacy is developed, in part, through success - and even small achievements can pack a powerful punch. Pick one small change you'd like to make and go for it. Then pick another small change. Then another. Reflect on each success before moving on to your next small goal. Like any other change, enhancing self-efficacy is best achieved one step at a time.
Draw from Your Past
Reminiscing on past successes can help drum up a greater sense of self-efficacy. Reflect on times when you succeeded at accomplishing things you didn't think you could do. Reflect on those moments. What did you accomplish? How did you accomplish it? How can these accomplishments be channeled to help you achieve future goals? What do these accomplishments say about your ability to succeed?
See to Believe
Visualization is a powerful tool. Not only is seeing believing, when it comes to self-efficacy, believing is seeing.... results. Visualization not only primes your brain for success and enhances self-efficacy, it also helps you to see the smaller steps you need to take to reach your end goal.
Find a Role Model
Admire someone else's success. When you see someone else succeed, especially someone who you identify with, you are more apt to believe that you can achieve too. Hence, having one or two good role models can vicariously bolster your sense of self-efficacy.
Accept Self-Doubt...but Put it in its Place
Managing your self-doubt is just one more way to keep "I think I can't" thoughts from derailing your success. When self-defeating thoughts bubble up, accept them as part of the process and move on. These types of thoughts don't necessarily reflect your true capabilities. The key is to not let them stop you from moving forward.
Get Happy
A good mood can also boost self-efficacy while a bad mood can undermine it. Write out all the things that uplift you (i.e. special songs, favorite quotes, etc) and use them to your advantage as you navigate towards your goals.
Solicit Social Support
Another great way to build self-efficacy beliefs is to elicit encouragement from friends and family and to stay away from those who discourage you. Quality social support is a key ingredient to self-efficacy, persistence and ultimately success. Find your best advocates and invite them to be part of your campaign for change.
Source Material
1. Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.

2. Bandura, A. (Ed.) (1995), Self-efficacy in changing societies. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Copyright (2010), Angie LeVan

First published on www.intentionalhappiness.com.

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If You Think You Can't... Think Again: The Sway of Self-Efficacy

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Remember the children's story The Little Engine that Could? Defying impossible odds, the little engine did! But did we somehow miss the message of this tale? 50 years have past since the book was first published, and when trying to overcome hardship or pursue our dreams, many of us still think, "I can't."

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Teaching Self-Efficacy with Personal Projects

# data[].attributes.subject
Teaching Self-Efficacy with Personal Projects

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
May 2012 | Volume 69 | Number 8
Supporting Beginning Teachers Pages 86-87

Robert J. Marzano

Students can more easily learn the skills of self-efficacy in the context of strong personal aspirations.

Many frameworks that outline the skills necessary for success in the 21st century emphasize the importance of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief that one has control over one's own life; it's accompanied by a set of skills that include the ability to

Identify long- and short-term aspirations that are personally meaningful and that contribute to one's sense of well-being.

Set concrete long- and short-term goals relative to one's aspirations.

Monitor progress toward long- and short-term goals and revise actions or goals as needed.

Identify, monitor, and change personal beliefs and habits that are impediments to successfully completing one's goals.

Intuitively, these seem like powerful skills to teach, and many classroom teachers try to foster them at every turn. However, they're difficult to teach in the artificial, academic context that's so often embedded in traditional subject areas.

Rather, students can more easily learn these skills in the context of strong personal aspirations. I've found that teachers can use a certain type of classroom project-what I refer to as a personal project- to enhance self-efficacy skills.

Self-Efficacy-In Seven Phases

Personal projects entail seven phases, each of which begins with a question that fosters self-efficacy.

Phase 1: What do I want to accomplish?

In phase one, students identify personal aspirations of interest. Typically, they don't share these with other students; rather, they record them in a journal that's accessible to the teacher only. To help students articulate their aspirations, a teacher might ask, "What would you do if you knew you wouldn't fail?" One female high school student might respond, "I want to go to the U.S. Air Force Academy and eventually fly military jets." A powerful addition to student projects is for the teacher to identify an aspiration and follow the same phases as the students.

Phase 2: Who else has accomplished the same goal, and who will support me?

During the second phase, students look for role models and mentors. The student who wants to fly jets might find her role model in Nicole Malachowski, who not only graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and flew F-15s in combat over Kosovo, but also was the first female to be selected to the Air Force's elite flying team, the Thunderbirds. The student might approach her own parents to be her mentors, just as Nicole Malachowski's parents were mentors for their daughter.

Phase 3: What skills and resources will I need to accomplish my goal?

Whereas phase one encourages students to "dream big" without any limitations, phase three asks them to confront the realities of their aspirations. During this phase, the young female student might find that she has to maintain a high grade-point average, procure a letter of recommendation from a U.S. senator or representative, and be in superb physical condition to be accepted into the Air Force academy.

Phase 4: What will I have to change about myself to achieve my goal?

This phase directly addresses the fourth self-efficacy skill: the ability to identify personal beliefs and habits that get in the way of accomplishing one's goals. It's probably the most confrontational of all the phases. Here, the student might realize that she gets discouraged easily when positive feedback begins to wane. As a result, she might resolve to work against this tendency.

Phase 5: What is my plan for achieving my goal, and how hard will it be?

This phase directly addresses the second self-efficacy skill: the ability to set concrete long- and short-term goals. Students develop written plans that detail the steps they will take to accomplish their goals. With guidance from the teacher, the student who wants to fly jets might develop a detailed two-year plan that, when executed, would most likely result in a higher grade point average and enhanced physical conditioning.

Phase 6: What small steps can I take right now?

This phase partially addresses the third self-efficacy skill: the ability to monitor one's progress. Teachers might ask students to identify something they can accomplish within the next month or two that would be a small step toward their ultimate goal. Because Air Force cadets must regularly run long distances, the student might set the goal of being able to run the mile in less than eight minutes by the end of two months. An effective addition to this phase is for the teacher to ask students to write their small step on a piece of paper and put it in a self-addressed envelope. The teacher then mails these envelopes to students after two months.

Phase 7: How have I been doing, and what have I learned about myself?

In the last phase, students evaluate their overall progress and draw conclusions regarding what they have learned about themselves. The student who wants to fly jets might conclude that she's right on schedule, proud of herself because she's willing to dream big, and ready to celebrate her current progress. This phase is also a time when students can make adjustments in their efforts or time lines. Our student might find that she really isn't as committed to flying as she thought she was but that she's very committed to a career in the military. Such changes in direction are a natural consequence of exercising self-efficacy and are also to be celebrated.

Personal Projects in the Classroom

One nice feature about personal projects is that the teacher doesn't have to attend to each phase every day. Rather, he or she might devote one class period to the first phase and then wait a few days to address the second. After that, the teacher could space each of the remaining phases one or two weeks apart.

Personal projects are most easily embedded in skill-based courses, such as those that teach study skills. Teachers might also embed them in classes that focus on understanding human psychology or in traditional subject-matter classes, in which short periods are set aside to address the seven phases.

Endnotes

Marzano, R. J., & Heflebower, T. (2012). Teaching and assessing 21st century skills. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.

Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Heflebower, T. (2011). The highly engaged classroom. Bloomington, IN: Marzano Research Laboratory.

Robert J. Marzano is cofounder and CEO of Marzano Research Laboratory in Denver, Colorado. He is the author ofThe Art and Science of Teaching (ASCD, 2007) and coauthor, with Tony Frontier and David Livingston, ofEffective Supervision: Supporting the Art and Science of Teaching (ASCD, 2011).

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Teaching Self-Efficacy with Personal Projects - Educational Leadership

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
May 2012 | Volume 69 | Number 8 Supporting Beginning Teachers Pages 86-87 Robert J. Marzano Students can more easily learn the skills of self-efficacy in the context of strong personal aspirations. Many frameworks that outline the skills necessary for success in the 21st century emphasize the importance of self-efficacy.

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Self-Efficacy: Helping Children Believe They Can Succeed

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Self-Efficacy: Helping Children Believe They Can Succeed

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Classroom strategies to improve student self-efficacy and learning outcomes

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Classroom strategies to improve student self-efficacy and learning outcomes

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Attempting the Impossible: Inspirational quotes about self-efficacy from historical figures

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Attempting the Impossible: Inspirational quotes about self-efficacy from historical figures

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"What's that you say? Impossible, is it? We'll just see about that."

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Self-Efficacy: A Key to Literacy Learning

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Self-Efficacy: A Key to Literacy Learning

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What is Self-Efficacy? A video created by TransformEd for teachers, students, and parents

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What is Self-Efficacy? A video created by TransformEd for teachers, students, and parents

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Importance of Self-Efficacy Animation Video

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Self-Efficacy is the belief in one's ability to succeed in achieving an outcome or reaching a goal. This belief, specific to a task or an area of knowledge or performance, shapes the behaviors and strategies that help one pursue their goal. High self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one's own motivation, behavior, and environment, and allows students to become advocates for their own needs and supports. Research suggests that self-efficacy can boost student achievement, foster emotional health and well-being, and serve as a valid predictor of motivation and learning. Studies also have shown that students with high levels of self-efficacy participate more in class, work harder, persist longer, and have fewer adverse emotional reactions when encountering difficulties than students with lower self-efficacy.
See below for a visual representation of the ways in which self-efficacy levels can be influenced:
Learn More about Self-Efficacy

Below, you can download our Self-Efficacy Toolkit - a 90-minute professional development session designed for educators seeking research-based strategies to help their students build this particular competency.

Why Download the Self-Efficacy Toolkit?

Our free toolkit provides educators with a variety of resources and strategies to support the development of students' self-efficacy. The toolkit includes:

More information on what self-efficacy is and why it matters;

An animated short video about self-efficacy that can be shared with students and parents;

A video in which students describe what self-efficacy looks like in their everyday lives;

A range of strategies teachers can integrate into their practice at all grade levels; and

A facilitator's guide (including an abbreviated guide for a 45-minute session).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Self-Efficacy is the belief in one's ability to succeed in achieving an outcome or reaching a goal. This belief, specific to a task or an area of knowledge or performance, shapes the behaviors and strategies that help one pursue their goal.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state of awareness and a practice; it involves attending to the present moment and cultivating an attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance of one's experience. It is a secular (non-religious) practice that is backed by a growing body of compelling scientific evidence that indicates a wide range of potential benefits, from improving physical and mental health to promoting pro-social behavior. Mindfulness can play a vital role in helping students and teachers create a classroom environment conducive to learning and personal growth.

Learn More about Mindfulness

Below, you can download our Mindfulness Toolkit-a 90-minute professional development session designed for educators seeking research-based strategies to help their students build this particular competency.

Why Download the Mindfulness Toolkit?

Our free toolkit provides educators with a variety of resources and strategies to support the development of mindfulness.
The toolkit includes:

More information on what mindfulness is and why it matters;

A range of strategies teachers can integrate into their practice at all grade levels;

A video on student and parent perspectives on mindfulness; and

A facilitators guide (including an abbreviated guide for a 45-minute session).

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What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is a state of awareness and a practice; it involves attending to the present moment and cultivating an attitude of curiosity, openness and acceptance of one's experience.

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Multimedia Resources for Introducing Mindfulness to Your School

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Multimedia Resources for Introducing Mindfulness to Your School

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Find films, lesson videos, presentations, guided audios, and books helpful for introducing mindfulness to your school.

Are you looking for an overview of mindfulness in education to help parents, staff, and administrators understand the power of this work? Start with these short videos and films. All are free and can be shown at staff meetings and parent education nights.

Just Breathe (4 min)

Watch and listen to young students describe how mindfulness helps them handle difficult emotions in this 4-minute film from Julie Bayer, one of our Mindful Schools graduates. You can learn more about the Just Breathe film here.

Room to Breathe (56 min)

Airing on PBS, Room to Breathe was the first broadcast documentary on mindfulness in education. Raw, authentic and human, it is great for showing people what mindfulness training really looks like in a school community dealing with an array of economic, academic and mental health challenges.

Arrive (2 min)

At the start of class, Ms. O guides her high school students in a simple mindfulness meditation practice. This allows students to quiet their nervous systems and get ready to learn. Arrive was filmed at Gateway High School in San Francisco, CA.

Healthy Habits of Mind (41 min)

Healthy Habits of Mind is a 45-minute overview of Mindfulness in Education. Featuring pioneering neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson, it focuses less on classroom implementation than Room to Breathe but has more contextual information on the neurobiology and research underpinning mindfulness. A great overview piece for administrators.

Download a Starter Lesson

demonstrated in the videos above, that introduces mindful bodies and mindful listening to K-5 elementary school students. Try the lesson in your classroom and notice how your students respond.

Listen to three guided practices to get an introduction of how to practice mindfulness through breathing, body scan, and walking.

Mindful Walking

(Click the red play button above)

Mindful walking cultivates awareness of your body while in motion and it's something you can practice throughout the day. It can help increase your energy level if you are tired or restless and also add variety if you're doing longer periods of seated practice.

(Click the red play button above)

The body scan is a simple, structured way of bringing consciousness to different parts of body. The body scan can be very useful as a grounding mechanism when facing strong emotions, or if you're having trouble stabilizing awareness on the breath or body.

Mindful Breathing

(Click the red play button above)

Awareness of the breath is one of the foundational exercises for learning mindfulness meditation. It's a popular starting point because the breath is something you can always access. It serves as a valuable anchor for other mindfulness practices.

Explore all of these techniques and learn the neuroscience behind mindfulness practice in our Mindfulness Fundamentals course for educators. The training expands on topics such as emotions and interpersonal mindfulness and supports you to cultivate a regular practice. Join our upcoming session.

Why is Mindfulness Fundamentals required before taking the Mindful Educator Essentials course? Because before you formally teach mindfulness to students - your self-care, self-awareness, and personal mindfulness practice serves as an essential model for your students. Learn more about Our Approach.

Mindful Schools community members frequently request examples of how we explain mindfulness to parents, administrators, and other educators. Here are a few presentations and interviews from our archives.

Conference Presentation

Mindful Schools Trainer Megan Cowan speaks at the Practicing Mindfulness & Compassion Conference about how mindfulness programs make schools more compassionate places. Co-hosted by our partners at The Greater Good Science Center and Mindful magazine.

PTA Presentation

Mindful Schools Trainer Megan Cowan speaks to a large PTA audience. An excellent example of a presentation that explains what school-based mindfulness programs are to parents.

Google Talk

This mindful parenting Google Talk by Mindful Schools Trainer Chris McKenna includes neuroscience and practical techniques and strategies. (1 hr)

Presentation by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness pioneer Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn describes his vision for mindfulness in education at a benefit for Mindful Schools at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, 2012. (1 hr 40 min)

Adult Mindfulness Books

Mindfulness in Education

Mindful Parenting

Teaching Mindfulness to Youth

Explore Mindful Schools' professional development programs to start training your faculty and staff.

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Multimedia Find films, lesson videos, presentations, guided audios, and books helpful for introducing mindfulness to your school. Watch Films About Mindfulness in Education Are you looking for an overview of mindfulness in education to help parents, staff, and administrators understand the power of this work?

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Prior to beginning a challenging task or project, ask students to identify specific times that they have felt confident in their ability to succeed and describe what they were thinking and feeling in those moments.

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Encourage students to reframe their stress into a mindset of excitement and anticipation by asking them, “What is exciting about this situation?” Have students describe how stress sensations (for example, sweaty palms, racing heart) can be interpreted as preparation for a big challenge. Adapt these strategies for your students for stress reframing.

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5 Simple Tricks to Make Stress Good for You

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Parenting worries? Work anxiety? Sometimes they can actually help (really!).

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Focus on learning activities that are relevant and engaging so that students see inherent value in succeeding. Invite students' opinions and ideas into the flow of the activity to keep the lesson relevant.

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Connect activities with students’ previous knowledge and experiences to ensure that activities are personally relevant and meaningful to them. Explore Character Lab’s playbook on Building Connections for more ideas.

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Build Connections is an activity that helps students understand how their existing interests relate to the content they learn in school.

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Encourage students to use “if-then planning” to plan for specific intentions and overcoming challenges. Learn more about “if-then planning” here or by exploring Character Lab’s WOOP Playbook.

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WOOP helps you set and achieve your goals. Developed by Professor Gabriele Oettingen at New York University, WOOP has more than 20 years of testing in classrooms, gyms, and health care settings.

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Provide students with a learning progression—a roadmap towards mastery of a skill or task— for their assignment that clearly represents what success means at different stages of achievement. This creates an opportunity for students to regularly track their growing understanding and accomplishments throughout the project. Find a video example here. To learn more about working towards mastery, check out Character Lab’s Expert Practice Playbook.

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Using a Learning Progression to Support Self-Assessment and Writing about Themes in Literature: Small Group Work (3-5)

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Lucy Calkins and Colleagues at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project present Using a Learning Progression to Support Self-Assessment and Writing about Themes in Literature: Small Group (3-5)

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Provide students with specific feedback about what’s driving their performance by following this sequence:

1) State what drove the student’s success (e.g., strategy, skill);
2) Explain the degree of success;
3) Use words related to achievement, such as “great job,” or encouragement, “try it again,” at the end.

Have students create an ongoing list of skills and strategies that help them succeed. Have them continuously add on to the list.

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Character Lab's Expert Practice Playbook

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Character Lab's Expert Practice Playbook

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Help students build incrementally toward mastery