Module 4

This week’s readings focused on chapter 9, Complex Cognitive Processes, chapter 10 The Learning Sciences and Constructivism, and chapter 11 Social Cognitive Views of Learning and Motivation.  Of all the chapters that we reviewed this week chapter 11 stood out most to me.  This chapter focused on the Social Cognitive Theory, Modeling: Learning by Observing Others, Self-Efficacy and Agency, Self-Regulated Learning, Teaching Toward Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulated Learning, and the Theories of Learning.  

This chapter stood out to me for many reasons but mainly because it talked about believing you are capable of a certain action in order to reach your goal.  This is known as “self-efficacy – A person’s sense of being able to deal effectively with a particular task” (pg. 404). For children who have learning challenges this is honestly the biggest part of the puzzle.  Parent and teachers can do everything in their power to set a child up for success but if the child does not believe they can complete the task it is all done without success on the student’s part. I see a strong connection between self-efficacy and learned helplessness (chapter 4 Pg. 139). It seems like a vicious cycle kids are unable to do a specific task, learn that they “can’t” do a task (learned helplessness) then believe that they are unable to do effectively do future tasks (self-efficacy).  

Learned helplessness and self-efficacy is something I am working hard to overcome with my son. Although he has had great success in some areas of schooling he still struggles in others.  The section on Teaching Toward Self-Efficacy and Self-Regulated Learning was fascinating to me. Although I know his teachers know about this topic as a parent was fascinating to not only to read about what self-efficacy and self-regulated learning is in detail, but how to overcome it.