What do you understand as the meanings of personal teacher efficacy and collective teacher efficacy?
A teacher’s effectiveness is rated on how he or she is capable of involving a student in the learning process, even those students, who are difficult to deal with (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy 2001). Their efficacy is also related to how they behave in a classroom. Teachers, who are effective, also plan and organize themselves well. Most teachers who do these are the ones, who have the zeal to give out the desired outcome, regardless of the problems he or she may face.
With respect to this, the personal teacher seems to be the one, having these qualities, because of personal conviction. The perception that school rules may have positive effects on students may be termed as collective efficacy. While assessing efficacy expectations, some things are expected, such as socio-cultural influences. In regard to this, they should, therefore, be put into consideration.
Is collective teacher efficacy a fantasy or can it actually characterize the culture of an Ohio school when the new policies are eventually implemented?
The perception of collective teacher efficacy has been proved that it is one independent idea, having two concepts. These concepts are interrelated to each other, and they include comprehending the task and group competence. When new policies are implemented, it has been verified that collective teacher efficacy exemplifies the culture of Ohio school. The reason why it is believed so is that collective teacher efficacy has an effect on the social environment. In order for the performance to be high, the teachers should learn to trust each other. One of the features of collective teacher efficacy is the teacher’s inability and this has a negative impact on the students’ performance. The steadiness and efficiency of Bandura’s theories confirm these studies (Bandura 1993).
Referring to Zepeda as your source, how does an administrator implement professional development policies that build this belief system among teachers?
An administrator’s responsibility is to ensure that the working process is put in order, so that the qualified people may have a premise on which they can build up their capabilities and attain a positive outcome (Zepeda 2012). Researchers have proved that the environment can gauge a person’s ability to do work and his or her capability to compete. Social milieu is one of the factors that influence development growth and, therefore, teachers can be more professional if they are in a place, where professionalism is high. To achieve certain goals, a chain of command of needs should be worked out by the administrator. Thus, the level of labor ability will be increased.
Provide an example of each of the four sources that create collective teacher efficacy
From my own personal experience, it is evident that collective teacher efficacy is based on mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and affective states. Before, it was difficult for me to make decisions, but since my mastery experience, I have been making decisions based on my past. When speaking about my mastery experience, I mean my task-specific experiences, as well as their understanding. I came to realize that the students’ performance was going down and therefore, I had to submit to other applications; so, that their performance could improve because of vicarious experiences. In other words, vicarious experiences mean the process of observation in relation to the tasks, which are performed by other students.
Thus, while seeing how a student succeeds in a certain discipline, some expectations concerning my own abilities can be strengthened. When speaking about affective states, one is to keep in mind that I am talking about a student’s mood, which impacts his or her beliefs in self-efficacy. So, when teachers help reduce stress, a student can successfully complete the task. Social persuasion means credible communication, which helps motivate students.
Thereby, the students, in their turn, try to do their best. Other factors that harmonize the teacher’s efficacy are incentives and rewards. This is because both negative and positive remarks from people encourage me to improve my skills and level of performance. Some of the factors that enhance the idea of collective teacher efficacy are the ability to handle stress and the willingness to change. In order to improve students’ performance, it is advisable to have new approaches to teaching and also have ways to handle stress (Goddard, Hoy, & Hoy, 2000).
How does an administrator carry out her role as an instructional leader who builds collective teacher efficacy in her building?
The administrator should have the capability to put together useful ways of enhancing the atmosphere for learning. In addition to that, the administrator should be knowledgeable of a teacher’s efficacy level. Taking into account the previous statements, one can make a conclusion that the administrator must establish short-term goals; layout a certain strategy, avoid the so-called formulaic type of instructional process. It is also necessary to give focused feedback and encourage accurate attributions.
Reference List
Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28 (2): 117-148.
Goddard, R. G, Hoy, W.K and Hoy, A. W. (2000). Collective teacher efficacy: Its meaning, measure, and impact on student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 37 (2): 479-507.
Tschannen-Moran, M and Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17: 783-805.
Zepeda, S. J. (2012). Professional development: What works, 2nd ed. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.