Summer Reset Series Finale: Teaching for Transfer, Self-Efficacy, and Student Independence
In this final Summer Reset episode, we are talking about self-efficacy and why it matters in the upper elementary literacy classroom.
Throughout the Summer Reset series, we have talked about systems, time sucks, instructional clarity, and Tier 1 instruction. This episode brings those ideas together by asking an important question:
How do we design literacy instruction that helps students become less dependent on us?
Because the goal is not just for students to complete the task or look successful while we are standing beside them. The goal is for students to begin carrying the learning for themselves.
That is where self-efficacy and transfer come in.
What self-efficacy is
Why self-efficacy matters in the literacy classroom
How students’ beliefs about their ability impact learning behavior
Why students may avoid tasks they do not feel equipped to handle
How modeling can support both self-efficacy and self-regulation
What self-efficacy has to do with independence and transfer
Self-efficacy refers to what students believe they are capable of doing in relation to learning and completing a task.
A student’s self-efficacy can be influenced by their learning environment, and it can also impact how they behave in that environment.
Even students with strong self-efficacy may avoid a task if they do not feel equipped to handle it.
If students only appear successful when the teacher is guiding every step, we have to ask whether the learning has really transferred.
The goal is for students to think, apply, problem-solve, and make meaning with more confidence and less dependence on us.
What did your students learn to do independently this year that they could not do at the beginning of the year?
As we wrap up the Summer Reading Teacher Reset, this question is going to carry us into the next season of the podcast:
In this episode we discuss:
How do we design literacy instruction so students are not just completing work, but building the confidence and capacity to use what they have learned without us?
Because learning that only works when the teacher is standing beside the student has not fully stuck yet.
For coaches and leaders:
How can we support teachers in designing instruction that moves students toward independence instead of dependence?
Strong instruction is not just about helping students get through the lesson. It is about helping students build the confidence, strategies, and self-regulation needed to use what they have learned with greater independence.
Quotables:
“Self-efficacy refers to what a student believes they are able to do as it relates to learning and their ability to perform a task.”
“Self-efficacy can be influenced by a student’s environment, and a student’s self-efficacy can impact how they behave in their learning environment.”
“Even students with high self-efficacy will not attempt a task if they do not feel equipped to handle it.”
“The goal is not just for students to complete the task. The goal is for students to begin carrying the learning for themselves.”
“Learning that only works when the teacher is standing beside the student has not fully stuck yet.”
Research and resources mentioned in the episode:
Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (2007). Influencing children’s self-efficacy and self-regulation of reading and writing through modeling. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 23, 7–25.
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Next Steps:
If this episode resonated with you, take a screenshot and tag me on Instagram at @msevamireles.
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