Nearly three decades ago, I was hired to teach basic computing classes at a community college in Virginia. I possessed, at the time, no teaching experience, but it was the nineties, and I was comfortable with computers and Microsoft Office software. You’re hired! I was confident. I’d begun using the Office suite in college, I’d recently left a job doing IT support for a bank, and teaching sounded fun.
It could have all gone fine, but one of the classes I was hired to teach should have given me pause: Intro to Microsoft Access. I had used the database program in a limited way in a previous job — just enough to make me think I knew something — and assumed I could teach myself the rest quickly enough. (I know. Hubris.) So along with my courses introducing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, I hurriedly purchased a teach-yourself-Access manual.
The first week went okay. Everything after was a disaster. Some of the students had never touched the software. I could teach them something. But many of the students had about the same experience I’d had with Access. They’d used it in a basic way or played around with it in the weeks before class started. One student needed to be proficient in the more advanced features of Access to advance in his job. On my best days, I was barely one step ahead of them as we made our way through the curriculum. Almost immediately, I came to dread Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
I hadn’t thought about that experience in a long time, but it came back to me as I read the research on self-efficacy for teachers. In a nutshell, self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations or achieve a goal. Self-efficacy is sometimes described simply as “task-specific self-confidence.” But it’s incredibly important to the teaching and learning process. Research has even shown that self-efficacy — the feeling of I can do this — to be more important than prior knowledge or ability in student achievement. Our beliefs, and our students’ beliefs, are powerful.
Much of the self-efficacy research is about our students and how we can help them develop it (another blog on that later), but self-efficacy is an important construct for teachers as well. (In his research on student achievement, John Hattie has found self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy to be among the most powerful influences.) Researchers have explored several different dimensions of teaching self-efficacy, and these three jump out for me.
Self-efficacy in teaching content —this one is about our confidence in our subject area. Do we know the ins and outs of what we’re teaching so that we can be flexible, help students see why it matters, and make connections to other things they’ve learned? When a teacher really knows their subject matter, they’re often more excited about it, and they can make it come alive. They might exude a more positive energy and an openness to questions because they aren’t worried something will come up that they can’t handle. When I think back to that Microsoft Access class, this one hits home. I am quite certain I did not exude open positivity, and I know I dreaded questions. I was terrified of them because my subject knowledge (and my pedagogical knowledge) was about a quarter of an inch deep.
Self-efficacy in pedagogical methods — this one is about our confidence in our teaching toolbox, about the craft that is teaching. Do we have a variety of strategies for helping students learn, no matter the student and no matter the content? When unexpected situations arise (there are endless ways our plans can go sideways, student emotions, planning missteps, distractions, and clear signs of boredom among them), do we have moves? Sometimes the move is as simple as acknowledging that something isn’t working and then trusting the students to help figure it out. Back in that Access class, I was too afraid to acknowledge when I didn’t know something (note to past self: they figured it out anyway) and I had very few tools in my toolbox. The confidence I started with quickly dissipated.
Self-efficacy in relationship building — the truth is, a teacher can have impeccable content knowledge and an intellectual understanding of pedagogical strategies, but if they have a difficult time connecting with students, they are going to struggle. Teaching is a human endeavor, and when we have genuine relationships and connections with our colleagues and students and among our students, teaching and learning happen. We laugh. We enjoy ourselves. We allow students to surprise us with their interests and insights. I don’t think I got to know any of the students in that Access class in a real way. My model of teaching at that time was of an expert at the front of the room, and my own insecurities prevented me from forming the connections that might have smoothed the way.
So what can we do with this? We aren’t going to experience self-efficacy at every moment of every day, but it can be helpful to reflect on our areas of strength and weakness, and work to bolster the areas where we seem to feel less confident most often. Do you hate a particular unit or are you teaching one for the first time? Do you have a colleague you could talk to that has taught it before? Can you acknowledge to your students that the content is new to you and approach learning it together? (This still requires teaching leadership on your part, but it can be liberating to admit you aren’t an expert. It can even open a path for students to take more risks in their thinking because you’ve already acknowledged you don’t have all the answers.) Or, do you struggle with a particular dynamic in the classroom? Do your jigsaw, discussion, or group activities often fall flat? What are you doing when you feel the most positive energy flowing through you and your students?
It’s important to remember that we don’t have to fix everything all at once. Even small adjustments over time can lead to positive change. So as you roll into this new school year, try to leave some time for reflecting and setting goals — however large or small — to bolster areas where you feel least confident. If you aren’t certain where to begin, the start of the school year is the perfect time to set relationship-building goals. At Astra, we always suggest that when in doubt, no matter what time of the year it is, start with relationships.
(And one final tip: don’t agree to teach Microsoft Access when you have no business doing it.)
Image Credit: Image created by WIX AI
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