My big questions

My major inquiry question is how can teachers help build self-confidence within children who easily get frustrated with classroom activities. As well, I have come up with several possible sub questions that support my initial major inquiry question. What are the causes for frustration in elementary school children? How can encouragement be used effectively to help students (if at all)? What are some strategies that students can use when they encounter a difficult task?

How did I come up with my question?

My major inquiry question arose through my observations and teaching practice. Based on my observations, I have come to understand that students who easily become frustrated often need encouragement from the teacher in order to complete their work. While encouragement from the teacher can provide a basis for student motivation and learning, it has its limits. As researchers have discussed, when students continue to work on the praised activity simply to gain attention and approval from the teacher, the motivation is then considered to be extrinsic rather than intrinsic (Houghton, 2015). Once students no longer receive praise or encouragement for completing an activity, they will discontinue and lose their motivation. This causes some students to become dependent upon teacher encouragement. Thus, I want to explore how teachers can help students gain self-confidence and specific strategies on how to complete difficult tasks without feeling frustrated or defeated. Furthermore, from speaking to other educators, I realized that frustration amongst children is a common issue within classrooms. Through my own observations, I realized that this was an issue that I wanted to explore and address further. I want to understand my students and their situations better in order to use my role as an educator to help equip students with strategies that they can use to accomplish tasks and succeed academically within the classroom.

I am interested in the topic of building self-confidence for frustrated students because of my background in volunteer work. I had volunteered as a program coordinator for an after-school tutor program that was created for students who were not meeting grade expectations for Language Arts. Based on my experience, I came to realize that frustration and discouragement was a common thread amongst the students. During my volunteer experience, I never thought of inquiring deeper into the underlying causes of frustration or how educators can help build self-confidence and strategies for struggling students.

Some biases that I have that may impact how I approach my question involve how frustration is shown amongst students. From my own childhood, showing what was deemed to be “negative” emotions, such as frustration, were discouraged by my parents. Since I am female, “aggressive” behaviors and emotions were frowned upon as they were seen to be masculine qualities within my culture. Instead, I had to exude a calm and compliant personality, which was deemed to be feminine qualities. The way that I was brought up may cause me to, consciously or unconsciously, sway towards helping the frustrated boys rather than girls, even if the girls are equally as frustrated as the boys.

How do I see this inquiry being of interest or relevant to others?

            Based on my research and from speaking to other professionals in the field, my inquiry question is relevant to the field of education. This topic is relevant to educators because it explores how educators can help frustrated students find success and achievement within the classroom. Within the academic community, my topic also serves to be of interest to researchers. As other researchers have explored, frustration among students is common within classrooms. Researchers explain that when students feel trapped in situations where they feel as if they have little or no control, students respond by going into a “fight, flight, or freeze” response (Minahan & Schultz, 2014;2015). For anxious students, avoiding a task is the “flight” response and is often the result of their anxious thinking of, “I’m horrible at this! If I try this, I’m going to look dumb.”

Similarly, other researchers have discussed how students’ literacy behaviors in the classroom relate to their academic success, or lack thereof, and how teachers can support academic competence in their students. Observations and interviews were conducted in one study, which indicated that academically marginal students lacked the repertoire of knowledge about learning strategies that were easily articulated by their more successful classmates (Colvin & Schlosser, 1997). For students who had strong self-efficacy, classroom behaviors reinforced their beliefs about themselves as literacy learners. They took more risks and had a range of strategies to use in their repertoire. Conversely, less efficacious students showed different behaviors. For example, they avoided feedback from peers, which meant that they were left to their own devices when confronted with challenging tasks. Colvin and Schlosser (1997) argue that teachers who understand the relationship between student literacy beliefs and their behaviors as a result, can provide opportunities to showcase students’ strengths and address their weaknesses.

In addition to looking at journal articles, I plan to research books and blogs that have been written around my inquiry topic. In particular, I have found that Edutopia is a great resource that shares relevant knowledge about how to achieve student success within the classroom.

Expectations

            Throughout my inquiry, I expect to find effective learning strategies that I can use to teach to my students. With these strategies in place, it is my hope and expectation that my students will be able to effectively complete difficult tasks. I am hoping to help my students gain the self-confidence that they need in order to feel that they can accomplish difficult tasks with perseverance and success. Ultimately, I hope that my students will succeed in their work after exploring the different learning strategies that I will help guide and equip them with.

Integrating the cohort focus

            I predict that personalized-learning can be used as a guide towards my inquiry question. As an educator, it is important that I find different strategies to help each individual student succeed and build their own self-confidence. Each student brings into the classroom their own set of strengths and challenges and it is up to the teacher to help use each individual’s strengths to accomplish tasks. Where there are weaknesses, it is my role as the teacher to help individually scaffold and provide support for their learning. Furthermore, while I may encounter a particular strategy to teach to my students, it is important to keep in mind that one particular strategy may not work for every single student in the classroom. This is why the focus of personalized-learning plays an imperative role to my inquiry question. 

References

Colvin, C., & Schlosser, L. K. (1997). Developing academic confidence to build literacy: what teachers can do. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 41: 272-281

Houghton, K. L. (2015). Impacts of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on reading achievement of first-grade students. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1734380759?accountid=14656

Minahan, J., & Schultz, J.J. (2014;2015). Interventions can salve unseen anxiety barriers. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(4), 46-50. Doi: 10.1177/0031721714561446

Bibliography

Katz, J. E. (2014). Guiding children’s social and emotional development: A reflective approach. Boston: Pearson

Leonetti, R. (1980). Self-concept and the school child: How to enhance self-confidence and self-esteem. New York: Philosophical Library.

Levinson, M. (April 2, 2014). 4 tips to build student confidence. Retrieved from             http://www.edutopia.org/blog/4-tips-build-student-confidence-matt-levinson

Taran, R. (December 7, 2012). Building social and emotional skills in elementary students: Passion and strength.Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/elementary-social-emotional-curriculum-3-passion-randy-taran

Vilson, J. (September 19, 2012). Building a positive, trusting classroom environment. Retrieved fromhttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/building-positive-trusting-classroom-jose-vilson

“I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element of the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can humiliate or humour, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, a child humanized or de-humanized.”

Between Child and Teacher by Haim Ginot, 1976

 Our words show strong ties to identity and individuality. We bring predetermined ideas into the classroom and once there, these ideas have the ability to evolve. Luckily for us, our experiences reaffirmed our values and expectations.

  Walking into practicum there were lots of questions and anxieties, “did I make the right choice for me? Am I meant to be a teacher?”. Stepping into the classroom and in front of the class, I think many of us developed a sense of relief! “YES! This is right! This is what I am meant to do and where I am meant to be”. Insecurities melted away with every lesson and every interaction with students and staff. I am in the right place for the right reason and I feel relief. My experience in the classroom was inspiring because I realized that each of my students have something to bring into the classroom. It inspires me to use my role as a teacher to support and develop my students’ abilities and talents within the classroom. All the amazing challenges, experiences and growth that occurred during my two week practicum was the beginning of my transformation from student-teacher to the vocation of teaching! When describing myself, a teacher is one of my first descriptors listed. It is a part of my identity, and I will pursue this in a very different way than anyone else; one that is entirely unique to me. At no point will I fake any aspect of myself with my students or my colleagues, and through this, I have found to be the most successful teaching strategy is to be genuine. Genuinely you.

Through this experience, being welcomed into the community of the classroom and the school, my perspective of myself as a teacher was redefined.