Veronica Acevedo
National University
Social Cognitive Theory and Annie’s Comments Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory “accepts most of the principles of behavioral theories but focuses to a much greater degree on the effects of cues on behavior and on internal mental processes, emphasizing the effects of thought on action and action on thought (Slavin, 2014). Ultimately, Bandura believed that people can influence their behavior based on their environment & objectives.
Annie is a fifth grade student who has become really quiet, especially in her Language Arts class. She genuinely believes that she lacks skills in the subject and goes on to say “I just can't do this writing stuff”. She tells her teacher that …show more content…
For example, “physical education teacher demonstrates jumping jacks, and students imitate” (Slavin, 2014). In order to help Annie believe in her capacity to do well in Language Arts, she needs to have a role model; someone who will help her understand that the learning process can be slow and tough but she can make progress if she tries. In addition, Bandura’s “Four Phases of Observational Learning” are also a great strategy to help Annie develop a sense of confidence. Having a teacher or mentor who will build trust and model the desired behavior will boost the student’s self-assurance. The trust will allow for the student to want to practice and eventually believe that she does have what it takes to achieve her …show more content…
In order to help improve Annie’s self-regulation, she needs to be reminded that she is very much capable of performing the given task. The task must be broken down into clear and concise steps. Annie can use a progress log to track her growth in Language Arts. For example, when given a vocabulary quiz she can set a goal of getting 7 out of 10 words correctly. The second time around she might increase it to 8 out of 10 and so on. This process will help her be present in her progress and stride for better results. A task completion form will also be useful when writing a research paper. She can check off the tasks from her list as she completes them. There are multiple learning strategies that help student’s self-regulation.
Addressing Typical vs A-typical Behavior
The development of our students is foreseeable. All children should go through developmental milestones such as walking, creating sentences and so on. In saying this, it is important for educators to pay attention to those students who have delayed developmental progress. Typical behavior involves “problem solving, expression, and social interaction; whereas A-typical behavior can include, “limited eye contact, responding only when spoken to and absence in play” (NCLD, 2015). In Annie’s case, her lack of motivation and anxiety of writing are coinciding signals of A-typical