Importance of Social Learning

The social learning theory of Bandura (1971) offers an understanding of why a school with a positive culture could potentially care for a students’ needs better than those schools with less than adequate culture. Research has revealed that emotional, social, and academic development in adolescents is impacted by a positive school climate and culture (Bradshaw, Waasdorp, Debnam, & Johnson, 2014). Conversely, schools with negative cultures fail with the support necessary to offer a protective environment which impacts overall achievement (De Pedro et al., 2016). Therefore, a negative school culture would be an obstruction to high expectations.

In support of Bandura’s social learning theory, the study by Oyedeji (2017) found that the learning ability of students was greatly influenced by the climate and culture of the school. To further support the importance of the social environment a study was conducted of 50 public schools from the southeastern United States, in which they discovered valuable insights into quality teaching and relationships. Significant is the idea that quality teaching and relationships are predictors of student learning (Ohlson, Swanson, Adams-Manning, & Byrd, 2016). Bandura’s social learning theory supports learning as a cognitive process that takes place in a social setting. Though this study is focused on school-level data, the data itself is a collective of student behaviors. If students are not encouraged by their teachers or the school provides a setting with which is not conducive to achievement, then there will be a significant impact on student achievement (Ali & Siddiqui, 2016). Social learning theory is easily applied to a school setting because students often do learn by observing their teachers and peers (Bandura, 1971; Firmender, Gavin, & McCoach, 2014). This is important when a school is making a cultural shift to college readiness and high expectations.

The bottom line is we should always be concerned about the culture on our school campus.  A positive culture will lead to positive outcomes.

Until next time...

Marginal Gains

Have you ever wondered why professional athletes become compulsive about small details?  The answer is actually in the details. Many of us have long-term goals for all sorts of things. Our challenge is in how we break those goals down into smaller objectives so we can achieve the greater goal.  When talking about performance, the process remains the same.  Goals are generally large items that have to be divided into smaller achievable steps.  If done correctly, each step is toward the goal.

There are things that can impact our goals.  These are the items that can either distract or impair our abilities to achieve. Professional cyclists know this all too well. Most of them have an obsession with the weight of the bike, for obvious reasons. More weight means more energy needed to pedal and over time, it adds up. Therefore, by reducing the weight of the machine, a marginal gain can be made. Top cyclists are also worried about keeping their machines very clean.  This is for two reasons: primarily, a dirty drive train creates more fiction ultimately slowing the machine or creating an energy drain; secondly, the bike is very expensive and warrant proper care.  Both are important however, only one is going to give a ‘marginal gain’.

People who are operating at the top of their career understand the cumulative effect of the small details.  Most reference the marginal gains as the 1% rule.  If they can make a 1% improvement in several areas over a short amount of time, the gains will add up.  Soon significant progress toward a goal can be achieved.

When we utilize marginal gains in school, we focus on the small wins in the classroom. These are the little steps students can take that move toward the greater goal.  A 1% weekly improvement over a 6-week grading period can make the difference for the next higher grade. Additionally, when we can eliminate the things that negatively impact grades and study time, we can see improvement, marginal improvement. Things that we know can negatively impact grades are things like social media, television, not enough sleep, and diet. When those items are controlled, students can be at their optimum.

The bottom line is we need to look for ways to implement marginal gains in our lives.  The improvement could be significant.

Until next time...