Cogito ergo sum – “I think, therefore I am”
René Descartes ‘Father of Modern Philosophy’
Principles of Philosophy, 1644
Self-concept may be defined as the totality of a
complex, organized, and dynamic system of
learned beliefs, attitudes and opinions that each
person holds to be true about his or her personal
existence.
Self-concept is how we think about and evaluate
ourselves. To be aware of oneself is to have a
concept of oneself.
SELF-CONCEPT and SELF-ESTEEM
are not interchangeable terms
SELF-CONCEPT  ideas about yourself such as how
you regard yourself “I am good at math.”
SELF-ESTEEM  how you evaluate yourself “I feel good
about how I do my math.”
SELF-ESTEEM is a separate
component of SELF-CONCEPT
Some say during early childhood between
ages 3 to 5.
Some say age 7 or 8 when parents, teachers,
and peers begin commenting on the child’s
academic abilities.
But it is agreed that a person’s academic self
evolves and develops as they age.
• transition from elementary and junior high,
high school, etc.
• puberty may also impact self-concepts.
• because of the fewer differences between
elementary and junior high, it is presumed
that self-concepts should remain stable.
Researchers have hypothesized that academic
self-concept declines in junior high because of:
• more emphasis on social comparison
and competition
• stricter grading standards
• more teacher control
• less personal attention from teachers
• disruptions in social networks
To raise a student’s self-concepts, increasing
student’s academic skills is more effective—than
working the reverse.
It is assumed that aggressive students have
low self-concepts and use aggression to elevate
their self. However this is not the case, many
aggressive students express adequate, if not
inflated, self-concepts.
Schoolchildren who are exposed
to dance, music, theater, and the
visual arts appear to better master
reading, writing, and math than
those who simply focus on the
basic curriculum.
• visual arts instruction < reading readiness
• dramatic enactment < conflict resolution skills
• traditional dance < nonverbal reasoning
• learning piano < mathematics proficiency
With a consistent art program students are more apt
to succeed in other academic areas, in addition to
developing needed social skills.
The challenge is to reframe and refocus on
the right strategies to foster students’
sense of competence and self-worth.
• Use classroom interventions like peer tutoring and cooperative
learning.
• Minimize feelings of low self-concepts by reducing social
comparison cues in the classroom.
• Change students’ point of reference when they judge their
abilities.
• Encourage students to focus on how much they have improved
over time vs. focusing on how their peers are doing.
Lessen the social comparison cues
• Make grades private, not public; do not post grades or
“best work”.
• Allow students to improve grades by redoing work.
• Avoid grading that allows only a few students to achieve
high grades.
• Avoid use of ability groups for instruction; make group
membership flexible; allow students to transfer from groups.
• Provide individualized tasks at which all students can be
successful.
• Reduce emphasis on competition against other students;
emphasize improvement over the student's prior performance.
Poorer self-concepts may negatively influence
choices and outcomes.
Positive self-concepts may lead to higher
educational and career
aspirations.
Interactive self-esteem
games and they work!
Eye Spy-The Matrix The object of the game is to click on the smiling
face as quickly as possible. If you click on a face and the screen
does not flip to another set of faces the game is not broken, it is just
that you have not found the correct smiling face. Keep on clicking
through the screens there is an end with a timed score.
http://selfesteemgames.mcgill.ca/games/sematrix.htm
Grow Your Chi I promise you will laugh, it’s not easy to catch the
correct clouds!
http://selfesteemgames.mcgill.ca/games/chigame.htm
Wham! http://selfesteemgames.mcgill.ca/games/wam.htm