observing others who are doing what they would like to do. If the sense of self-efficacy is strong enough others imitate the behavior. People are selective with the person with whom they choose to imitate. Successful people are the desired resemblance. But not everyone can imitate what a single person achieved. People must acquire self-efficacy, which Kalat describes as "the perception that they themselves could perform the task successfully" (223). The reason is that not everyone can play basketball. As well if students see other students doing things they themselves want to do it. If everyone is playing a certain sport at recess it attracts most all the students only if the child knows he is capable of playing. If children provide the correct answer, they are more likely to want to repeat this behavior. It is even more effective if the role model the child admires is seen learning or in this case reading. Holts main point in the essay is to relay to the children that learning can be fun, especially reading. Through self-questioning he tried to devise different ways to learn other than the conventional methods. He came to the conclusion that many students disliked school because they felt that school was a danger. The learning process was partially blocked by the childs fear of failure. This is brought forth in the reading From the very beginning of school we make books and reading a constant source of possible failure and public humiliation (457). It is not fun if the child is wrong. It is always more enjoyable when the correct answer is given and self-esteem is reaffirmed. The children must feel free to advance through failure. But in the classroom failing is deemed as something horrible. Teachers focus on testing students constantly to report progress. But this can not work unless the teachers explain what was done wrong in a positive attitude. Children often see school as a competition. They always compe...
