Self-Esteem For Educators

Course Description
The aim of Self-Esteem for Educators is for teachers to utilize the Internet to access course activities that will allow them to learn skills and principles for integrating a model to enhance student self-esteem and performance in the classroom.

Online Delivery
Participants will access professional literature and research at the course Web site. In addition, students will use a bulletin board system, called the Forum, to receive and report on assignments; participate in group activities and dialogues; and receive personal feedback from the instructor. The Forum is an asynchronous bulletin board system. Students will be posting and dialoging in individual threads specific to each module. Teachers will experience the power of the Internet to connect and network teachers from across the country, and they will enjoy the benefits that connection and support can bring.

Objectives
• Describe and apply a four-phase intervention model for enhancing self-esteem
• Identify different definitions of self-esteem
• Identify the sources of self-esteem and become aware of the impact of these sources on their own self-esteem
• Clarify personal identity
• Discover the purpose of their lives
• Utilize communication skills that enhance the self-esteem of teachers and students
• Increase their awareness of their own true strengths and weaknesses
• Demonstrate skills for nurturing and maintaining their own self-esteem, as well as the self-esteem of students
• Identify personal self-esteem awareness strategies
• Utilize methods for integrating self-esteem principles into content area curriculum
• Increase their understanding of computers, networking, the Internet and the World Wide Web as they relate to K-12 education
• Acquire a basic knowledge of the existing body of research dealing with self-esteem and the effect of self-esteem in the teaching and learning process
• Acquire a basic knowledge of instructional theories and models concerning self-esteem and the influence of these models on integrating self-esteem principles and concepts in the classroom
• Participate in and benefit from collaboration in an online community
• Identify curriculum materials for their specific grade level/content area, including Web resources that will be incorporated into the final project and utilized in the classroom

Curriculum Design
Self-Esteem for Educators utilizes a four-step experiential learning model called SIPA. In addition, there are online small and large group discussions in the Forum, exercises, and written assignments. Homework assignments require participants to do outside reading and preparation of group reports, and specific one-to-one and group self-esteem interactions on the job or at home.

Time Requirements
Self-Esteem for Educators is a 13 week 3 credit graduate level or sixty hour professional development course taught online. Modules 1 thru 9 will be completed over a one-week period each. Module 10 will be completed over a two-week period each.

Hardware & Computer Skills Requirements
Students may use either a Macintosh computer or a PC with Windows 95 or higher. Students should possess basic word processing skills and have internet access with an active e-mail account. Students also are expected to have a basic knowledge of how to use a Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer or America Online's (AOL) browser. To download a browser at no cost, visit one of the following Web sites – Netscape.com; Microsoft.com and AOL.com.

Course Materials
The required textbook for this course is Enhancing Self-Esteem by C. Jesse Carlock, Ph.D. (ISBN 1-56032-396-5). The textbook, course materials, and an extensive Recommended Reading List will be provided for all students. In addition, online readings and Web site reviews (including journal articles and best practices from the body of educational research) will be assigned during the course to enhance learning. These readings will be presented as annotated Web sites within the course content.

Session Outline
Module 1: Introduction & Overview
Objective: Students will understand the purpose, objectives, and requirements of Self-Esteem for Educators. Students will clarify personal expectations and goals. Students will learn an operational definition of "self-esteem." Students will begin to get to know each other and begin the process of building group identity in the Forum. Students will demonstrate the ability to use the Forum by posting a paragraph in the correct Forum as outlined in the assignment.
Contents:
  1. Introduction
  2. Navigation Exercise
  3. Personal Introduction Exercises
       • Posting and Replying in the Forum
  4. Defining Self-Esteem
Culminating Assignment: Students will post an introduction paragraph in the Forum: Introductions and reply to another posting. Students will read Chapter 1 and write a reflection on the chapter. In addition, students will gather information from assigned Web sites, research articles or best practices.

Module 2: A Four-Phase Model for Enhancing Self-Esteem
Objective: Students will learn norms, or standards, for enhancing self-esteem by building critical thinking, responsibility and self-acceptance. Students will learn Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs, a theory predicting and explaining self-esteem. Students will also learn a four-phase development model for enhancing self-esteem. Students will learn a definition of "identity." Students will explore personal identity issues and clarify the importance of self-esteem for content area learning.
Contents:
  1. Key Concepts of Self-Esteem
  2. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Self-Esteem
       • Maslow's Research
       • Forum Posting and Discussion
  3. Overview of the Four Phase Model
       • Identity
       • Strengths and Weaknesses
       • Nurturance
       • Maintenance
  4. Identity and Identity Crisis
       • Define Identity
       • Erikson's "Identity Crisis" Article
  5. Exercise: Who Are You, Really?
Culminating Assignments: Students will post their responses to questions about the assigned readings, Web sites, and research articles or best practices in the Forum and dialog with their colleagues. Students will read Chapter 2 in the textbook and write a reflection on the reading.

Module 3: Intention and Self-Esteem
Objective: Students will define and understand the nature of intention and its relationship to self-esteem. Students will identify typical barriers to realizing intention.
Contents:
  1. Wants vs. Intentions
       • Intention Exercise
  2. Drafting Intention Statements
  3. Intention Reading
  4. Intention Writing
Culminating Assignments: Students will complete, reflect on the Wants vs. Intention activity, and post their answers to questions presented in the module in the Forum and dialog with their colleagues. Students will read Chapter 3 in the textbook and write a reflection on the reading.

Module 4: Strengths and Weaknesses
Objective: Students will learn a definition of identity and identity crisis. Students will understand the role of identity in the development of healthy self-esteem. Students will also raise their awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses.
Contents:
  1. Identifying Strengths, Transforming Weaknesses
       • Identity Exercise
       • Affirmations
  2. Resistance to Change
  3. Observing Behavior
  4. Giving and Receiving Positive Feedback
  5. Self-Assessment and the Johari Window
Culminating Assignments: Students will complete, reflect and post their reflection on the Identity exercise in the Forum and dialog with their colleagues. Students will read Chapter 4 and write a reflection on the assigned reading, Web sites, and research articles or best practices.

Module 5: Internal Dialogue and Self-Esteem
Objective: Students will distinguish between cognition and emotion. Students will raise their awareness of conscious and unconscious thought. Students will identify and change the effect of negative thought patterns. In addition, students will identify strategies for integrating self-esteem into instruction.
Contents:
  1. Thoughts and Feelings
       • Descartes
       • Metacognition
       • Awareness Exercise
       • Norman Vincent Peale
  2. Self-Talk
       • Killer Statement Exercise
       • Lou Tice
  3. Affirmations and Visualizations
       • Personal Affirmations Exercise
Culminating Assignments: Students will complete and reflect on the Killer Statements and Affirmations exercises. They will post their reflection in the Forum and dialog with their colleagues. Students will also read Chapter 5 and write a reflection on the assigned readings, Web sites, and research articles or best practices.

Module 6: Communication and Self-Esteem
Objective: Students will identify techniques for effective communication and practice effective listening.
Contents:
  1. Communication Traits
       • Effective Communication
       • Interpersonal Communication
  2. Empathy
  3. Effective Communication
       • Intention
       • Attention
  4. Exercise: Three Listening Episodes
Culminating Assignments: Students will complete the Listening Exercise, reflect on the experience, post their reflection in the Forum and dialog with their colleagues. Students will also read Chapter 6 and write a reflection on the assigned readings, Web sites, and research articles or best practices.

Module 7: Communication and Self-Esteem Continued
Objective: Students will examine the relationship between negative communication and self-esteem; learn and practice effective disclosure; use self-disclosure to acknowledge and motivate students.
Contents:
  1. Communication and Listening
       • Self-Disclosure
       • Empathetic Listening
  2. "I" Messages
       • Disclosure I Messages
       • Confrontational I Messages
       • Acknowledgement I Messages
  3. Disclosing Self
       • Disclosure Exercise
       • Reflecting on the Experience
Culminating Assignments: Students will implement the Disclosure Exercise, reflect on the implementation, post their reflection and dialog with their colleagues. Students will also read Chapter 7 and write a reflection on the assigned readings, Web sites, and research articles or best practices.

Module 8: Phase Three: Nurturance
Objective: Students will understand the role of nurturance in the enhancement of self-esteem; identify key sources of support and nurturance; reflect upon and evaluate personal relationships; assess the quality of relationship networks, personally and for students in the classroom; create specific intentions for improving the quality of networks and relationships.
Contents:
  1. Nurturance and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
       • Strokes Exercise
  2. Assessing Your Relationship Network
  3. Helping Students Think
  4. Integrating Self-Esteem into Instruction
       • Ideas for Integration
       • Implementation
       • Reflection
Culminating Assignments: Students will complete the Strokes Exercise exercise. They will reflect on the topic of Nurturance and how it applies to themselves and their students based on their experiences with this exercises. Students will post their reflection in the Forum and dialog with their colleagues. Students will also reflect on their relationship network and the ideas presented in the module. Students will write a reflection on their relationship network, the assigned readings, Web sites, and research articles or best practices.

Module 9: Phase Four: Maintenance
Objective: Students will identify and implement strategies for maintaining self-esteem; learn from mistakes; identify risk and reward; set and publicize new personal goals.
Contents:
  1. Phase IV
  2. Phase IV Maintaining Healthy Self-Esteem
       • Learning from Experience
       • Taking Risks
       • Goal Setting
       • Public Affirmation
  3. Self-Esteem Enhancement Activity
  4. Research Report
  5. Final Integration Project
Culminating Assignments: Students will complete the Accomplishment/Achievement activity, develop three new goals and write intention statements for those goals, and complete the taking risks activity. Students will reflect on the results of these activities, post their reflection in the Forum, and dialog with their colleagues. Students will also write a paper on the results of the Self-Esteem Enhancement activity. Students will begin working on their research reports and the final integration project.

Module 10: Final Integration Project
Objective: Students will identify strategies for maintaining student self-esteem; design and apply a new model for integrating self-esteem into instruction; complete the final exam.
Contents:
  1. What Teachers Can Do to Maintain Self-Esteem of Students
       • Five Steps
  2. Model for Improving Content Area Instruction by Enhancing Self-Esteem
  3. Structures for Enhancing Self-Esteem in Content Areas
       • Class Discussion
       • Class Meetings
       • Small Group Work
       • Homework
       • Teacher Talk
Culminating Assignments: Based upon sound educational research principles and best practices that you have learned in this course, create a unit consisting of five lesson plans to demonstrate your knowledge on how to integrate self-esteem principles into a subject specific curriculum area. The lesson plans must reference research articles and best practices related to self-esteem. Students will also submit their research report and complete the final exam.

Grading

Assignment	Points	Grading Scale
Forum Discussions	27	100 – 93	A
Reflections	24	92 – 85	B
Research Report	11	84 – 77	C
Integration Project: Five Lesson Plans	25
Self-Esteem Enhancement	3
Final Exam	10
Total Points	100

Student Requirements

	1.	Participation: Participate in all Forum activities and dialogue with colleagues.
	2.	Reading Assignments: Students will complete all assigned reading in the textbook, Web sites, and research articles or best practices and answer questions in the appropriate Forum thread. Most modules contain a reading assignment from the text. After reading the material, students will write a one-half to one page paper in which they reflect upon the ideas in the reading and how they might apply that information in the classroom.
	3.	Culminating Activity: Integration Project: Students will design a unit of study, integrate specific principles and strategies for enhancing self-esteem into the unit design and content. This unit consists of five lesson plans that integrate the principles learned in this course for enhancing self-esteem. Models and examples will be provided. This project will be due at the end of the course.
	4.	Research Report: Students will conduct a review of the professional literature on the relationship between self-esteem and student achievement locating research articles on the Web and in local libraries. Students will identify at least three major findings or themes from the research, and use these themes as criteria for assessing their own classroom and write a one to two page critical assessment of the strengths and weaknesses they find in their classroom relative to the criteria. Students will send the research report via U.S. Postal Service to the instructor.
	5.	Self-Esteem Enhancement: Choose one of your behaviors that may not serve you well, one that relates to your self-esteem; examine it to determine its disadvantages for you. Make your intention to change the hindering behavior for one week; and write about the results (Maximum of one page). Submit this paper via e-mail to your instructor. Example: You consistently avoid confrontation. Examine this behavior and determine whether this serves you well in the area of self-esteem enhancement. Make it your intention to confront and get your needs met for one week and write about the same. How did it effect your self-esteem, etc.
	6.	Final Exam: An online exam will be given and will cover material presented in the Modules

Student Academic Integrity
Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by our partnering colleges and universities and is subject to academic disciplinary action.

Register
To register to take TEI's Self-Esteem For Educators online graduate course, go to the Course Registration page.