The Essential 55 Ron Clark Analysis

Ron Clark, an idolized educator has attributed his success to the belief in his students. Although a simple task, the faith Clark puts into his students is monumental, a key to his success. After teaching in South Carolina, Clark went to New York in hopes of educating disadvantaged students where good teachers was scarce. Throughout Clark’s teaching career he accounted his lessons, failures, and triumphs while trying to motivate and educate his students. Throughout Clark’s novels, The Excellent 11, and The Essential 55 he displays a social cognitive learning theory. This teaching style encompasses an educators emphasis on modeling, promotion of self-efficacy, and enforcing self-regulation. Ron Clark displays a social cognitive learning …show more content…
Nykal, Clark’s sixth grade student had major behavioral problem, he would give an attitude towards Clark and his peers. Additionally, Nykal struggled in all classes which resulted in a low self-efficacy. This failure and rejection in school prompted Nykal to give up on difficult tasks, therefore, making no academic progress. Clark then set out to improve Nykal’s self-efficacy. Clark did this by informing Nykal and three of the brightest students in the class that superintendent awarded them as showing the most potential. Clark went to great measures to recognise Nykal. Clark sent a letter of praise to Nykal’s parents, brought him out for pizza, and gave Nykal a certificate of achievement. This recognition increased Nykal’s self-efficacy, he was overjoyed to be considered a promising student. This newly found self-belief system motivated Nykal, an effect of his promising student award. This motivation caused Nykal to take notes, try his best, be attentive in class, and his behavioral problems decreased. This performance continued all throughout the year, an effect of Nykal’s increased self-efficacy which builds a students motivation. Nykal’s decrease in behavioral problems demonstrates the effectiveness of Clark’s practice of social cognitive learning theory regarding a child’s …show more content…
Clark’s goal was to improve Nykal’s self-efficacy, however, this process also increased his self-regulation. Ormrod reports that motivation leads to an increased self-regulation because the child is working to improve and can do actions independently when motivated (108). Motivation and self-efficacy are linked, and Clark’s emphasis on improving Nykal’s self-efficacy subsequently increasing his motivation, resulting in his self-regulation. Through Ron Clark’s daily use of promoting a students self-efficacy, and enforcing their self-regulation he can be seen as a social