Self Concept & Self Esteem

(Link to the article I am previewing)

• Do you agree with the opening/headlining sentence?

I do agree with it, because the article that follows the headline has research and data to support it's claim, and it makes logical sense.

• Describe the difference between Self-Esteem and Self-Concept.

Self Concept is how the person sees themselves. It is an image created by the failure or success in domains that are important to the individual. Self Esteem is the value the person may have upon him or herself.

• How has your self-concept grown in the past 2 years?

My self concept has grown to be more accurate than it was when I was younger. Support from my parents, siblings, and peers has made it strong, and I am happy I have such a solid support system.

• What are your domains of importance?

My domains of importance are academics and behavior.

• What is the "normal-curve" that is referenced in the Reducing the Availability of Social Comparison cues? How does it apply to grading practices? 

Most likely what teachers and other well-respected adults might think is the "average performance" of a student. This article is saying not to focus so much on if the student is below or above-average but if they are improving from where their academic skills used to be. Maybe this article is saying focus grading according to the improvement of the student more than on comparison to other students.

• Do you agree with the method outlined, "avoiding grading that allows only a few students to achieve high grades?"

I agree with the article in saying that teachers should focus more on if the student is improving from last assignments or performances. And if this method is worrisome to teachers and parents, they can still know if the student is above- or below-average, but instead of emphasizing it to the student, help him by using this method- help him slowly improve his academic skills until he is at the performance level that he and his parents like, or even beyond that!