Self-efficacy is the belief that someone has the intrinsic ability to achieve a goal. A student with high self-efficacy allows himself to believe that he can succeed academically. (Bozo & Flint, 2008) Believes that a challenging problem is a task that can be mastered This student is more engaged in working in class. (Schunk,1991). On the other hand, a student who has a low level of self-efficacy is likely to be academically motivated. He is more likely to avoid a difficult task, give up, make excuses, or lose confidence in his abilities (Margolis & McCabe, 2006). This failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Teachers must find ways to motivate these students by increasing their self-efficacy. A positive mood in the classroom increases students' self-efficacy. I stand in the doorway and greet each child as they enter the classroom. A simple: "Hi, how are you?" it's often enough to make most students smile. Choice is also a very important motivator for increasing a student's self-efficacy (Brozo & Flint, 2008). I allow students to demonstrate choice in several ways. I give each student several level-appropriate books to choose from. The student chooses from a “menu” of interesting and engaging group activities to demonstrate mastery. I need to change the students' way of thinking from “I can't” to “I can”. One strategy is to increase the chances that a student will have a successful academic experience. The student should be given short, achievable tasks that are moderately challenging. The task should not be so easy that the student insults or so difficult that he gives up. Once the student demonstrates mastery and realizes that he or she can succeed, I gr...... middle of paper ......al. When I need to pair students up quickly, I will tell them to find their twelve o'clock friend or their six o'clock friend. For example, students will meet their friend periodically during the writing process. Each student will share two complements and a suggestion about their partner's work. In the math lesson each member will share with a partner their method for solving a problem. Many other times throughout the day, I will simply tell students to turn to their tablemate and share their work. These authentic learning activities are more engaging for students and allow for a wide range of learning styles. It is vital that all teachers try to integrate these experiences into their classroom as often as possible. These activities usually take more time and energy to plan and implement, but the benefit to students makes the extra work worthwhile.