Running Head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

Statement of Informed Beliefs Conrad Freeman Instructor: Dr. Evin Fox EDUC 204: Families, Communities, and Culture Spring 2013

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS Statement of Informed Beliefs Introduction A teacher holds the key that can unlock a students imagination, it only requires a little turn. As my path continues on toward becoming a secondary education United States History

teacher, it is my priority to be the one doing the turning. History is a true story; its a story that is full of passion, desire, and failure. By being a teacher willing to tell that story, I can help students succeed. Planting the desire for history and learning in my students, they will be able to understand how to relate it to their family, communities, and cultures. By connecting history to students, it can show them that, not only learning it, but also understanding it is fun. As a teacher I have to understand how students learn, how to form a learning plan, and hold expectations that are fair and equal. Students Ability to Learn Students have many different kinds of learning styles. Some students learn by watching a DVD, some by doing a certain action, and others by reading material. As a future teacher, I must find ways to accommodate all of these different styles of learning. Other learning obstacles can be present in the classroom; teachers could have students with learning disabilities or students who speak English as Second Language. I must help the students find ways to build scaffolding and help those lessons form intrinsic rewards. I want students to feel good about their accomplishments they achieve in my classroom. Teachers should be a motivator to their students, they should always want to find new ways to teach and help their students learn. I believe that all students can learn. I just have to understand the development of students and that each one is different. I can help students learn history by using different strategies. How I choose

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to deliver the content should reflect the understanding of the process of learning and the product that comes after. In the classroom teachers should know how to help all students. For myself as a future history teacher, I will recognize all styles of learning. I will divide my class time into sections. Helping my students find areas of learning that are strong for them and others that can be worked on. If I was teaching about the Thirteenth Amendment, I would take a few minutes to read about it, for students who learn by reading. Then I would ask for discussions between everyone of what they understood from it, and then explain it to them in a lecture style setting. Using this technique for my students who learn by listening. Then take some class time to show a quick clip from the internet about it, for the students who are visual learners. All these are ways to help students with their ability to learn material. I believe this can be motivational also; it can help kids see how to learn in situations that are sometimes undesirable to them. Teachers Expectations Teachers expectations should focus on what theorist Vygotsky calls a students zone of proximal development and build from that knowledge. By knowing my students and their comfort zones, I can focus on ways to help them learn new ideas and interests by forcing them out of those comfort areas, and help them discover that they can accomplish those tasks successfully. I expect my students to try, and always give their best attempt. I want my students to struggle, but never to fail. I am there in the classroom to be the leader, and help students find ways to be successful. If my students see my best effort every day for them, I believe that their best effort will be given to me. By setting expectations that are both hard and easy, I can help form educational goals of success. When a student is successful in a classroom, it helps him/her

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS build self-esteem and confidence. Both the students and teachers expectations should be the same, they should both want to be successful. As a teacher, there will be times when a student struggles with my expectations. He/she

will struggle because many will want to do only what is easy, and not be willing to try because of difficulty with the assignment. I will always help my students, but I will never do it for them. In my classes, I will ask for a lot of writing of papers and thinking about United States History. I dont only want my students to understand the what, when, where, and how. I want them to feel history. Asking these things, I can bring new ideas to expand their talent to think and learn. These will help them not only in school, but I believe it will help them in life. Students Social Ecology Theory A student who is shown how a subject can relate to their family, culture, and community is likely to grasp the material and enjoy it more. History is a great way to show how it can affect students in everyday life. The stories of history can be brought into the classroom and used as demonstrations of how life was different for many different cultures. With events such as segregation, I can show how families, cultures, and communities had to live. Using this as an example, I can demonstrate the struggles of then and now. Putting history in the everyday lives of students and showing them how it affects them can help them relate to it. Under theorist Jean Piaget rules this technique gives students a connection to a previous life experience, which keeps them in a balance of equilibrium. Another example would be to make a break up letter, where I relate a boyfriend breaking up with a girlfriend, just the way the colonies did with Britain with the Declaration of Independence, or the Southern Confederacy and the Union. There are many other ideas to try and as a teacher, I have to find ways to bring history to my students.

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS There are the good, bad, and ugly sides of learning for students as well. Different

cultures, families, and communities can give a negative attitude toward education, and its effects. Certain families may need financial support, forcing a student to choose school or family. When students come from a poor community, they might form the mentality that they dont need school because they have money opportunities on the streets. Selling drugs, weapons, or even themselves, may make them see that making money is easy, but not understanding the lifelasting effects of those choices. This impacts a student and his/her learning I as a teacher have to find ways to break down those walls of negativity towards an education, and demonstrate that school and learning can help him/ her. Cultural Diversity Instruction Diversity in a classroom is very important and what better subject than history to teach diversity. With classrooms full of many different cultures, students should have an opportunity to share their own. Understanding the melting pot of diversity in the classrooms can help students feel comfortable around others of different cultures. Embracing different ideas can allow students to feel more included. As a teacher I will always use diversity, not only as a teaching tool, but a tool for life skills. In American History there are many ways to demonstrate how different cultures shaped the country we live in today. I can relate that to how a student feels about being from a different ethnic background. Teaching students about how the Chinese built the railroads, the Irish fought in the Civil War, the Italians worked in the factories, and the Mexicans developed the West, shows them how important everyone was in building America. Diversity needs to be brought into the classroom, to show students how people of all cultures built the United States. A teacher should not just focus on culture assimilation. If I was to only teach about white, male, protestant Americans, then a lot of the rich, deep ideas of United States

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS History would be left out. As a teacher it is my duty to not forget about the importance of the many different cultures, and be a voice to the words on the pages that are left out of history books. With students understanding that the big picture involves all of us, they will find the

desire to learn about their traditions and see we are all people, not just white, black, brown, red, or yellow. Curriculum for All Learners A curriculum should help make the classroom inviting and comfortable for students. Following the basic guidelines of a core curriculum is important but I want to add things that also will help with the learning of a student. Conducting an evaluation on the first day, I can understand what my students know about history. Asking the students questions like, what do they know already and what would they want to know more about, I can find a starting point for teaching them. These evaluations will show me the different levels of the students knowledge. I am also able to find out their interests and connect those interests to United States History, hopefully making the class more enjoyable. Another important part of understanding curriculum for learners is assessment. With assessment the teacher can see the progress of their students. Peer assessment is another strategy that can be helpful, by forming peer groups for critique and instruction; students will have another way of learning the material. It always seems easier for students to get help from their peers because they can explain the answers in other ways. Even for tests, a teacher can help the students understand what they missed, and explain the answers to them so they know the material, not just know how to circle the right answer. Conclusion A teacher should be more than just the person in front of a classroom. The teacher should have many different ideas and opportunities to teach about diversity and other cultures.

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Understanding how different diversities can help expand a students abilities to learn, and putting a positive idea with diversity, a teacher can become a role model. History can be used to demonstrate these things and supports things like culture identity. Bringing history into a students life and connecting it to them emotionally, will build a desire to help share it with their family, community, and culture.

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS References Burns M. Roberta. (2013). Children, family, school, community socialization and support. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.