Running Head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

Statement of Informed Beliefs Brogan Schaeffer Instructor: Evin Fox EDUC 204: Families, Communities, and Culture Fall 2012

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS Statement of Informed Beliefs I consider education to be a highly important aspect of every persons life. There are many different methods of education with varying levels of effectiveness for each

individual learner. People are unique and learn in their own manners. While the particular form of education seems of relatively little importance in comparison with the actual gaining of knowledge, it is critical to be able to successfully transfer knowledge to every student. Every person has different strengths and levels of learning, but every person can learn. It is a teachers job to educate his or her students through a broad range of methods, so that each individual student is able to learn in his or her own way. Students Ability to learn Each student has his or her own specific temperament and abilities; this includes the ability to acquire knowledge but at various levels depending upon the students own ability. I also believe that each student does have the ability to learn. There is not a single person who cannot learn. Every person does however, have a different capacity for education; some students are more mentally acute than others. It is the teachers duty to recognize the intellectual capacity of each student and to adjust his or her education methods to best suit each students needs. To be able to properly ascertain a students level of competency, a teacher should carefully observe the students determination and his or her results. Each student should be pushed to slightly beyond his or her level of competency. The goal of this is to keep students within the zone of proximal development (ZPD), where they are building upon skills and ideas they have already mastered and practicing those they are just beginning to master.

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS Each student should be exerting similar degrees of effort, that is the gifted students should be challenged according to their abilities just as well as the below average students should be challenged according to their abilities. This will lead to those

especially gifted students doing harder work that will keep them attaining higher levels of achievement instead of stagnating them within the rest of the class. Those students who could be considered below average or who have greater academic struggles should also be evaluated on their level. Each student should have his or her own attainable but also challenging set academic goals. Each student also has a different learning style that will affect his or her ability to learn. Not every student will learn in the same way, therefore, a variety of teaching strategies should be implemented to assists in the students ability to learn. Often times a student may not be able to fully comprehend a new concept or skill unless it is explained to them through his or her particular learning style. Teachers Expectations A teacher must form their expectations on an individual basis, forming a different expectation for each student base upon his or her abilities. Each student will either be motivated to achieve or de-motivated by the teachers expectations for him or her. By discovering each students specific capabilities, a teacher can create the best expectations for the students possible level of achievement. Teachers should use achievement motivation to inspire students to achieve something higher than what they thought they could. That is to say a teacher should place a slightly higher expectation for each student than the student sets and through a positive attitude and proper instruction encourage the student to match or exceed that expectation. By fully understanding each students unique

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS gifts, a teacher can ascertain what level to expect that student to perform at, and will encourage him or her to press on and achieve higher levels. The theorists Sadker and Zittleman studied the effects that a teachers expectations have upon his or her students. They found that the expectations a teacher sets for each child has a direct connection to the later performance of that child. When there were higher expectations set, the students rose to meet those expectations while when the expectations were lower the students performed poorly. Their conclusion was that children will match what is expected of them, high or low (Sadker and Zittleman, 2009). Students Social Ecology Theory A students relation to their surroundings and their interaction with other

individuals forms his or her ecology that has a great impact upon the students ability and desire to learn. A students ecology will influence his or her temperament, and selfconcept. Each culture has its own organization of importance. One society will value a certain characteristic or ability higher than anther society. For example, in America there is a great importance placed upon the education of all children. While in a classic Muslim culture, there will be more importance placed upon the general education of boys and girls will be expected to stay home and acquire the skills necessary to manage household affairs. Urie Bronfenbrenner, a Russian-American psychologist, constructed an organization system to categories the different influences upon a childs ecology. He identified four distinct structures: the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, and the macrosystem. The Microsystems are five different groups: family, school, peers,

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS media and community. The Microsystems have the greatest influence upon a childs development and their different points of overlap are termed the mesosystems. The

exosystems are those systems that affect a childs development without the child having a direct connection, for example his or her parents job. The final Macrosystem is the entire composition that forms the environment in which a child is raised (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). Each separate system has an impact upon the childs socialization, that is their understanding of how to interact as a human being and will influence that childs development. A students family of orientation, the family with which he or she lives not necessarily the family into which he or she was born, will either encourage him or her to succeed in his or her education, discourage his or her academic advancement, or have an apathetic attitude toward their childs education. It is crucial to be able to achieve the best possible education that a family be supportive and encouraging to the academic advancements of their child. To give a student the best possible chance for success, a teacher must work with their family to help encourage the child to learn. A teacher must make sure to properly inform teachers of what is currently being taught within the classroom. This will help the students parents better understand what is expected of their child as a student and how they can be of most help to their childs education. By working with the childs family ecology, a teacher will also better be able to gain a better understand of the students level of competency, that is the students current rank of academic ability, and how best to encourage a student on to higher aims. Cultural Diversity Instruction

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS The ecology of the classroom also plays critical role in the students education. The environment within the classroom must be adapted to create a place where the

students can interact without the fear of rejection. Each student should be able to become a positive encouragement for the success of the other students. If this environment is strong enough, it will affect other parts of his or her lives as well. They will be more willing to accept people without prejudices. Students should be able to use their own unique sociocultural background to give the entire class a broader perspective of the world. Differences give the world flavor. Instead of having a negative attitude towards people who are seen as different, children should be taught to respect others for how they are different. Each person has a unique perspective about the world created from his or her own experiences. Instead of a negative issue, it is a learning opportunity. Accepting students who are different will give the class a broader understanding of the world simply through general everyday interaction. A teacher must be concentrate on teaching every new principle or skill in a variety of different way, so as to accommodate a variety of different cultural backgrounds. If the classroom environment is one of accommodation, each student will recognize his or her unique ethnic background as something to be proud of, since it is a part of his or her uniqueness. Each student should also understand that they have the power to change what person he or she will become, simply because a student has a particular background does not mean that his past will determine his future. Even if the students past has had a negative impact upon himself of herself, he or she can choose to create a new future. Accommodating and discussing the various ethnic differences between students will also provide for the general enrichment of all students. However while different

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS ethnic backgrounds are respected students will be required to speak and write in English while in the classroom. If a student has difficulty with the language special leniencies will be given; however, every student should speak the standard language that everyone can understand. By having a universal language within the classroom, the afore mentioned accommodating environment can be fostered. Curriculum for all learners The classroom curriculum should be to some extent learner directed, since this will give the students the most incentive to further their education through the study of something in which each student has a personal interest. The curriculum must also be teacher directed so that the teacher can make adjustments as need be to further each students education. Each student should also be given slightly different assignments to accommodate the various levels of competency within the class, so that every student is being challenged at their own specific skill level. Short weekly quizzes or other assignments will help the teacher acquire feedback from the students as to what they understand and what concepts might need to be reviewed to reinforce the concept. Providing students with opportunities for extra credit through additional homework assignments would help students to work harder, give them more learning opportunities, and provide them with a tangible way to improve their grades.

As an effective teaching strategy, students should also be given opportunities for a private conversation with the teacher. This will give timid students the opportunity to have their questions and difficulties addressed without the pressure of asking in front of the whole class. Students may be concerned that they will be embarrassed if they ask a

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS question the rest of the class may already know. This will also give teachers the opportunity to give direct advice or criticism to each student base upon his or her own needs. Another benefit to private discussions is that it give teachers an opportunity to

reanalyze a students ability and possibly adjust ones expectations for that student. Each student should be given a portion of time with the teachers full attention to maintain the highest level of performance possible for each student. Conclusion Teachers have a great responsibility in the education of the next generation. It takes not only the teacher, but also the entire ecology system working together to promote a childs development. It is a teachers duty to educate every student in his or her class in a manner in which every child can and will learn. Every student can learn and a teacher takes that ability and expects more, thereby encouraging his or her students to achieve bigger goals.

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS Works Cited Brongenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology(6th ed., Vol 1). Hobeoken, NJ: Wiley. Sadker, D., & Zittleman, K. (2009). Teachers, schools, and society (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill