Running Head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELEIFS

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Statement of Informed Beliefs Valerie Riley Instructor: Carol Billing EDUC 204: Families, Communities, and Culture Spring 2012

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Statement of Informed Beliefs As a future educator there are informed beliefs that I have taken to heart and will incorporate into the classroom. I believe that all students can learn, teachers need to set appropriate goals, a students background shapes them, and students have different learning styles. I will utilize and refine skills necessary to be a facilitator that teaches students holistically. All Students Can Learn All students have the ability to learn. As a teacher I have a responsibility in the process of helping the students learn successfully. I will ensure that my students will learn. I will manage and lead the classroom so my students will learn. Every student has the ability to learn. The teachers responsibility is to provide differentiated instruction to help learning not become stagnant. Incorporating Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences will help meet the needs of students different learning styles (pg. 218). Presenting material that will empower student and will help keep learning fresh and new will be my responsibility. As a defining socializing agent I will help enhance the students self-esteem (pg. 428-9). I will enhance their self-esteem by being understanding, being a good listener, give choices, give praise, be encouraging, provide opportunities to cooperate and help, while setting appropriate limits. Students need to see the potential in themselves and be able to see the benefits of learning. The teacher needs to help develop the students self-perceptions and communicate to the students how they will become contributing members of society no matter their socioeconomic status.

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Progress monitoring is essential in ensuring that all students learn. As a teacher, I will regularly asses the progress of students. If I feel that learning isnt taking place, I will make a plan to try different methods of teaching that student. I will keep assessing and making adaptations until a breakthrough is made. I will use all the methods know to me and will seek advice from colleagues as needed to ensure that all my students will learn. Setting goals with students for test scores and what they are expected to learn in a subject for the year will be important. This can take place during an open house, during a parent/teacher conference, or written communication home. If the student knows what the goal is and there is a time of reflection on how they are progressing toward the goal, they will know what is expected of them. These would be considered individual goal structure. I will set cooperative goal structures, where students work together toward a shared goal. I will set competitive goal structures, where students compete to attain a goal (pg. 260). This will help the student and teacher on ensuring the student is learning. As a teacher I will manage and lead the classroom so all students will learn through classroom management. I will set up the classroom for success. The tone of the classroom is essential; I will set the tone as positive, nurturing, calm, and a place for discovery and questions. Setting guidelines and following rules is important and necessary. I feel explaining each situation and following through in a conversational manner versus yelling will develop a mutual respect with my students. If I show respect to them, they will want to respect me in turn. My classroom will be learner-centered and not teacher-centered (pg.50). I hope that my behavior always exemplifies modeling that can be imitated.

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Teachers Expectations A teachers expectations greatly influence students ability to learn. Many factors attribute to students ability to learn; a persons history of success versus failure, a persons view of how difficult a task is, and acknowledgments given for the persons performance. If an expectation of a student is high they will persevere at a task longer. However, if the expectation is too high, the opposite desired outcome may happen or even give up. For a teacher to obtain the desired outcome the teacher needs to have expectations that are developmentally appropriate, this is to optimally challenge the student with meaningful tasks that are done by the student with effort. Educational goals need to be reasonable. This is important because it causes student to work hard at a task when the goal is reasonable. If the goal is unattainable, the student will not be successful. If a students teacher is positive and supportive, the student will feel motivated toward their goals. A students locus of control, their perception of success or failure is great motivation to achieve a goal. If they feel they are in control of the outcome, they will be motivated to attain the goal. I a student feels like they are not in control of the outcome, they no longer have motivation to attain the goal. Vygotskys zone of proximal development is the space what a student can do by themselves and what they can accomplish as a group. A student can be supported by what they already know and what they can accomplish collaboratively. By guiding student to use this model will help them reach their full potential (236). A teachers expectations and goal setting of their students rides a fine line. A teacher must challenge their students to reach that next level, but not push them too far they fall off the

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edge. If the challenge is done with consistency and positive feedback the outcome will most likely be successful (414-419). Students Social Ecology Theory It is a must for a teacher to consider and identify the social ecology of each of their students. Realizing how a childs ecology has shaped them is a foundation to knowing how to teach that child. By considering students culture will give the teacher insight to their unique abilities. A childs culture includes their family, background, leaning style, and interests. Embracing all students culture and traditions is a teachers responsibility. Teachers can show their students that its great to be different and to respect everyones differences and individuality. Teachers need to be aware of classism and its effect on students; classism is treating people different based on their class background and how those differences are reinforced in the classroom. Its important to not treat others unequal based on their socioeconomic status; where they live, how much money their parents make or if they went to a higher level school, if they are from a single parent home, how they talk, and what they wear. Doing so can cause children to put limits on themselves and add to the perception that a persons career and life is based on their social class and not on their academic success (245-246). Students will come to school with different backgrounds. Its important to identify at risk students and to be aware of responses to them. Risk means that there is endangerment and that those in jeopardy are in danger of being negatively influenced. If a family member is an alcoholic, drug user, abuser, depressed, unemployed, or having marital trouble the higher the likelihood that the children in the family will drop out of school, become pregnant or father a child early, commit suicide, be abusive or become drug or alcohol abusers will be. An educator

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can watch for at risk students and support them by being a good model, encourage them, enable resiliency, the ability to hold firm while facing a crisis or trial (251). The learning style that a teacher takes will also help socialize students and make an impact on students learning. Teacher-directed classrooms are where the teacher directs the learning. In this approach the students listen, there are many rules in place, the teaching is geared to standards, and emphasis is placed on cognitive learning. Learner-directed classrooms are where students find their direction in the classroom. The students have more choice, activities are based on interest, cooperation is learned, and teaching is a process. There are pros and cons to both approaches. In the teacher-directed classrooms there is better academic performance. In a learner directed classroom students are more interested and positive about school. Parents may have these types of styles of parenting at home and the concepts may transfer to school. By watching the student with their parents for even a few minutes, will give great insight to how they are used to learning (256-257). Being aware of the impact that families, cultures, and communities have on how students learn is the first step to incorporating their experiences into learning experiences in the classroom. Being sensitive and respectful of cultures will help teachers expectations and responses to children be encouraging. Helping students succeed in a nurturing and caring atmosphere will make their learning experience more enjoyable and foster a desire to learn. Cultural Diversity Instruction There are many ethnic backgrounds represented in schools. It is essential for the teacher to acknowledge and build on the life histories and experiences of all their students ethnic backgrounds. Ethnicity is an ascribed attribute of membership in a group in which members identify themselves by national origin, culture, race, or religion (24). Its also

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necessary to know the difference between Cultural Pluralism and Cultural Assimilation and how they relate to teaching. As a teacher, I will get to know my student backgrounds, both historically and ethnically. I will do this by doing activities that will bring the students backgrounds to light. There are several ways of this happening. Doing a questionnaire that students parents help with, is one way. A show-and-tell time of their family and culture, is another. A history project of their native ethnicity is also a way. Whatever the ways that are chosen to get to know the students background isnt as important as respecting each others culture, religion, values, and customs. Encouraging family involvement will be action that I will take. Certain cultures may do things differently than the macrocultures norms, how the dominate culture is expected to behave (107). Some families may do things differently than expected, it will be very important for me to ask questions and listen carefully to the students (241). Because something is done differently will not be a reason to treat them differently or punish students. Celebrating life and others lives will encourage children to respect each other and will only enhance learning. Cultural Assimilation is the idea the microcultures should assume the attributes and characteristics of the macroculture. Elwood P. Cubberly felt that the immigrants should assimilate into the superior American Race. He believed that they should speak English and celebrate American holidays (202). Cultural Pluralism is the mutual respect and appreciation where those of different cultures coexist. It is the idea that there should be unity in diversity. Subcultures should accept and appreciate others if they practice cultural pluralism. In this model the families of the students of microcultures should support and provide supplemental education to preserve their families culture. The school should provide bilingual/multicultural education, where the students are taught in both English and the students native language. I feel

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that cultural assimilation is the moral and right concept to use when education students of other ethnic backgrounds. By respecting students and their culture it will boost students self-concept and promote learning (203). By developing an understanding of how and why student learns is a building block. To build upon that block, I must be conscientious about implementing the ideas that will enhance each student to learn to their greatest potential.

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Refereces Berns, Roberta M., (2010). Child, Family, School, Community socialization and support (8th ed.). Irvine, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.