Running head: Statement of Informed Beliefs 1

Statement of Informed Beliefs Essay

Marie Weidner

Professor Doug Rapley

EDUC 220 Diversity in Education

Spring 2018
Statement of Informed Beliefs 2

Statement of Informed Beliefs Essay

The ability to teach to the vast differences of learning styles that each student possesses

is what every teacher should strive to be able to do. I for one am honored and excited to accept

this challenge as a future educator. I understand that at times it may be difficult to teach to a

diverse group of students but, like them, I myself am always learning. Throughout this paper, I

plan to discuss how I will include different learning styles and diversity in my future classroom.

The five sections I will utilize to discuss this topic are; all students can learn, teacher’s

expectations, student’s social ecology theory, cultural diversity instruction, and curriculum for all

learners.

All Students Can Learn

As a future educator, it is my responsibility to ensure that every student has an equal

opportunity to learn. I would like to be able to look out over my class and see that my students

are eager and want to learn and not because they must be there, but because they want to be

there. Education should incorporate fun and creativity to ensure that those students go on to

future classrooms with the same expectations, that they matter, and that school is a wonderful

place for them to thrive. To accomplish this a good teacher would learn the different strengths

and weaknesses of their students which is measured by Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple

Intelligences. He lists eight bits of intelligence which are linguistic, logical, mathematical,

spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, existential, and naturalist. The main

idea is that every student has strength in one of these categories. I as their educator must find out

which intelligence each of my students works best with and then, work on helping that student

learn in the way that works for them based on their own intelligence category (Berns, 2013).
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Classroom management is also crucial when it comes to teaching young minds. One

major thing I will be utilizing in my classroom is positive reinforcement. This will allow for me

to reward students for good behavior while they learn the importance of rules and discipline.

This will help make the classroom more orderly and teach the children respect. In turn, this will

provide a better learning environment for all students. I will also have a zero-tolerance policy for

bullying as I feel this is never okay for any student to ever go through or feel like they have no

voice. I will also focus on learning my students individually and have an idea of their

background and who the members of their nuclear family are. I want my students to know that I

truly care about them.

Teacher’s Expectations

“Children with high expectations for success on a task usually persist at it longer and

perform better than children with low expectations” (Berns, 2013). In general, this is true for

school as well. When placed with high expectations, the students will then push themselves to

succeed. However, if expectations are unreasonable or placed too high that could set the student

up for failure in the future. If I were to set expectations for my students I would do it in such a

way that it was not only reasonable but also obtainable for them. If the student posses an internal

locus of control, this makes having higher expectations easier for the student, they will see that

they can take control and succeed.

Having organized, set goals is important when it comes to the educational process for the

students. Always give clear reasoning behind the goals, this way it will help the students learn

why those goals are set and how it will benefit them in the long run. This tactic is much more

effective than the typical answer of “because I said so” or some other similar response. Of the

three different types of goal structures which include: Cooperative, Competitive, and
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Individualized goal structures, I personally prefer Individualized goal structures. I like this

structure because it promotes teacher-student interaction and makes the student take

responsibility for their own self (Berns, 2013). If there were no education goals, there would be

no standards to live up to, and the students would then no longer be motivated to try. If we use a

reward system along with these set goals, it would honestly help the students want to achieve

these goals and keep them motivated to continue learning. It is my responsibility to set these

goals and work with the students to help them achieve success. I as a future educator would take

accountability for the outcomes of each of my students and make a conscious effort to follow the

school’s guidelines as well as the state’s standards.

Students’ Social Ecology Theory

Connecting learning to student’s social ecology is of the utmost importance and is

connected in more ways than just one. Ecology is “the science of interrelationships between

organisms and their environments” (Berns, 2013). According to Urie Bronfenbrenner’s

Bioecological Model of Human Development, school is in the students’ microsystem and this

directly affects them. Learning is something every student must do in order to prepare them to be

successful and effectively socialized later in their adult lives. As a future teacher, my plan is to

pursue this goal on a constant basis.

Families, Communities, and Culture all impact the students learning since all of these

things are in the student’s microsystem. According to Bronfenbrenner, it will have a greater

effect than if they were in another system like the mesosystem. For example, say a divorce

happens between the parents, the child will most likely let it affect them at school and with their

school work performance. The child will be unable to focus and possibly would leave the

classroom frequently, this is a direct affect on the student’s ability to learn. This is exactly why I
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have a personal goal of learning my students, so I can help them when situations such as this

arise. Things will happen outside of my classroom and I want to be better prepared to handle

them as well as applying what I learn to my curriculum to give every student peace of mind

while they are at school.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

One thing I would like to implement in my classroom is to have my students go home

and research their family history and what ethnic background they come from. I will then take

this information and apply it to my curriculum with various activities the students could engage

in, so they can learn about the different cultural backgrounds of their peers. Every student is

unique, and my job is to make them feel welcomed and included. If I accomplish this effectively,

then no students will feel left out if they are unable to participate in a project of some sort due to

a holiday that we celebrate in the classroom, we will celebrate them all. This will teach the

students about different cultures and practices around the world and how important they are to

know.

Cultural Assimilation is “the process by whereby a minority (subordinate) cultural

group takes on the characteristics of the majority (dominant) group” (Berns, 2013). Cultural

Pluralism is a “mutual appreciation and understanding of various cultures and coexistences in

society of different languages, religious beliefs, and lifestyles” (Berns, 2013). The difference

between them is that cultural pluralism is good and is what I strive to pursue for my future

classroom. A classroom is a place of diversity as no two-people come from the same

background. Cultural assimilation is something I will steer clear of because I want my students to

be individuals and continue to be the unique students that they are. Society as a whole is

migrating away from cultural assimilation due in part because they do not want to take on the
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characteristics of the dominant culture/s. Appreciation and acceptance of one’s ethnic

background should be celebrated, and all should be treated equally, this is what I will strive for

in my classroom.

Curriculum for all Learners

For my assessments and methods to work I will adjust them as many times as possible for

my students needs and for them learn the material effectively. Trial and error will mostly likely

be my tactic for my first year or so, over time I hope to move away from that and into a more

balanced teaching method. I have some ideas that I hope to bring into fruition someday in my

classroom and see how my students react and if my ideas will work. I will also utilize my

colleagues as a source for either teaching ideas or advice, I have been told many times that

borrowing lessons and lesson plans is a normal occurrence in the education field. When it comes

to the delivery of my lessons I have an idea of how I think it might go as I have taught one lesson

to a class of seventh graders, but that is subject to change when every class is different. My goal

is that when my students leave my class at the end of the year, that they walk out feeling that

they learned as much as they could to the best of their ability.

Getting to know each student based on their assignments, classwork, and assessments I

hope to get a grasp on areas of improvement and advancement. Some students may require more

time than others to complete specific tasks and tests and others might complete there tasks much

quicker. I plan to have various assignments to help stagger this outcome, some assignments and

activities may take less time and others will be lengthier. I would also like to incorporate one on

one time with the students requiring extra help, so they feel more at ease knowing their teacher is

not going to give up on them. Every student will leave my classroom at grade level or better

before moving on to the next grade, although this is a goal it is also a promise I plan to keep.
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In conclusion, all students are different. They all come from different cultures, religions,

communities, and economic backgrounds. I will take this into great consideration as I further my

education career. When I get to my own classroom I will take the time to learn my students and

pay attention to detail, I want to make all my students feel welcome and eager to learn. I would

feel like an accomplished teacher if I can see my students excel, be successful during the school

year, and meet their academic goals. The more diverse the classrooms become, the more we all

need to strive for equality and universal design. No student should ever feel like they have been

left behind.
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References

Berns, Roberta. Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support. Instructor's ed.,

Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2013.