Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS SIB 1

Statement of Informed Beliefs

Jaime Beckman
Instructor: Evin Fox
EDUC 204: Families, Communities, and Culture
Spring 2013










STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS SIB 2

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS
Introduction
All children regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic class and learning styles have the
right to and deserve the privilege of equal learning opportunities. First hand experiences,
personal discovery, and the adaption and expansion of the traditional ideas presented by Early
Childhood Education theorists are mandatory for the production and succession of Early
Childhood Education and my development as a teacher. I firmly believe that all children have an
opportune desire to learn and that it is my responsibility as a teacher to discern and enrich that
time in a childs life. It is by intentional teaching techniques, individual student motivation, and
ensuring accountability on each level of human developments that I plan to accomplish the task
of educating.
Students Ability to Learn
There are a number of different factors that can affect a students ability to learn. Some of
these factors can be conceived and recognized early in life while others develop over time into
more specific learning styles. Family and personal values of education, environmental factors
such as poverty or stressful home-life, social influences such as peers and community influences,
and learning disabilities, impairment, or handicap all have a major impact on ones ability to
learn. It is the teachers role to recognize and communicate the individual differences that are
present starting as early as birth and that continue to develop in school, during child care, and at
home. A teacher has the capability to cater to each childs individual needs and influence the
different factors that may hinder their learning capabilities. This ability of catering to the
students individual needs expands each childs opportunity to find what interests them and to
continue their growth in their educational development.
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Techniques like these are critical to the students ability to learn and create the foundation
of comfort ability in the learning environment. The teacher of a classroom has a major influence
and impact on the classrooms progression throughout the year and as well as on the childs
ability to learn independently. It is a huge responsibility for the instructor and the process must
be taken into account during the yearly curriculum planning as well as by the adjustments that
must be made in order to better respond to the specific classroom environment. It is an ever
adapting responsibility.
Teachers Expectations
A teachers expectations can be predisposed by many things and they must be
aware of the different influences as to avoid prejudice and provide an equal opportunity for all
their students. In addition to a students past records of achievements and behavior a teacher can
be influenced by socioeconomic class, cultural background, gender, learning impairments,
classism and much more. It is my responsibility as the teacher to provide a high level of
expectation for my students and continue to adjust the flexibility of these expectations as to
increase the students level of accountability.
These responsibilities and expectations are crucial in the development of educational
goals for a child. It is by the teachers ability to individualize personal goals and to influence the
different learning opportunities presented during the school year that progression is created for
each student. An example I would like to use is when two of my students decided to paint a
picture together on the same paper. When it came time to take the picture home, I asked my
students how they could go about solving the problem. With my thought being possibly sharing
it, leaving it in the classroom, or simply making another picture together the next day, the
children decided (on their own) to cut the picture in half and both take a part home with them. I
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find that no matter how organized the classroom, curriculum, or my approach on positive
reinforcement, the children grow exceptionally quick in their ability to resolve their own
conflicts. I found that by expanding my expectations of the childrens educational goals, they
continue to reach a new level of achievement in their own different areas of development;
problem solving, sharing and communicating in a broader and more creative way of problem
solving.
According to Bredekamp (2012), the theory developed by Lucy Sprague Mitchell known
as widening the lens (p. 443) is an excellent example of how an issue of problem solving and
interacting positively with other children can influence students opportunities to learn while
expanding my expectations as a teacher. This way of thinking offers the children the ability to
expand on simple subject matters that eventually relate to solving problems at a higher level.
With educational practices recognized as either/or choices, I feel that this can tend to limit the
childs ability to grow and develop as a whole. By offering a wider spectrum, a child can begin
to understand that there is a wider range of options and opportunities to solving different levels
of difficulties or tasks. This can be a major asset in the development of a growing child. When
you begin to widen the lens for both yourself as an educator and for a child then you create a
broader view of what can be. You begin to instill the ability to see and understand the endless
lengths of teaching and learning practices, work aspects for both the instructor and the childs
desire to learn, and most importantly the importance on interrelationships between children and
their significant influences as well as your understanding of what each child is capable of.
Students Social Ecology Theory
One essential proof that speaks volumes to the social ecology of a child is the statement,
They understand their world by creative play, it is a powerful statement that can be supported
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in many aspects of fundamental early educational learning. The role of play is a key part in social
and emotional development and learning. Other principles that are derived can be the importance
of fueling the interests of the childs personal interactions with either a specific subject or in a
social aspect of relating to other children. These are effective practices in that they allow the
child to comfortably adapt to their surroundings and continue to grow in their own passions and
desires at a young age regardless of their family or cultural backgrounds.
The social context of individual interactions and experiences determines the degree to
which individuals can develop their abilities and realize their potentials, according to
Bronfenbrenner (1979, 1989, 1995, 2005; Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006) (Berns, 2010, p.17).
This theorist designed a conceptual model for studying humans in four basic structures; the
microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem and the macrosystem. The microsystem refers to the
activities and relationships with significant others in a developing setting such as family, school,
peer groups, or the community. A childs macrosystem is the society and subculture in which
they reference their belief system, lifestyle, patterns of social interaction, and life changes.
Families, communities, and cultures have such an influential impact on an individual students
ability to learn. Young children develop socially by the ability to form and sustain positive
relationships with adults and other children in different mesosystems.
According to Mooney (2000), Erik Eriksons theory of Eight Ages of Man (p.38),
supports the development of psychosocial development in children and adults. Social learning
occurs along a developmental continuum as skills become more complex and as children are
placed in more demanding social situation like early childhood programs, schools, after school
programs, and different clubs, classes, or activities that they find interest in. Their emotional
development increases their ability to identify their own emotions as well as the emotions of
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others. They learn to express these emotions in different healthy ways and begin to regulate their
feelings. Teachers must understand that individual and cultural differences influence their
emotional literacy and development.
By gaining an understanding of the students social ecology a teacher can begin to set
influencing roles and lesson plans that better suit the classroom and needs of the individual
students. It is my job as the teacher to use all of the information of the child such as their family
background, cultural differences, and community settings as an advantage to connecting
instruction. It is by this ability to relate all the different forms of social ecology that a teacher
highlights the positive influence that different experiences create within the classroom.
Cultural Diversity Instruction
I will acknowledge, honor, and build on the different varied life histories and experiences
of students ethnic backgrounds. With my experience working with families and children from
different ethnic backgrounds my understanding of the importance on connecting learning to
every aspect of the students environment has grown such an incredible amount. Because each
childs social and emotional development are linked to the contexts, cultures, and relationships in
which they grow and learn, teachers play a critical role in instructing and shaping a positive
social, emotional and educational development.
Berns (2010), theorized that macrosystem philosophies regarding how diverse cultural
groups should be socialized, especially by the schools, are cultural assimilation. Cultural
assimilation is the process whereby a minority cultural group takes on the characteristics of the
majority cultural group. An example of cultural assimilation in the use of English as the official
language on public documents, English immersion programs in schools, and celebrating
American holidays. According to Berns (2010), for a long time it was believed that in order for
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diverse cultural groups to be assimilated into society, they had to adapt to the majority cultures
ways (p.191). I feel that this way of educating can hinder a childs ability to find interests and
grow in their understanding of the world and what different cultures have to offer.
Cultural pluralism involves a mutual appreciation and understanding of various cultures
and the coexistence in society of different languages, religions, and lifestyles. According to
Berns (2010), he informs that Kallen (1956) theorized that the majority culture benefits from
coexistence and constant interaction with other cultural groups unity in diversity (p.191). An
example of the socialization philosophy of cultural pluralism is the concept of multicultural
education. Cultural pluralism is different from cultural assimilation in that it allows for learning
experiences that encourage the children to find interests in many cultures rather than just in the
mainstream culture. Berns (2010), refers to cultural pluralism as capitalizing on minority cultural
groups supporting supplemental education for their children to preserve their familys cultural
awareness and values while appreciating the common elements of U.S. cultural, political, and
social views as represented by the public schools.
Curriculum for All Learners
Intentional teachers recognize their responsibility in the learning process using
preparation and organization in the learning environment to plan their curriculum. There are
different theory-based curriculums such as teacher-directed and learner-directed curriculums
that have different socialization outcomes. Teachers also use specific strategies to adapt to the
individual needs of children and their classroom as a whole. According to Berns (2010),
adaption must occur in order to change the positive response to a childs experience. The text
offers two ways of increasing the learning ability of a child; both by assimilation and
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accommodation, meaning that when new information or experiences occur there must be a
connection with the pre-existing method.
Purposeful decisions are required in intentional teaching and development in the
classroom. I view purposeful decisions as extremely beneficial to the classroom and the children.
By using the techniques I have learned in all my different experiences of teaching I will combine
my learned skills to the very best of my ability in order to develop the level of learning I can
provide as a teacher. By using the resources offered in the High Scope Curriculum I can adjust
my ability to prepare and plan as well as adjust to the needs of the classroom. The resources
offered through my Early Childhood Education studies has offered me such an expansive
understanding of the different techniques on how to deliver and elaborate on different subjects as
well as the ability to assess the classroom and each student or child as an individual. I will ensure
that each student grows in their ability to learn by making adjustments in planning the
curriculum and delivering the content after each assessment of the outcome for a past module. It
is by these main conformities that change occurs as productivity in the classroom.
Conclusion
In order to convey the high level of values and passion that I have for teaching, I feel it is
essential to become an effective teacher that can demonstrate the knowledge of an informed
advocate for early childhood education. Effective teachers have a purpose and a plan for their
actions in the classroom and have fully developed an idea on how to approach each subject
matter in both the classroom and with each individual child. The foundation of diversity in our
schools provides the opportunity to build equal learning opportunities for all children regardless
of race, gender, socioeconomic class and learning styles. By connecting instruction through
families, cultures, and communities, enriching students experiences while learning and
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emphasizing the passion, not profession, of teaching - I believe I can make a difference in a
childs life.

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References:
Berns, R. M. (2010). Child, family, school, community, socialization and support. (9 ed.).
Belmont, California: Cebgage Learning.
Bredekamp, S. (2012). Effective practices in early childhood education: Building a foundation.
Upper Saddle River, New Jeresey: Prentice Hall.
Kallen, H. M. (1956). Cultural pluralism and the American ideal. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press.
Mooney, C. G. (2000). Theories of childhood, an introduction to dewey, montessori, erikson,
piaget and vygotsky. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.