STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 1

Statement of Informed Beliefs Essay

Jessica M. Warth

Kimberly M. Johanek

EDUC 220-001W
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Statement of Informed Beliefs Essay

One of the great things about becoming a teacher is all the different types individuals you

get to encounter. I look forward to this experience even though I know it will not be an easy task

to ensure that all my future students enjoy learning and get a quality education. In this essay I

will explain in my beliefs on diversity in the classroom and how I will address it in the following

five paragraphs: all students can learn, teacher’s expectations, student’s social ecology theory,

cultural diversity instruction, and curriculum for all learners.

All Students Can Learn

Every student can learn and wants to learn, people are inherently curious about how the

world around them works. However, no two students are the same and they learn differently. It is

the responsibility of the teacher to adjust their teaching style appropriately for each of their

students. There is a quote that reads, “Everybody is a genius, but if we judge a fish by its ability

to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid” (Kelly, 2005). This quote to me,

means that I will have to find the different learning styles for each of my students, I can bring

out the genius that is already inside of them. I will always encourage my student’s curiosity and

allow them to celebrate their failures, being able to fail and learn from it will teach them to

practice reflection which will help them learn pretty much anything being taught to them.

Another way I will ensure that all my students will learn is connecting with them.

Helping them make connections with what is being taught to them inside of the classroom and

what goes on in their macrosystem. If I can encourage my students do to their best, be creative,

and create an atmosphere that embraces the mess of learning I think I will be able to teach them

the curriculum that is set by the district while doing it in a way that will reach all my students in

a positive and enriching environment.

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Teacher Expectations

Teachers must maintain high expectations if they want to keep the students on task and

learning. One of these ways is to lay out the rules of the classroom and make them visible so the

students can review them as needed. This will help students learn because they know what is

expected of them and what the consequences of their actions will be. Having high expectations

for the entire classroom makes the kids feel like they have something to achieve something that

they can work toward, instilling a sense of self-efficacy. When a student feels like they can

accomplish anything they are more likely to accept change and learn new ideas and try new

things. This will also help with their self-esteem because they will be accomplishing their

individual goals and classroom goals.

Educational goals are goals not only set by the state or federal standards but by the

school district and classroom. They build a sense of community in the classroom because

everyone is working towards the same goal. I will encourage students to help each other out

because then everyone succeeds rather than just an individual. It is nicer to celebrate with your

classmates than it is alone. As a teacher I will let the students know what our daily goals are at

the beginning of the day and how well we met them at the end of the day. I will also encourage

students to set their own individualized educational goals to build a sense of empowerment and

encourage a love of learning because they will constantly be setting new goals for themselves. I

will work with my students as a class and individually when they are struggling to achieve not

only the goals set by the district, but ones set by the classroom and the individual. Setting goals

will also help me reflect on how to revise lessons for my future students if I did not meet a

specific goal set by myself or the district.

Students’ Social Ecology Theory

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If teachers want their students to get the most out of their education, they must first make

each student feel like they belong. Everyone has a need to belong, to feel wanted or liked and a

lot of the learning done in schools is through the interactions students have with their peers.

They model behaviors they see from other people to know what is acceptable and what is not.

Socialization and becoming friends with their classmates also offers students social support

because they can tell their social group things they may not feel comfortable telling an adult. As

a teacher I will have a collaborative leadership style because I will work with my students and

share responsibility for their learning with them. It will not just be their responsibility to learn

and comprehend the material I am teaching or the task that I have set forth for them to complete.

According to Urie Bronfenbrenner, a child is socialized not just by one microsystem at a

time, but through the interrelationship between all systems (Berns, 2016). Families, cultures and

the communities impact students learning in both positive and negative ways. Students can learn

about aggression from their families or even the things they see on television, but they can also

learn about compassion and learn morals and values from their families and their cultural

backgrounds. In order to bridge the gap that may exist when the student leaves school it is the

responsibility of the teacher to help students connect what they learn from their family, culture

and the things they see happening in the community to what they are learning in the classroom.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

As schools become more diverse the way teachers teach must also become just as

diverse. Teachers must embrace the diversity of each of their students by incorporating the

different cultures in their instruction as much as possible. As a teacher I will incorporate each

students culture in as many lessons that I possibly can. I will have a diversity day, so my students

can showcase their unique culture and the rituals that those cultures have because according to
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Dresser and Pleck “rituals connect us with our past, define our present, and give us a future

direction. (Berns, 2016) I will encourage parents and grandparents to share their favorite food

from their culture and learn dances and different things that the students want to share with me

and their classmates. I will do my best to learn a little bit about each of my student’s languages

that they may speak at home even if it is just one or two words each. I want each of my students

to know that where they come from is part of who they are and that they should be proud of their

culture. I will use cultural pluralism as a teacher so that my students do not lose a part of

themselves in my instruction. Each culture teaches us that there are other ways of being and

thinking, other ways of orienting yourself in the world. I will use all these different thoughts and

dreams, myths, and ideas as inspiration to my students. That no matter where you come from or

how many obstacles you must overcome the world is still at your fingertips and that anything is

possible. My students can learn from each other and not from what they are being taught about

different ethnic backgrounds from the mass media or even at home from parents who teach their

child their own prejudices. I feel like in doing this it will help my students feel safe in their

learning environment because they will know they are accepted in my classroom no matter what.

I hope to learn just as much from my students as they learn from me.

Curriculum for all Learners

Teaching is a very fluid profession. One cannot expect to not adjust or change things

from year to year or even lesson plan to lesson plan. What may work for one student or one

classroom may not work for another, so constant adjustments are needed to ensure that every

student has the same opportunity for success. As a teacher I will evaluate and adjust my

planning, delivery, and my assessments when needed or when I feel something is not working. I

will look at the progress my students are making or not making and work with other teachers
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with more experience than me to figure out a new plan. I will use differentiated teaching with my

students while planning and making assessments to give more support to the students who need

it the most. As a teacher I will try and have as much as much of my instruction student-directed

so they can take charge of initiating their own learning process.

Assessments tell us if our instruction or activities are getting through to the children. If

they are understanding what I am teaching. I will use my assessments to grade the lesson plan

and change how the subject is being taught accordingly. I will always try and better my self as a

teacher and my lessons. I will ensure that each learner improves from his or her original level of

learning when first entered my classroom by providing extra support for those that are struggling

even if it is outside of my classroom. I will collaborate with their past teachers, their parents and

even the school counselors and resource personnel to best help my students. I will offer them

time during the recesses or before or after school to get individualized instruction, so they will

have limited distractions. I would also provide a before or after school study hall for those

students who would benefit from it the most or those who would like a little extra help on any

assignment. That way students could ask for help if they needed it. I would open this up to not

only my students but any student who needed it. This way my students past, present, or future

know that I care about their learning.

In conclusion the multitude of different learning styles and student backgrounds is what

makes teaching both rewarding and frustrating at times. As a teacher I will embrace all the

learning styles and the diversity of my students by adapting to and being willing to change. I will

make sure each of my students know they can count on me to do my best to help them learn and

help them accomplish their goals whatever they may be. I will do my best to learn from my

students as much as I teach them, so I can become an even better with every passing year.
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References

Berns, R.M. (2016) Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support (7th ed.).

Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.

Kelly, M. (2005). The Rhythm of life. North Palm Beach, FL: Beacon Publishing