Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Michelle Bollar
Carol Billing
Spring 2017
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 2
Everyone learns differently and every teacher teaches differently. I have had many years
discovered my learning style and realized when a teacher is unwilling to adapt to my learning
style, I struggle. That is an area of teaching I feel needs developed and I am looking forward to
As a student, myself, I know all students have great potential to learn given the proper
tools. From the day we are born we start learning and growing as human beings. Adaptation is
a key element in a child’s road to learning because when a child can adapt to their environment
they will have greater success. As a teacher, I must do my part in their socialization and
development. I think Berns says it best, “Teachers encourage the development of various skills
and behaviors by being role models and by providing motivation for children to succeed,”
maturation levels of my students so I can better adapt my teaching style and curriculum to meet
their needs. No two students will be the same and it is the responsibility of the teacher to get to
know their students to better ensure success. I will strive to learn about the different cultures of
curriculum involves understanding children’s normal growth patterns and individual differences,
(Berns, 2016).
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 3
Teacher’s Expectations
Being a teacher is more than just dumping information into open minds, it is also about
teaching adolescents to find their self-concept and to learn self-regulation. My influence and
expectations will play a part in a student’s ability to learn. Students who learn to accept
instruction and earn recognition by showing effort can develop the capacity to enjoy work.
Children who do not receive recognition for their efforts, or do not experience any success, may
develop a sense of incompetence or inferiority. Children who are praised for their efforts will be
motivated to achieve, whereas children who are ignored or rebuked may give up and exhibit
Having educational goals set for each student and your classroom as a whole is important
so that you can better monitor progress. When goals are met or not met it will be important to
give feedback, whether positive or negative, to the student or class to reinforce the teacher’s
expectations. This will also give the student a sense of direction and accomplishment. Having
educational goals will also hold me accountable as their teacher as my ultimate goal is to see my
Having a son with special needs has demonstrated the value of setting goals. It has been
essential for his success. When he is given a lump sum of work it is overwhelming for him but,
by breaking it up into smaller chunks or goals it becomes easier for him to see the light at the end
of the tunnel. I have also found this to be true in my own experience as a student. I will strive to
In Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory, we learn that school is just one major part of
a person’s microsystem that is needed to learn and grow. What a student learns in school
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 4
through teachers and peers will influence what they do with their families and communities. The
same is true for what students learn in the family and community environment. Their home life
influences their ability to learn in school. There is an expectation to learn to walk, talk, use the
toilet, and to dress ourselves in the family environment. In school, we are expected to learn to
read, write, add, and subtract. There is an expectation to share, develop a conscience, and achieve
an appropriate gender role. We are also expected to love other people and be responsible for our
actions, (Berns, 2016). Many of these are learned and implemented in multiple environments
such as learning the alphabet and reading small words at home or being responsible for your
Family is where learning begins and is influenced by ethnicity, cultural background and
socioeconomic status of the family. A child looks to their family for modeling values, attitudes,
behavior, morals and gender roles. Cultural learning is done by learning about one’s
traditions, rituals and rites of passage passed down from one generation to the next. In the
community, students are exposed to different perspectives on life and experience different roles.
A community can offer an informal social support system-relatives, friends, neighbors who can
be counted on to help in a crisis and it can also have a more formal social support system, such
as institutionalized child care, Big Brother/Big Sister, Meals on Wheels and Parents without
Partners, (Berns, 2016). It is important for the teacher to know as much about these aspects of
their students’ lives as possible to better plan curriculum and classroom culture.
It is important to remember that to include students of all backgrounds you must learn about
them. For a long time in America people of different ethnic backgrounds went through cultural
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 5
assimilation. Now days, cultural pluralism is the norm. Whatever their life history or ethnic
background is, every student wants to feel like they are understood and that they belong. In that
same respect, other students will gather knowledge by learning about their fellow students. In my
The knowledge accumulated through my coursework and research will help me develop a
curriculum that I believe will serve the majority. I know I will have to make adjustments, maybe
more so in the first few years of teaching. By getting feedback from my students, colleagues and
supervisors, I will be able to adjust my planning, delivery and assessments. At the end of each
semester or year I will reflect on what I learned and make adjustments accordingly. Through
assessments I will be able to see where I am effectively delivering the material and where I need
to work on changing my teaching style or how the material is presented. Assessments will also
tell me where certain students are struggling. I can ensure that each student is progressing by
taking an initial assessment at the beginning and then again at certain goal points. This where
setting goals becomes essential. I will always strive to learn and grow, as I hope my students do.
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 6
References
Berns, R. M. (2016). Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support (10 th ed.).