Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

Statement of Informed Beliefs

Hailee Stotts

Instructor: Daren Olson

EDUC 220

Spring 2018
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 2

Every teacher plays a key role in a child’s life, they help shape them into the adult

that they will become. The many jobs and responsibilities of a teacher are not always a

walk in the park, but all teachers know what they are getting themselves into and realize

that their job is about more than just themselves. Throughout years of teaching, teachers

gain experience and knowledge on what it takes to help their students succeed. Although

I have yet to begin my teaching career, I have five beliefs I feel very strongly about

regarding teaching. These five beliefs are things I will never lose sight of and will always

refer to, to shape the way I teach.

Informed Beliefs

Spending close to a year in various classrooms observing student and teacher

behavior helps to teach an aspiring teacher a lot about the profession they are getting

themselves into. Throughout my time in the elementary classrooms, there are many key

factors I have picked up on that have helped me to form my beliefs. I have formed my

five beliefs with observations in four different elementary classrooms, ranging in grade

level, over the past year, as well as textbooks I have read, and conversations I have had

with multiple professors and teachers.

Getting to see what different techniques and methods work in a classroom and

what does not, was very eye-opening and informative for me, since I had not been in an

elementary school at all since I was that age. I saw things different teachers did that had

never crossed my mind, that helped to build a stronger relationship and foundation

between the teacher and the students. With my time spent observing, I came to find five

beliefs about working in a field that focuses on student learning in many different
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 3

diversities. These five beliefs are: all students can learn, expectations of the teacher,

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

learners

All Students Can Learn

Each student has the ability to learn, it just takes a special kind of person to be

able to break through any walls that they have put up. A common quote in the education

world by George Evans says “Every child can learn. Just not on the same day or in the

same way (Masters In Education, 2012).” Every student can listen and apply what they

are hearing and seeing, as long as they understand what is being taught. The key to every

student being able to learn is getting them to want to learn and helping them learn in a

way that makes sense to them.

We have all been taught or learned things all our lives, starting the day that we

were born. We learn to crawl, walk, talk, cry, make noises, etc. before most of us even

reach age two. We are constantly being socialized and taught how to behave (Berns,

2016), so how is this any different in the classroom? The answer, it is not. Although all

students do not learn the same way and some face more challenges and obstacles than

others, any student, when encouraged and involved, can and will learn. The key role of

the teacher is to learn how each student learns best and adapt these methods to your

teachings (Berns, 2016).

It is important as an educator to keep this belief in mind. No student that walks

through your door cannot learn, even if they try to convince you otherwise. If someone

says that they cannot do something, they simply have not had the necessary resources to
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 4

help them accomplish what they want to. As a teacher, I will be that necessary resource

that every child needs, I will encourage and be patient to ensure that all students feel like

they can and want to learn.

Teacher’s Expectations

The expectations that teachers have, and set for their students 100% affects the

students’ effort and quality of work that is produced. If someone has low expectations of

you, you know you can get away with doing the bare minimum to satisfy them, vice

versa, if someone has relatively high expectations, you will work your hardest to produce

the kind of work you know that they want to see. We all like to make people happy, it is

human nature. When students do well and receive praise or words of encouragement they

are receiving positive reinforcement, which we know only encourages them to keep

doing what they are doing (Berns, 2016). When students are rewarded, with a letter

grade, words of praise, or a physical reward (sticker, money for the class store, etc), they

are more likely to keep doing the behavior that granted them the reward. According to

theorist David Ausubel, it is impossible to guide behavior with only using positive

reinforcement because children do not learn what is not approved or tolerated. Children

must be enabled to process what they are and are not supposed to do, what we know as

punishment (Berns, 2016). Students that do not meet the expectations will receive

punishment, which for the most part is a lower grade.

As a teacher, it is important to be consistent throughout the year. Set the

expectations for the classroom, learning, and behavior at the beginning of the year and

stick to these things throughout the school year, consistency is key. We want all our

students to be successful and accomplish anything and everything that they set their
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 5

minds to, which is why having high expectations is so important. Setting goals all

throughout life is an excellent idea, especially in education. Goal setting allows students

to decide where they want to go in school and what they want to achieve. “Goal setting

gives students long-term vision and short-term motivation” (Sasson, 2018). Teachers

must set additional educational goals for each individual student to ensure that all

students are reaching their maximum level of potential and always have something to

work towards.

Students’ Social Ecology Theory

To understand why students, act, learn and communicate in the ways in which

they do, we must understand their experiences and where they came from (Berns, 2016).

No matter what experiences a child has, it is a teacher’s job to understand and adapt

teachings to fit every type of learner. It is critical as a teacher to find what techniques and

strategies work for students to help them learn best. As teachers, we must understand

Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model that states that it is not solely biological

influences that shape development, but interactions between individuals and their

environment that shape development throughout time (Madeline, 2017 and Berns, 2016).

The way each child is raised can influence the way in which students learn best

(Berns, 2016). No family, culture, and community do things exactly the same as any

other, which can explain why our students learn and behave in many different ways as

well. “We are products of our environment; every person we meet, every new experience

or adventure, every book we read, touches and changes us, making us the unique beings

we are” (Heck, 2013). Every person that comes into their lives, every culture they are a
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 6

part of, and every community they take part in has the influence to change the way that

each student acts, learns, and communicates.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

As a teacher, I think it is critical to know where your students come from. This

not only allows you a better understanding of your students but allows you and the rest of

the class to learn more about the world around them (Berns, 2016). At the beginning of

the school year (and continuously throughout) I will have various activities that allow

students to share about their race, nationalities, and culture if they want to. When I was

in elementary school, I remember having multiple culture days where we celebrated

different holidays, or learned about other nationalities and got to participate in some of

their traditions and try some of the food. It was a great opportunity for everyone to learn

and try new things, gain an appreciation for other cultures, and for students to share more

about themselves with their peers. I fully plan to incorporate things like this into my

classroom.

Cultural Pluralism is “mutual appreciation and understanding of various cultures

and coexistence in a society of different languages, religious beliefs, and lifestyles”

(Berns, 2016). In contrast, cultural assimilation is “the process by whereby a minority

cultural group takes on the characteristics of the majority cultural group” (Berns, 2016).

It is my goal as a teacher (and should be every other teachers’ goal as well) to teach my

students which one we want in the world. I want to teach the students in my classroom to

appreciate other people around them, no matter how different they might be. Everyone is

so different and so unique, and that is something we should celebrate, not something we

should try to change. We should all have the freedom to be whom we want to be and be
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 7

accepted, we should not be pressured to adopt characteristics of other cultures because

ours is not the most popular. I will strive to teach my students to stand up for themselves,

their culture, and what they believe in.

Curriculum for all Learners

As a teacher, you are responsible for gauging how well your students are grasping

the content that you are teaching them. Every year the types of leaners that walk through

the door are going to be very different, so you must adapt your planning, delivery, and

assessment methods to best fit the group you have (Berns, 2016). As I gain experience, I

know I will get better at handling and adapting my teaching. In my first year, adjustments

are going to be based a lot on trial and error and also on parent and teacher feedback.

Assessments are a good indication of how students are perceiving information

that they are being taught (Berns, 2016). If you teach a lesson on the solar system by

incorporating a 30- minute Bill Nye video on it and every student passes the assessment

with a C or better, you know that this type of instruction works well and can make notes

to add these types of videos when needed in upcoming lessons. Assessments are like

teacher feedback in a way. Teachers must infer information based on assessment results

to change the way that they plan for or deliver lesson content.

I think that a good way to ensure that all students are walking out of your

classroom with more knowledge than they walked in with is pre- and post- outcome

assessments. By providing the first assessment, I will be able to gauge how much

information my students already know coming into the school year. I can make lesson

plan adjustments to add or remove lessons that kids may need extra work on, or no time

at all (Kuehn, 2017). This will ensure that students are not wasting their time on content
STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 8

that they already have plenty of practice in and allow for more time on content that they

are unfamiliar with. After the year, or just the unit is over, the same test will be given that

tests students’ knowledge after all subject areas on the assessment has been taught.

In conclusion, through observing, research, and conversations, I firmly believe my

five beliefs about teaching are applicable to all students. I will hold myself accountable to

teach in a way that demonstrates my beliefs of all students can learn, expectations of the

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

all learners. Of course, we might not all agree or share the same beliefs regarding

teaching, but that is what is so great about the profession. There are many different types

of people that bring many different ideas to the table that we as teachers can all learn

from. After all, we’re all in it together, aren’t we?

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS 9

References

Berns, R.M. (2016). Child, Family, School, Community – Socialization and

Support (10th Edition)

Heck, C. (2013, June 20). Quotes. Retrieved from GoodReads:

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/830950-we-are-all-products-of-our-

environment-every-person-we

Kuehn, P. R. (2017, February 4). Function and Importance of Pre and Post Tests.

Retrieved from OwlCation: https://owlcation.com/academia/PrePost-Test-A-

Diagnostic-Tool-For-More-Effective-Teaching-of-EFL-Students

Madeline. (2017, May 15). Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model of Development

(Bronfenbrenner). Retrieved from Learning Theories: https://www.learning-

theories.com/bronfenbrenners-bioecological-model-bronfenbrenner.html

Masters In Education. (2012). Masters in Special Education. Retrieved from Masters in

Education: Advancing the Skills of Educators: http://www.masters-

education.com/masters-in-special-education/

Sasson, D. (2018). Effective Goal Setting for Students. Retrieved from Teaching

Community: http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/9440-effective-goal-

setting-for-students