Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS Melia 1

Statement of Informed Beliefs

Morgan Melia

Instructor: Daren Olson

EDUC 220

Fall 2018
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Observing and working with children has helped me understand why all students are

unique. I have been able to see that young adults learn differently. That has helped me

understand how to become a better teacher. I work with children every day and notice that they

are able to develop differently than others. For example, having one on one interactions with

other students has helped them develop social skills. I think many current and also future

teachers should take a step back and think about what we see in a child’s everyday school life.

Informed Beliefs

Volunteering in a school setting has taught me a lot about what goes on in a classroom.

Working with some students helped me understand what it will be like to become a teacher and

have a class of my own. After reading the book, written by Roberta M. Bern’s, I have explored

many different areas and topics about what it takes to become a teacher.

All Students Can Learn

In a classroom, students should feel safe to learn. I want to find the best curriculum and

strategies that will help my students reach their fullest potential. For instance, if my student

doesn’t understand their reading vocabulary, we can set time aside from other activities and work

on reading with sight words and how to blend words so the child can improve their skills.

I will strive to help children through anything that they are struggling within the

classroom setting. I want children to know that I am here to help them with concepts they may

not understand. I will set up my classroom so that children can work in groups so they are able

to learn from each other. I want my students to understand that it is okay to ask for help.
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I understand that children have lives outside of school. I will strive to understand that

children need to attend events in their community and be with their families. As a teacher, I

want to be aware of what is happening in their microsystem, their relationship with their

mothers, friends, and teachers. Mesosystems are essential because they are the links in a child’s

life such as their parents and schools. A chronosystem is the environmental effects that a child

has in their lives. A child’s exosystem is important because that is something that doesn’t affect

them on a day to day basis, but can change them in life later on.

When I have my classroom, I will have centers where the children can work with me one

on one. I believe that children benefit when working together as well as working with a teacher.

Sometimes when children are working in groups, they cannot open up and express to others that

they do not understand the task. I feel that if a child is given one on one time with a teacher, the

child will be more open about needing help. I find centers a great technique that can help

children understand more. If I have centers in my classroom, it will give my students time to ask

questions and collaborate with others.

Teacher’s Expectations

In a classroom that has high expectations, most teachers see better results than classes

that have low expectations. Students learn self-efficacy which means, “the belief that one can

master a situation and produce positive outcomes” (Berns, 2016; p. 439). If the students have the

mindset that they can accomplish something, then they will most likely have a successful

outcome. Being a teacher means that you have to know your students well enough to see where

they fall in these standards. I want to make sure that I set my students up to succeed not fail.
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The teacher I observed held high expectations for her students. When they misbehaved,

they would have to move their clip down on the clip chart. If it was a good color all week, the

child got a prize. I feel that this scenario related to Kohlberg’s Moral Stage 3 Level 2,

Conventional/Role Conformity. In this stage, children are learning how to differ from a good-

girl/good-boy stage. Most children want approval from others. On an article it explains that

Stage 3: Good-boy/good-girl orientation children will show/want three things, (1) “Orientation to

approval, to pleasing and helping others, (2) Conformity to stereotypical images of majority or

natural role behavior, and (3) Action is evaluated in terms of intentions” (Kohlberg’s Moral

Stages, 2018). I believe that this theory connects in children’s lives because they are trying to

find out who they are as young growing adults.

When observing children in a classroom setting, I could relate to Piaget’s Cognitive

Development stages that occur during the school age years. Within the classroom setting, I saw

a lot of children in the stage of concrete operations. Bern’s explains that children, “can use logic

to understand relationships, but only on concrete, or real, people, objects, or events” (Berns,

2016; p. 19). On the website Learning Theories, under concrete operations it states, “The child

begins to think abstractly and conceptualize, creating logical structures that explain his or her

physical experiences,” (David, 2014). During the morning routine, there was a math worksheet

that had two math problems. The first math problem was 6+1= __. The second math problem

was 5+2= __. One child raised his hand and told the teacher that the first numbers in the

problems were decreasing and the second numbers were increasing, so the answer would be the

same for both problems. He was able to connect and think abstractly. Once the child connected

the math problems, other children started to agree as well. I felt that the teacher was encouraging

towards the child and the class.

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Students’ Social Ecology Theory

A child’s ecology explained in the book Child, Family, School, Community Socialization

and Support states, “The science of interrelationships between organisms and their

environments” (Berns, 2016; p. 5). Social ecology affects every child. For example, a

microsystem, plays a large part in a child’s world. A child can be affected by something at home

and that will affect how they will act at school. This is an important aspect of being a teacher

because the teacher needs to know and understand what is happening in their students’ lives.

Teachers need to incorporate goals that students can achieve that are individualized for

each student. If you give a child an unreachable goal, then they will never have the confidence

to reach that goal. If you give a child a goal that they can reach, they will try their hardest to

reach the goal. I want to encourage my students to strive towards the goal they need to meet. I

want to hold myself accountable for what my students learn and what they need to work on in

class. I want to be the best teacher that I can be.

Families, cultures, peers, and communities have a significant impact on students learning.

Teachers need to understand that the children’s cultures and communities have a lot to do with

who a child is. Teachers need to have a positive outlook when it comes to every aspect in a

child’s life. We don’t know who is influencing our students outside of school, we need to be

positive role models for them.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

There is a lot of diversity in schools today. I know that in many areas we can build off

the diversity and other histories that children get to experience in their background. I feel that
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it’s crucial for children to have a sense of diversity because in our community there are people

from all around the world.

Culture Pluralism is when a culture comes forth and shows other cultures and communities

what their customs mean to them. For example, there are many different religions around the

world, and others come to understand the minority. Culture assimilation is where people are less

accepting of other cultures. People conform more when others are not accepting. I believe that

teachers should teach students that it’s okay to share their culture with other students.

Curriculum for all Learners

Sometimes lesson plans don’t always go how we want them to go. Teachers have to

know when to adjust their schedule when working with children. The curriculum has to be fun

and entertaining for the children to want to reciprocate and learn together. The assessments are

necessary when you are a teacher because you can see what your students learned and what they

need to work on to further their education.

Teachers want to make sure their students understand concepts they have been taught.

They want to assess all students and confirm a student understands the concept before moving

onto the next chapter in the curriculum. It is important for teachers to evaluate their students so

the teacher can make sure every child is understanding the curriculum before moving on.

Towards the beginning of the year when the curriculum is new to the children, I want to

make sure that my teaching strategies will be more teacher-directed. When the students become

more self-sufficient, I will push towards learner-directed teaching method. When they start

getting more familiar with the concepts later in the year, I will have them work on assignments in
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groups. By having students work in groups, I’m hoping that they will understand different ways

others learn.

Conclusion

As a teacher, I will be there to assist my students inside and outside of the classroom.

Keeping in contact with students’ parents will be something I will strive for each school year.

Children are ever evolving. When children are in school, they are always learning about

themselves, who they are and what they want to be. As a teacher, I want to be there for my

students as a role model. Your childhood years are built upon who you are today. As we grow

old, we never stop learning or changing. I have learned a lot throughout observing in a

classroom setting. I will use this information that I have learned and apply it in my own

classroom.
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References

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

California: Cengage Learning.

David, L. (2014, July 22). Stage Theory of Cognitive Development (Piaget). Learning

Theories. Retrieved from

https://www.learning-theories.com/piagets-stage-theory-of-cognitive-development.html.

Kohlberg’s Moral Stages. Retrieved from

http://ww3.haverford.edu/psychology/ddavis/p109g/kohlberg.stages.html