Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

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Statement of Informed Beliefs Elena Kuzmenko Instructor: Carol Billing EDUC 204: Families, Communities, and Culture Spring 2012

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Statement of Informed Beliefs As a future teacher, I understand there are many things that will influence how I choose to teach and what I believe. I want to build a strong foundation and learn as much as I can, so I can be an effective teacher. There are many children of different cultures, diversities, and personalities. I would like to be able to make a positive impact on all the children with whom I will have a chance to interact. All Students Can Learn There is not one single method of teaching that will work well for all types of learning styles. Some strategies are more effective than others in bringing out the desire in students to learn. Good teaching makes students curious. Some students are visual while others need the hands on experience to be able to fully take in the experience. It is up to the teacher to provide a variety of teaching methods to meet the needs of his/her students. In order to know what teaching methods would work best for a particular group of students, it is important to know your class. Knowing what their needs are, the teacher can then choose the best route to take in teaching the subject. School age is the time when while children learn to take instruction and be recognized for the effort they put in; they are also developing the ability to enjoy work. If a child is not receiving recognition for his/her efforts the student may begin to feel like he/she is a failure. Students want to learn when they see they have a chance to be successful. Each child may need a different level of praise in order for the results to be healthy ones. In ensuring all students learn it is up to the teacher to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses. There are various services available for students to use and the teacher needs to

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help them understand what services could be of use to them to better meet their needs. Using various mass media such as newspapers and videos, a teacher gives students the opportunity to learn in different ways. Educators need to constantly be evaluating their own teaching to make sure students are getting the best and to make sure everyone is learning. Many times we are aware of the intentional socialization we portray, but when it comes to unintentional socialization, we may give the student the wrong example and not even realize we did it. Kids do not always listen but they are always watching. The school is one of the close relationships a child has. Along with family, peer groups, and community, a school is a microsystem. The classroom is where learning takes place and the teacher is responsible in constructing an environment that is comfortable and welcoming to everyones learning. Teachers Expectations I believe teacher expectations play a significant role in the achievement and behavior of students. The expectations teachers have influence the way they evaluate students, the way they behave towards them and the decisions they make about the students. At the beginning of the school year, prior to meeting the students personally, a teacher may receive information about the students; this information influences the expectations the teacher has for each individual. Teachers then treat their students differently based on their expectations and in result the students react differently, reinforcing the teachers expectations. Eventually students begin to reflect the expectations the teacher has of them. Teachers usually try to think of all students as equal, but as we have seen and possibly experienced, teachers do not always expect equal outcomes of students. Self-fulfilling prophecy is when teachers expectations of performance influence the actual performance of the student,

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either positive expectations or negative expectations. It is important for a teacher to periodically analyze his/her expectations of students and reflect on whether this expectation is legit. Adjustments may need to be made, so the teachers expectations affect the students achievement and behavior in a positive way. In order for a student to be successful I think it is important for the student to have goals and to physically see these goals on paper and to see how he/she has progressed, in order to reach his/her ultimate goal. Each week I would like to take a minute to meet with my students and discuss how they have progressed, talk about how things have been going, what improvements can be made, and what expectations are for next week. When the student sees he/she is advancing in his/her goal and the teacher is on his/her side and believes in him/her, the student is motivated to keep trying. Students need that support in order to become successful and learn to believe in themselves. Students Social Ecology Theory Socialization helps children learn what they need to know to be able to fit in with the people whom they are surrounded by. From societys point of view, the main purpose of education is to pass on the beliefs, values, knowledge, and customs of society. The purpose of education from an individuals point of view is to learn the necessary skills and knowledge to be effective in society. Each individual student dreams about who he/she wants to be when he/she grows up. They figure out what their interests are. I believe the most meaningful learning is when a student can associate learning with his/her passion. In a classroom there are many various ways to incorporate a students interest with the lesson.

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Everything that surrounds students effects their learning and success. Families, cultures and communities all impact a students learning. A child begins learning in the family and later when the child attends school, the family, is still the greatest impact on the childs learning results. It is important for the family to be supportive, encouraging and involved. When children have the backup they need from their family, then they are able to be more successful in school. Culture is a big part of a childs life too. A child learns the values of his/her culture and is affected by those values later, when concerning education and its importance. A child wants to be accepted and fit in with his/her culture therefore will follow the values and beliefs of his/her culture. Along with families, and culture, communities have an impact on a students learning too. When a community supports its students the students are more successful in their learning. Communities come up with resources for schools in order for the best learning to take place. They pass certain laws affecting the schools, use tax money to fund school construction and services, and determine class sizes. Students learn best when everything around them is taken into consideration. Cultural Diversity Instruction As a future teacher, ethnic history and background will be important to me. I want to encourage my students to know their history and to be knowledgeable about their background. Acknowledging the fact there are so many different cultures around us will help the students feel like they have a place in the classroom. The National Association for the Education of Young Children says that for optimal developmental and learning of all children, educators must accept the legitimacy of childrens home language, respect and value the home culture and promote and encourage the active

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involvement and support of all families, including extended and nontraditional family units. I want students to be proud of who they are and where they come from, and I would want them to be able to share their culture with others around them. I think it would be fun to have each student choose something from their culture they could share with the class. Students would have fun learning about each others cultures. This activity would get parents involved, and it would show them their culture is noticed and valued. Respecting culture and ethnic backgrounds means the teacher needs to be sensitive to a variety of different ways of tradition. Our text mentioned asking appropriate questions and listening carefully, so we can help avoid misunderstandings. When the teacher is sensitive, the students will learn to respect the differences among themselves. If something comes up that students do not understand about each other, I will try to find a way to discuss the topic so everyone feels comfortable and respected. Having mutual appreciation and understanding about the different cultures in our society and working together to respect the rights of each individual group, is called cultural pluralism. There are so many different languages, religious beliefs, and lifestyles surrounding us and we have to learn to coexist with one another. It used to be thought in order for a diverse ethnic group to fit into the American society, they needed to adapt to the majority cultures way, which is known as cultural assimilation. Assimilation is the process of one group giving up its cultural characteristics and taking on the characteristics of another cultural group. During teacher student interactions both reflect their values and traditions. The role of the teacher is to teach the students the values and traditions of society, thus helping build a strong society.

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Curriculum for all Learners As a teacher I know I need to always be ready to be flexible and always prepared for alternatives. The way a teacher is able to manage a classroom affects the results of his/her teaching methods. In Kounins research he showed that preventative measures are the most successful when it comes to management, rather than consequential measures. Teachers who were successful at managing their classroom, planned and prepared instruction ahead of time, thus reducing the possibility of children losing interest. A classroom is made up of many different students with various learning styles. A teacher has his/her preferred way of teaching but then again the students prefer a certain way of learning and so the teacher needs to meet those needs in order for the students to learn. It is important for the teacher to assess the way the lesson went and how well it worked for the students. Assessment is meaningless unless the teacher follows-up and makes the needed changes. Not everything that needs attention will be apparent at first sight, so with every following lesson and activity the teacher gets to know her class and their needs. The teacher should notice how the students react to the lesson. Different aspects of the lesson may be more important to focus on and spend time on, than others. In order to ensure students are moving forward in their learning and not staying at the same level, I would test them at the beginning of the year and then throughout the year to see how they are improving. I will also observe students and recognize how they are developing and growing, observing their strategies and techniques in accomplishing a task. According to Howards theory of Multiple Intelligences by analyzing childrens learning styles and developing learning profiles to describe their strengths and weaknesses, teachers can give children the power to be successful in school. I want to be the teacher who gives her

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students power. I want to learn as much as I can, so that when I am out there teaching, I can make the most out of the time I have with my students.

Refereneces Berns, R.M. (2010). Child, family, school, community: socialization and support (8th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Print