Running head: DSIB ESSAY

The Way to a Student

Mitchell P. Young
College of Southern Idaho
Dr. Egbert
Education 204
12/7/16

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The Way to a Student
Education is not simply spouting off words and soaking up the lessons. The goal
of education should be to teach students how to learn, and not necessarily what to learn.
By the following sections it will be shown how a child can best achieve this. Constant
vigilance in this endeavor to teaching will bring the greatest results.
How all Students Can Learn
It is essential that students understand the material being taught. In the classroom
I will help children know that their learning is important to me. My teaching style is very
much an authoritative style. According to Lev Vygotsky, (2016) we learn of the zone of
proximal development, which is the facilitating of childrens capacities to reach their full
potential. Each child learns differently than other children do. It is imperative that time
is spent with them to know how to best teach them.
Roberta M. Burns (2016) explains that John B. Watson the theorist of behaviorism
said, only observable behavior (not what exists in the mind) provides valid data for
psychology (pp. 138-139). This type of theory has many benefits for extrinsically
motivated learners. It cannot be noted enough, how much influence a teachers
expectation for their class has on the achievements of learners. Experience has shown
that what standard the teacher holds for the students, is the standard they will achieve.
Lowering expectations in essence will lower results.
While students must be expected to succeed, they also must not be overstressed.
From overstressing learners, the learning process is hindered. Students do not have the
time or the essential tools to remember the material. That being stated, some stress is

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beneficial. For some assignments, students will learn to perform well while under stress.
Some students will even prefer to be pushed and stretched to their limits.
Students' Social Ecology Theory
From micro to meso the basis of most childrens learning will be established.
From the micro a teacher can use a connection with the parents to help learners. From
the meso there must be a trust relationship with each of the students. By connecting with
a childs parents and using both parent and teacher, the greatest results will come. It
seems that most of what a child remembers from learning is taught in the home.
Cultural diversity is what America has been founded on. Each student need a
sense of understand for other perspectives and diversity. From theorist Bronfenbrenner
(2016) the system from which a child first begins learning is their foundation. The micro
system is what is needed to build upon as a teacher. From the micro system parents may
have already begun sowing the seeds for educating their children. Some children will
have grown up in foster care homes and may be afraid of learning. Thus the trust
between teacher and student is paramount.
Discrimination and Learning
Students need to know that teachers are not critical of their cultural differences.
Each student should feel that the classroom is a safe place where diversity is taught and
understood. America exemplifies cultural pluralism, with all of the diverse cultures
interwoven across the country. It is at the very core of a successful society, that in
schools, children mustnt feel judged for their views. Rather they should gain an
understanding for their own beliefs and form their own views based on knowledge
gained.

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One lesson to be taught to students is cultural assimilation, which brings all
cultures together and pushes them to one universal culture. One way that will help in
teaching this is through bilingual/multicultural education. ESL or English Spanish
learners are definitely affected in our culture today. In Idaho in particular, there are large
group of Hispanics living locally. Schools must be ready to adjust to and adequately
prepare for such influxes and changes.
Equitable Education for all Students
In a world that is growing with technology, lower socioeconomic households will
struggle. Education can finally become more refined, yet these struggling families lack
the adequate resources for their families. By using technology students can now learn the
lessons at home, then with the help of the teacher, do the homework in class. This is
beneficial as the teacher oversees the application of the material.
Not all students will have the means to use this style. There are many homes with
struggling incomes just barely feeding the students. Some dont even have homes or
food. How can we expect them to use expensive technology in order to gain an
education? This repulses the idea that education is available to all.
From being able to give time to students in after hour tutoring at schools, students
will be able to ask the questions needed to keep up with learning. Also schools are
incorporating computer labs in order to accommodate this age of technological evolution.
Other solutions will be needed, and thus one of the reasons why this is not the way
schools operate yet. It will take time and an observant teacher to know their students
needs and be able to adequately assess their needs and learning.

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Conclusion
Education is constantly changing and it will continue to do so. The mark of an
excellent teacher will be the ability to adapt to change. Change in the classroom, change
in the society, and change in the student. By using the theories discussed and with added
vigor, teaching is becoming more refined. Students are not only learning the subjects
anymore. In fact in our day and age, they have more information at the touch of a keypad
than any other generation before. It is a teachers duty to guide them in their learning.
They have the information, now we can teach them how to use it.

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References
Berns, R. (2012). Child, family, school, and community: Socialization and support (10th
ed., pp 138-139). Nelson Education