Statement of Informed Beliefs

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Statement of Informed Beliefs

Brianna Semonchuk

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Statement of Informed Beliefs
Introduction
An education is one of the greatest gifts anyone can receive. It is my goal as a
professional educator to share my love of learning with every student, because all students can
learn. An effective teacher must know how students learn, and strategies to ensure that all
students will learn.
All Students Can Learn
One of the challenges of becoming an effective teacher is finding the grounds to reach each student
at each of their various skill levels. Every student has a unique zone of proximal development:
Vygotskys term for the space between what a learner can do independently, and what he or she can do
while participating with more capable others. An effective teacher is sensitive to each students individual
zone of proximal development, and incorporates an appropriate balance of independent and collaborative
activities in lesson plans.
The most effective leadership style in a classroom environment is that of the democratic leadership
style, in which teachers guide and collaborate with students; as opposed to dictating direction without
student involvement. Teachers can allow students to participate in setting group policy, suggest alternative
procedures, evaluate students in a fair and objective manner, and act as a member of the group. In a study
featured in our text, Lewin, Lippitt, and White (1939) compared the effects of the democratic leadership
style, along with the authoritarian and laissez-faire leadership styles. The study showed that practicing a
democratic leadership style resulted in a contented, cooperative, and productive group. In fact, the
democratic-led group was the only group that actually continued working on their projects when the
instructor left the classroom.

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A teachers leadership style isnt the only aspect that will have a huge effect on student learning; a
teachers teaching style is equally impactful. Every student has a unique learning style, or consistent
pattern of behavior and performance by which an individual approaches educational experiences. Student
learning style and teacher teaching style can be viewed as bidirectional, with one influencing the other. An
effective teacher ensures that all of their students will learn material by shaping their lesson plans to touch on
as many learning styles as possible.
Teachers Expectations
Teachers expectations can have an extraordinary impact on students ability to learn. Whether we
consciously realize it or not, our expectations of students can even be influenced by student characteristics
including socioeconomic class, cultural background, gender, personality, physical appearance, speech
characteristics, or handwriting! It is the effective teachers responsibility not to form expectations that
continue throughout the year, but rather change their expectations throughout the year based on student
performance. Teacher expectations about students do not have a direct impact on student behavior. It is
when these expectations are communicated to the students, and selective reinforcement results in shaping
their behavior; that teacher expectations are significantly impactful.
The significance of teacher expectations is illustrated in Rosenthal and Jacobsons book,
Pygmalion in the Classroom. Their work described a classic experiment in which all the teachers in an
elementary school gave a test to their students that was designed to identify intellectual bloomers (those
who would show an academic spurt during the year). The test was a fluke. The researchers provided the
teachers with a list of bloomers that was actually a random list of names from the teachers rolls. The
students were tested again 8 months later, and the so-called bloomers demonstrated significant intellectual
growth. Are teachers trapped by their self-fulfilling prophecies for their students? Effective educators

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ensure that their actions are not a result of their own preconceived notions by interacting objectively with
every student.
The overall goal for an educator is to help children to reach their fullest potentials. To encourage
certain socialization outcomes, instructional classroom settings can be organized into goal structures.
There are three main types of goal structures we see in a classroom setting. Cooperative goal structure
involves students working together to accomplish shared goals. This promotes positive interpersonal
relationships, such as sharing, helping others, trust, and acceptance. Another goal structure, competitive
goal structure, involves students working against each other to achieve goals that only a few students can
attain. This promotes comparisons and mistrust, and for some, achievement motivation. The final type of
goal structure in a classroom setting is called individualized goal structure, in which one students
achievement of a goal is unrelated to other students achievement of that goal. This promotes studentteacher interaction and responsibility for oneself.
Students Social Ecology Theory
The school itself is one of the primary agents of socialization, so it would make sense that it is
important to connect student learning to students social ecology. According to Bronfenbrenners
bioecological theory of human development, there are four basic structures in which relationships and
interactions take place to form patterns that affect human development; the microsystem, the mesosystem,
the exosystem, and the macrosystem. The school is an important cornerstone of a childs microsystem,
which refers to activities and relationships with significant others experienced by a developing person in a
particular small setting. The school is the setting in which children formally learn about their society, so it is
important for students to apply the knowledge and skills they learn in school to their daily lives outside of
school. According to our text, the primary purpose of education, from societys perspective, is the
transmission of cultural heritage; the accumulated knowledge, values, beliefs, and customs of the society.

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In order to maintain that culture, society needs people with the skills to assume specialized roles as well as
develop new knowledge and technology. The purpose of education from the individuals perspective,
then, is to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to become self-sufficient and participate effectively in
society. (Berns, p 187).
Erik Eriksons theory of psychosocial development explains the personality development of an
individual as the outcome of their interactions in their social environment. How one copes with these
normal challenges at one stage of development affects ones ability to overcome difficulties in the next
stage. In the first year of an infants life, according to Erikson, one must learn a basic sense of trust in
themselves and of the people in their environment. The quality and consistency of care the infant receives
directly determines the outcome of this stage of development. From there, we can see how the development
of trust or mistrust can impact further levels of psychosocial development, and in turn effect student
learning. The family can also play a key role in a childs success in school. A parents attitude toward
school can influence a childs attitude toward school.
A childs community is another significant factor of a childs microsystem. Community
involvement is a key to student success, and the mass of community involvement between schools can vary
greatly. Some schools have an exceptional number of parent volunteers and youth outreach programs,
while other schools dont receive any support. Community support can help to fill in the gaps where some
parents might be lacking in time or resources. Culture plays an important role as a part of a developing
persons macrosystem, the society and subculture to which the developing person belongs. Recall that the
very purpose of education from societys perspective is to transmit cultural heritage; we can see how our
culture directly influences what students learn. Just about everything, from what we teach to how we teach
it, is influenced by our culture. Some cultures value education more than others, which can directly

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influence student achievement. Of all the factors that influence student learning, it is important to consider
how each factor influences the others.
Cultural Diversity Instruction
Our culture influences every aspect of our lives, yet we dont always take the time to really think
about it: what exactly is culture? Culture refers to the acquired, or learned behavior (including knowledge,
beliefs, art, morals, law, customs, and traditions) that is characteristic of the social environment in which an
individual grows up. In the classroom, we impart the values of our macroculture through our choice in
school curriculum and classroom management settings. Of course, these values arent always shared by
every student in a classroom; so it is important to be considerate and sensitive to these differences. There are
a variety of macrosystem philosophies regarding how diverse cultural groups should be socialized.
Cultural assimilation is the process in which a minority cultural group takes on the characteristics
of the majority cultural group. For a long time, it was felt that in order for diverse cultural groups to be
assimilated into society, they had to adapt to the majority cultures ways. Over time, our macroculture as a
whole is constantly adapting to our ever-changing society. Today, we can find examples of cultural
assimilation in the use of English immersion programs in schools. Cultural pluralism involves a mutual
appreciation and understanding of various cultures and the coexistence in society of different languages,
religions, and lifestyles. A great example of cultural pluralism is the concept of multicultural education;
learning experiences that encourage interest in many different cultures within the society. Multicultural
education gives students a chance to learn about all sorts of cultural values, beliefs, and traditions that they
might not have otherwise ever been exposed to. Cultural background is an important factor in teacherstudent interaction, because both the teacher and the student come into the relationship with preconceived
values, morals, attitudes, motives, etc. If it is the role of the teacher to implement the values and traditions of
society, then it is crucial to be aware of the diversity found in these values and traditions.

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Curriculum for All Learners
Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences identifies eight areas of intelligence in which
we all process information, and individuals differ in their strengths of these areas of intelligence. The eight
multiple intelligences include logical-mathematical, linguistic, body-kinesthetic, musical, spatial,
interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. Because all children learn differently, it is important to adapt our
curriculum, lesson plans, and classroom environment to encompass these learning styles. Effective teachers
know that in order to reach a diverse group of students, you must present information in a variety of
different ways; whether it might be through a short lecture, a video clip, a song, a group activity, a diagram,
etc. Another area to keep in mind when adapting lesson plans and teaching strategies is the range of rates at
which your students learn. This can present challenges for teachers, because we must adapt our lessons to
ensure that the lowest-achieving students are understanding the lessons, while keeping the most advanced
students engaged.
Every student might learn differently, but it is my goal as a professional educator to ensure that
every student learns. There are countless strategies to adapt to the ever-changing student dynamics we will
encounter as teachers. Scaffolding methods are used to bridge the learning gap. We use scaffolding by
providing successive levels of temporary support that help students reach higher levels of comprehension
that they would not have achieved without help. Just like physical scaffolding, the supportive strategies are
removed once they are no longer needed, and the student gradually takes on more responsibility in the
learning process.
According to the text, the differences between successful and unsuccessful classroom managers
lay in the planning and preparation of instruction (page 220). As educators, student success is one of a
number of factors that reflects our ability as effective teachers. We depend on teacher assessments to review
our performance, and adapt our instructional planning and delivery methods. This helps us to focus on areas

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of potential growth that we might not have noticed on our own. There are many factors to be considered
when defining a teacher as effective or successful. Winston Churchill once said Success consists of
going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. It is important to keep in mind that in the everchanging world of our educational system, there will always be room for improvement. We will always
have areas to grow and develop our skills and knowledge, because there will always be more to learn! It is
our ability to adapt to these changes that will make us successful educators.
Conclusion
There are a variety of factors that impact student learning and teacher performance. Because of the
complex nature of the teaching profession, it is important to stay flexible in our ever-changing world.
Teachers must be aware of their subconscious expectations, and embrace diversity in their classrooms. As
professional educators, it is our duty to ensure that our students reach their fullest potentials. Loris
Malaguzzi once said, Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high
as possible. No one can do more. This profound idea sums my personal mission as an educator.

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References
Berns, R. M. (2013). Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support (9th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.