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Belief Statements

Lillian M. Blizzard

Department of Elementary Education, Salisbury University

ELED 340-350: Building Classroom Community

Dr. Elaine O’Neal

March 9, 2020
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Belief Statements

Part 1

I am currently a junior attending the Salisbury University Cohort program at Chesapeake

College. I am creating these belief statements for fourth grade. I developed my belief statements

after researching productive classroom management, incorporating what I have learned about a

well-running classroom from other education classes, and from incorporating my own beliefs of

an efficient classroom. The texts I used as resources are Building Classroom Management,

Reaching All by Creating Tribes Learning Communities, FISH!, “Improving Students’

Relationships with Teachers to Provide Essential Supports for Learning,” and The First Days of

School.

1. The Teacher’s Role

a. I believe the teacher’s role in the classroom is to guide students to their learning

(Wong & Wong, 2018, p. 220).

2. Classroom Climate

a. I believe the classroom climate needs to feel safe, energetic, and inclusive for

students (Gibbs, 2006, pp. 33, 73-74; Lundin et al., 2000, pp. 53, 61).

3. Organization

a. I believe organization is key to an efficient classroom and that students need to be

organized for them to learn (Wong & Wong, 2018, pp. 102-109).

4. Communication

a. I believe communicating is essential to building relationships with students for

them to feel as they are part of the classroom (Rimm-Kaufman & Sandilos, n.d.;

Lundin et al., 2000, pp. 53-54).

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5. Respect

a. I believe respect is essential in the classroom for everyone to treat each other with

kindness (Gibbs, 2006, p. 68).

6. How Students Learn

a. I believe cooperative learning and exciting or engaging lessons are how students

learn (Gibbs, 2006, pp. 29-30, 45; Lundin et al., 2000, p. 61).

7. Procedures

a. I believe procedures make a classroom run smoothly because students know the

expectations of the teacher (Wong & Wong, 2018, pp. 95-96).

8. Safety

a. I believe safety is what students need to feel in the classroom for them to open

their minds to learning (Gibbs, 2006, p. 43).

9. Student Choices

a. I believe students should be able to choose from a list of assignments that help

facilitate them learning in their own personal style (Charles & Cole, 2019, pp.

196-220; Gibbs, 2006, pp. 58, 147-150).

10. Motivation

a. I believe motivation is how to keep students interested and engaged in their

learning through fun lessons and positive feedback. I believe the teacher should

help students build intrinsic motivation for them to develop a love learning (Wong

& Wong, 2018, p. 206; Lundin et al., 2000, p. 61).

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References

Charles, C. M., & Cole, K. M. (2019). Building classroom management: Methods and models

(12th ed.). Pearson.

Gibbs, J. (2006). Reaching all by creating tribes learning communities. CenterSource Systems.

Lundin, S. C., Paul, H., & Christensen, J. (2000). FISH!: A proven way to boost morale and

improve results. Hachette Books.

Rimm-Kaufman, S., & Sandilos, L. (n.d.). Improving students’ relationships with teachers to

provide essential supports for learning. American Psychological Association.

https://www.apa.org/education/k12/relationships

Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2018). The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher.

Harry K. Wong Publications.

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Part 2