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RUNNING HEADER: Statement of Informative Beliefs

Statement of Informative Beliefs

A reflection on my own beliefs about students, teaching, education, and diversity

Paige Rose

College of Western Idaho

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Statement of Informative Beliefs

Statement of Informative Beliefs

“Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become

your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values

become your destiny.” -Gandhi. This quote sums up how powerful are beliefs really are. All of

us have our own set of beliefs that shape our lives. This set of beliefs affects what we think about

ourselves, others, and the world at large. Beliefs can be about anything, and from an educational

standpoint everyone has different beliefs about many things. Our ideas on learning, the

expectations of teachers, students’ social ecology being connected to learning, the discussion of

cultural diversity Instruction, and Curriculum really being for all learners, are just some of the

many things that teacher have beliefs on. As a student wanting to become a teacher these are

what I also must come to have beliefs on and having to think about and write about my beliefs

helps me clarify them.

All Students Can Learn

All students can learn. A student’s ability to learn however has many factors that can affect

this ability. It’s a matter of finding and creating a direct relationship between the learning

environment teachers create in their classrooms and connecting it with the student’s

achievements. Each teacher has their particular style, but then, so do most students. A student’s

ability to learn as well as the teacher’s responsibility in the process go hand in hand and as

teachers it’s our job to ensure that they will learn as well as be able to manage and lead the class

to the goal.

There are many ideas out there on students’ abilities to learn, however, as far as my ideas on

the ability of students to learn and what I believe the teacher’s responsibilities are in the process
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should look like there are a few I feel to be important. Each teacher has their particular style, but

then, so do most students same goes to ways of learning. There are several different learning

styles that ultimately affect one’s ability to learn. No student is exclusively one style or another

and most utilize a variety of modalities when learning. Learning styles are important even

different Cultures have distinctive learning style patterns. Schools are filled with a great

variation of individuals from different cultures and it means that teachers must use diverse

teaching strategies with all students. As a teacher it is our responsibility to expand students’

abilities and to use as many learning styles as possible, our ability to give every child a chance to

succeed in school depends upon a full understanding of culture and learning styles. Beyond

learning and teaching styles another idea I have on student’s ability to learn is how each of us

processes and distinguishes information differently based on socialization. Social interaction

helps young children to start to develop their sense of self as well as better understand their

culture, it is also a start to learn what others expect from them and is a great learning tool.

George Herbert Mead (1934), a social interaction theorist noted that “It is language that sharply

separates humans from other animals. Language makes ideas and communication of these ideas

possible, and language also makes it possible to replace action with thoughts to transform

behavior” as cited in (Berns, 2016, p. 7). Socialization Is unique to humans because we can

think, so utilizing it as a tool to help a child learn is key and as teachers it is our responsibility to

utilize it as an educational tool and not as a weakness.

Ensuring that all students will learn is the goal of every teacher. For myself in particular there

are many things I will do to ensure that all my students learn. First and foremost I will make it a

priority to teach in different styles and get to know my students and understand there cultures to

best accommodate students learning styles. I will also embrace socialization and use it as the tool
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it should be. Knowing your content is also crucial, so by being prepared it will be easier to focus

on my students and observe them rather than the material I’m teaching.

Managing and leading a classroom where all students will learn is by far the most difficult. In

order to manage and lead a class where students will learn my goal is to center my class around

establishing, maintaining, and restoring relationships as well as personally make meaningful

connections with my students. I wanted to be committed to making my classroom a safe place

and yet have a challenging environment and engaging my students through the curriculum. I

believe that meeting the needs of my students is a very crucial part of my classroom. I want them

to be comfortable with the other students, as well as me, so that there can use socialization to its

fullest potential.

All students CAN learn. Its about the efforts you, the teacher, put forth to provide students

with the best environment for the students. It’s about ensuring that you will do everything in

your power to ensure they will learn as well as to manage and make the connections in the

classroom so that every student has a fair chance to succeed.

Teacher Expectations

Understanding how expectations influence students to learn, and how important setting

educational goals are, are two things that every teacher should think about on a daily basis.

Often times teachers may not be realizing how their expectations of their students are influencing

their ability to learn. They need to be asking themselves, are their expectation toward a particular

student high or low and whether or not the expectations they have for that student are affecting

their learning. Teachers also need to be considering academic goal setting and why they are so

crucial. In order to do so a major step is to understand their benefits.

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The expectations teachers have come from many places. Berns (2016) mentions the fact that

most teachers usually receive data about students at the beginning of the school year, things such

as test scores, grades, family and health information, and comments from past teachers (Berns,

2016, p.245). All of this information can greatly influence student achievement right away. A

teacher could have high expectations for a student after viewing this information and that teacher

may attempt to teach more and try to create a more positive atmosphere, leading to higher

achievement. Conversely, if the teacher sees the information and has a low expectation, they are

less likely to present advanced or challenging material and might unwittingly discourage learning

by providing less attention, encouragement or positive feedback. Not all expectations come from

the information at the beginning of the year, in fact Brophy and his colleagues (2007) indicates

that “teachers’ expectations can also be influenced by student characteristics like socioeconomic

status, cultural background, gender, personality, physical attractiveness, speech characteristics,

and handwriting.” (Berns, 2016, p.245) Either way when it comes to “living up to expectations”

every child deserves the best expectations for them.

Setting and achieving goals overall is quite an underestimated skill for success. Research has

found that setting educational goals are essential for increasing student achievement and

motivation. Setting educational goals really can make a difference. Isaac Ddumba, a teacher at

La Colombiere School in Kigali, says “Having goals makes learners aware of their actions,

efforts, and even their time management skills. Setting goals obligates them to take action,

regardless of the obstacles that may be in place. As such, it can encourage students to develop

critical thinking skills, new problem-solving techniques, and a better understanding of how to

overcome issues,” (Lydia Atieno, 2010) By setting educational goals it helps specify clearly

what is to be achieved. This is vital because it provides a direction and makes progress and
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achievement recognizable. Without clearly defined educational goals, someone might experience

feelings of sluggishness, low motivation, and lack of purpose. Defined goals provide direction.

Goal setting in education really is important and according to Locke and Latham (1990)

“educational goals that incorporate specific performance standards are more likely to enhance

learning and activate self-evaluative reactions.” (Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P., 1990) By

realizing and understanding the importance of educational goals educators and students are

overall more likely to succeed.

It is clear that as educators we need to understand how our expectations toward students are

influencing their ability to learn as well as how crucial educational goals really are. We want

what is best for our students and looking into how our expectations are affecting them and

realizing the benefits that come of goal setting can set ourselves and students up for success.

Students' Social Ecology

A large part of the attention to the education of young children involves describing,

understanding, and improving interactions that take place within and between the many

environments experienced by young children, and that’s what social ecology is all about. Social

ecology is an important thing to connect to learning. Families, culture, and community are all a

part of that social ecology and can affect learners in many ways. As teachers it is our job to

understand this importance, as well as understand how families, culture, and community affect

our students learning.

Connecting learning to student’s social ecology is very important for it helps in the process of

education in several ways.  One way is that social ecology really does represent education.  The

study of how people and societies interact within one another and themselves is, in part, the

essence of education.  The process of teaching and learning is a social process- teachers and
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students, students with one another, both with people outside of the classroom and bringing those

experiences into the classroom setting- are all examples of how our social interactions impact our

learning. Another reason it’s important to connect learning to student’s social ecology is it can

help students learn how to effectively interact with others, as well as it makes them more aware

that there are many different kinds of people in the world who do not necessarily think the way

they do. By connecting learning to student’s social ecology, it can help students to understand

themselves better and make them understand how the social world influences the way they think,

feel, and act.

As teachers we have to understand that all children come from different families, cultures,

and communities, and that these things have quite the impact on a students’ learning. Not all

family settings are ideal and according to James Garbarino (1992) “a child who is not

adequately nurtured or loved, such as one who grows up in an abusive or dysfunctional family,

may have developmental problems” as cited in (Berns, 2016, p.22). This lack of care can affect

the child’s academic performance compared to a child from a loving home who will be well

supported and guided on their education journey. Cultural tendencies impact the way children

participate in education as well. Many aspects of culture contribute to student identity and affects

beliefs and values, attitudes and expectations, social relations, and even language use. Culture is

almost another language in itself and another way of saying a way of life. Many behaviors

associated with growing up in a particular culture show in the class and ultimately can affect

learning. My dad is a great example of how culture affects learning. He grew up in a very poor

area in West Virginia and the way of life in this little area was very different from other areas.

He often did not go to school and chose to go hunting or fishing to provide for his family. Due to

all the days missed he struggled in school and he had no care in the world to go because he
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would rather go provide for his family. As teachers we have to understand everyone’s way of life

is different and that due to it does affect learning. Communities that children grow up in also can

have a profound effect on learning. Many children are raised in calm and supportive

environments with a wealth of resources. At the other end of the spectrum, millions of children

grow up under conditions of the opposite. This often translates into the absence of basic

resources necessary for development and even have community violence which can, impact how

they think, feel and act including at home as well as when at school. 

Knowing the importance of connecting learning to social ecology as well as realizing how

families, culture, and community are important things for teachers to understand. By simply

knowing and understanding these things teachers can make out new ways to adjust teaching for

the benefit of their learners.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

School diversity and school culture directly impact student success. As a result, it is

particularly important for the school culture and the classroom culture to reflect, acknowledge,

and celebrate diversity and as teachers it is our job to find the best way to do so. Cultural

assimilation as well as cultural pluralism are both terms that describe the integration of one

culture into another and it’s important for teachers to understand the difference between those as

well for it could be what a child is experiencing.

All good teachers build a bridge between what students know and what they need to learn.

Yet teaching that embraces students' cultural backgrounds is something that tends to be left out.

All teachers need to think about and find ways to build on life histories and experiences of

students’ ethnic backgrounds, and that’s exactly what I want to do. I personally want to make

sure I work deeply to understand each individual student. Understanding my students means
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to understand their neighborhood demographics, strengths, concerns, conflicts and challenges.

Like students themselves, these dynamics may change frequently. I have seen where schools take

their teachers to subdivisions where the majority of the students come from and students get to

meet the teacher. I would love to do that at my future school. It’s a great way to see where they

come from and meet the student’s family. I also want to find ways to bring students' heritage

and community into the classroom and really create some kind of link between home and

school. Some ways I could do this might be inviting parents into the classroom to talk about their

career, or even having cultural days where parents can talk about their cultures and provide a

glimpse into how unique we all are. I also can teach "real-life" lessons that expose students

to content which can be used to help them live healthy lives.

The terms “assimilation” and “pluralism” can both be used to describe the integration of one

culture into another. The difference between the two is the composition of the integration and

how it impacts the two cultures involved. Cultural assimilation is a “process by whereby a

minority ethnic group takes on the characteristics of the majority group” (Berns, 2016, p.112)

meaning that although the foreign culture may have some influence on the host culture, the trend

is for people from the foreign culture to adopt the customs and beliefs of the host culture.

Cultural pluralism involves “a mutual appreciation and understanding of the culture of various

ethnic groups” (Berns, 2016, p.212), meaning that people of the foreign culture learn how to

interact with society at large, and tend to maintain and hold their cultural identities while still

respecting and acting/behaving in ways that align with the larger society/group.

In any event school diversity and school culture should be celebrated. It is an important

component to academic success and something I personally will acknowledge in my class. I also
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want to keep in mind the terms assimilation and pluralism and understanding how they differ in

integration of one culture into another knowing that each child’s experience is different.

Curriculum for all Learners

Curriculum is for all learners; however, it is how the teacher handles the curriculum that

makes it for all learners. A teacher must be able to adjust planning, delivery and assessment as

necessary as well as understand how the use of assessments can inform them on planning. A

teacher must also ensure that in doing all this that they are deciding what is best suited for each

student so that they are improving upon his or her original level of learning.

Being able to adjust your planning, delivery, and assessment as necessary is important in any

classroom. Immediate instructional adjustments by teachers can be based on many things such as

either assessments of students' performance or students' self-reported levels of understanding. I

personally plan to adjust my planning, delivery and assessments by doing a few things. I want to

gather information that can be done with just a few questions and a visual survey of student

responses, such as the quick and easy simple thumbs up thumbs down to get feedback as to

where students are and decide whether an instructional adjustment is in order. Observing is also

key. If I walk around and notice a lot of students struggling with an assignment then it might

mean that there needs to be more instruction or practice together before they can complete it with

confidence. As far as assessments some things I can do are pre assessments to see where students

are on a subject, as well as speak to students one on one about their tests and get feedback from

them as well as provide them with feedback.

Formal, informal, standardized, and authentic and many other assessments provide

significant insight into students’ progress, curriculum, and effectiveness as well as inform the

teacher about how to plan instruction along with find the best method to deliver it. The data
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collected from them gives classroom educators a deep understanding of their students’

personalities and abilities, and even insight into their learning styles. These assessments allow

for quick modification to the next class’s plan and help identify learning gaps before they

become a potential problem. An authentic assessment for example is something teachers use

often because it evaluates students based on real performance rather than test performance,

showing mastery of a task, therefore giving the teacher a greater understanding of where the

students abilities are. (Berns, 2016, p.273) Every class has unique needs and personalities that

have a significant influence on course design, so looking into any and all sorts of assessments

helps the teacher find what works best for the class to ensure learning.

A teacher’s primary responsibility is to cause students to learn and ensuring that each learner

improves upon his or her original level of learning is something all teachers strive to achieve. It’s

important to consider how and what instructional methods we can use that will lead to greater

success for all students. In my case there are many methods I personally want to incorporate. A

theory of Jean Piaget’s, is very learner directed and he recommends that if teachers can assess

children’s cognitive structures through parent conferences, observation, interviews, and testes,

they can select appropriate learning activities and tasks that will promote cognitive growth.

(Berns, 2016, p.188) I find it important that with what Piaget says to observe each child

individually, question them and evaluate them. In doing so I will be able to help them set

appropriate goals as well as know their developmental levels and involve them in appropriate

materials and activities best suited for their learning.

A teacher has many jobs when it comes to curriculum. Understanding how to handle the

curriculum and adjust the planning, assessments and delivery. Knowing how to use assessments

for insight on student progression, as well as thinking about what you can do to ensure each
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student learning improves are just some of them. Curriculum really is for everyone, but as the

teacher I am in control of what is the best way to handle it.

Conclusion

Others beliefs of these things my look different than mine. Beliefs are powerful, and looking

back to Gandhi’s quote, my beliefs however have a way to go. My beliefs have become my

thoughts, my thoughts have become my words, but have yet to become actions. I am not yet a

teacher, and therefore have not gone through with my beliefs entirely. In fact, it would not

surprise me at all if I find myself revisiting and revising these beliefs throughout my teaching

career. I have a start in the direction I want to head and who knows the more I learn by beliefs

could change by then.

References

Atieno, L. (2018, July 10). The importance of setting goals for students. Retrieved from

https://www.newtimes.co.rw/lifestyle/importance-setting-goals-students.

Berns, R. (2016). Child, family, school, community (10th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Gandhi, M. Beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words

become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values.

Your values become your destiny. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.quotes.net/quote/41782.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (1990). A theory of goal setting and task performance.

Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall

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