Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

Danyal Smoldon

College of Western Idaho

EDUC-220 - 001W - Diversity in the Schools

Natalie Tau

Spring 2023
Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

Introduction

I had the opportunity to observe at Meridian High School under Jessica Matombo one of

the special education teachers there. There I learned all of the things that go into being a teacher.

Once being a student in high school, I took teachers for granted. I thought that their job was

relatively easy, of course, there were a few students that I knew were hard for teachers to handle

but other than that It seemed like an easy job. I was of course mistaken once I got to observe

high school, then I saw it from a different perspective. I saw how different students were

socializing, from the clothes they wore I could tell the students who were well off while other

students’ clothes looked like they were wearing them for three days. I saw how kids didn’t apply

themselves. All students can learn, socialize, and get to know others from different religious and

cultural beliefs.

All Students Can Learn

For some students, learning is harder than for others and students may need additional

help in specific classes or areas in a lesson. The teacher in this case should help the student

through troubled spots, either by asking if they need help understanding the lesson or what is

being asked of them or, having a one-on-one time where the teacher can go through the lesson

again, so the student has a better understanding of the lesson. The teacher needs to be flexible to

help their students fully understand what is being taught. By being understanding and flexible to

students’ strengths and weaknesses. I would like to adopt different ways of teaching so that all

students will be able to learn. For example, for one lesson I would use physical and visual tools

so students can see and feel what they are supposed to do, in another lesson, I would have

students work in groups so they can ask their peers questions where they can learn from each

other, and I would be there for additional help if a group still doesn’t understand a concept or
Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

something about the assignment I would push them into the right direction to recognize what is

being asked.

I would apply different teaching techniques to different lessons. Not all lessons will be

the same thing over and over again because not all kids learn in a specific way. When I was

observing a class, I saw that the teacher used different teaching techniques to help the kids

understand what was being taught. She uses the projector to show the students what they are

going to work on and walks them through a few problems so they can visually see what they are

supposed to do, next, she hands them a worksheet so they can do the problems by themselves,

she also gave the students an option to work with a friend to work on the worksheet together.

The teacher I observed using different teaching techniques allowed all of the students to learn.

By using different ways methods of teaching students will be able to recognize and apply what is

being taught to them. One method that I would like to use is from Lev Vygotsky a Russian

psychologist best known for his theory in sociocultural he believed in

“Zone of proximal development (ZPD) is the space between what learners can do

independently and what they can do while participating with more capable others. The

effective teacher is sensitive to the student’s zone of development and provides

appropriate independent, as well as collaborative, activities to enhance learning.” (pg. 7-

2, Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and support)

This method will be useful in the classroom as a different teaching technique because it

allows students to learn from others in their peer group students may understand and the

students who are helping the others will gain a better understanding of the topic. This will also

give the teacher a chance to go around and help students who need extra help.
Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

Teachers having expectations for their classroom influences students’ ability to learn by

knowing what is expected of them, which improves what the student thinks about themselves. A

study by Brookings stated that 48% of teachers worldwide believed their students could learn.

Teachers acting in a certain way toward their students affect how that student acts in class. If a

teacher believes that a student can’t learn and teaching them is a waste of their time, the teacher

will stop trying to teach that student and that student is more likely to fail because they are not

getting the support, they need to achieve their goals. In our textbook Child, Family, School,

Community: Socialization and Support, we are told that,

Teacher expectations about students do not have a direct impact on student behavior; it is

only when these expectations are communicated to the students and selective

reinforcement results in shaping their behavior that teacher expectations have an impact.

(pg. 7-4)

Teachers knowing their expectations can cause biases and certain behaviors can prepare

them so they know that they should interact objectively with each student. With teachers having

expectations students will know what is expected of them, and with more of a positive

atmosphere in the classroom, students will apply themselves, work harder, and become better

students because that is what is expected of them.

The American Institute for Research released an article titled “Student Goal Setting: An

Evidence-based Practice” In this article they state “[goal setting] increases students’ self-efficacy

and intrinsic motivation to further their learning.” Goal setting helps students become more

productive in their education and it also promotes self-efficacy. Reaching goals helps students

feel more motivated in their work, therefore students will keep making higher and higher goals

which is “positively associated with higher task performance.” Goal setting looks different for
Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

each person, a goal for one person could be different compared to another person. A good

starting point to make goals are “SMART” goals which are Specific, we want to make sure the

goal is simple yet significant to know what you want to achieve, Measurable something you find

motivating or meaningful, Achievable something that you agreed upon and is attainable so once

you achieve your goal you will stay the same, Relevant something that is realistic to you and

what your goal is, and Time-bound and be able to achieve one’s goal in a certain amount of time.

The class I observed was a special education class for many of those students, they have goals

they work towards for the whole year. If a student does not reach their goal, then the people

involved, the state, teacher, and parents will look at the goal, reconsider it, and make needed

changes to help the student achieve their goal.

Students’ Social Ecology Theory

An article published by Early Learning Network, a research network helping to expand

academic success for children mentions, “Students spend most of their waking hours in a

classroom. They are exposed to different learning environments during school that influence

their learning and development.” The relationship the student has in the classroom, with their

peers, and with the teacher affects the student’s academic performance, “attitude, moods,

behavior and performance, their self-concept and a general sense of well-being” (The Idea

Center) if the classroom has a negative social ecology the more likely the students will have a

negative attitude performance and academic performance. Having a positive social ecology

students are more likely to have a positive attitude in class, have better behavior, and perform

academically better. When observing I noticed that many students acted in different ways

depending on what was being asked of them. For example, when the students went to P.E. many

of the students were happy to be there and liked participating in class; these students are more
Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

likely to get a better grade in that class. The other students who didn’t like being there and just

sat down not to do anything were showing negative social ecology and were more likely to get a

bad grade in that class. Having different outlooks in class affects how one acts and what their

view is on school.

How the student's upbringing such as culture, family, and community affects their

academic learning. In “An Indians Father’s Plea” written by Robert Lake gives a good example

of how culture, family, and community affect a student’s academic learning. The father responds

to the teacher calling his son (Wind-Wolf) a slow learner. The father goes into detail about how

his son has had more education than his peers and that his education had been “colorful,

complicated, sensitive, and diverse Wind-Wolf would go to the beach with his mother and help

pray and collect seaweed, he helped his uncles on the river and fish while listening to stories

from the elders, he watched women making jewelry for traditional native regalia.” The father

continues to say that absorbing and understanding these experiences takes time. Later, the father

shows concern about his son wanting to cut his hair, which is valued in their culture only to fit in

at school. This shows that even though the teacher believes that Wind-Wolf is a “slow learner”

compared to his peers, he is taught from his family’s cultural and community surroundings.

In “The Indians Fathers Plea” one can assume that Windwolf is affected by the five

ecological systems. The microsystem is seen when the father is talking about his son’s home

life. He explains that his son participates in their cultural traditions and was taught in a different

way than what his peers were taught. This shows the impact Windwolf’s home life has on his

education. Further on, the mesosystem is shown when Windwolf makes a school friend. The

mother of his friend did not like them hanging out with each other outside of school, she

continued to make untasteful, and racist comments about Windwolf’s ethnicity and culture and
Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

how she doesn’t want her child to hangout his Windwolf because “you are Indians, and we are

white, and I don't want my kids growing up with your kind of people." This behavior affects the

relationship between Windwolf and his friend because there is a chance his friend will start to be

distant and bully Windwolf for his race and beliefs. The area Windwolf lives in affects the

exosystem, being in a village with specific beliefs that unknowingly involve the child’s life. The

macrosystem affects how one’s cultural surroundings affect a child’s development. We can see

that when the father talks about how important it is in their culture to have long hair and that

having “long hair is a sign of masculinity and balance and is a source of power” in their culture it

is considered normal for men to have long hair and has a lot of meaning to their culture. Finally,

the chronosystem is what is the environmental changes that occur over the life course, all of

these things could happen at any time.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

One teaching technique I liked was having students teach about their own culture. This way,

the students learn from people directly from that culture or ethnicity. After the student is done

sharing about their ethnicity/ cultural beliefs, experiences, and background I would build on top

of it to cover things that the student maybe didn’t get to, then have the students do an activity

relating to that culture doing my best to be respectful as I can be. I might also have students

watch videos and movies relating to that specific ethnicity/ culture. As I was talking to the

teacher, I observed questions about what she would do in different cultural differences and how

she teaches the students about different cultures. She went on to explain that there were students

that came from different backgrounds and cultural beliefs, and she was very respectful to one’s

beliefs and taught the students about different religions, cultures, and how one might celebrate
Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

different holidays. I like how she explained the ways she taught about different cultures and

beliefs; I hope to take what she told me and apply it to my class.

Our textbook, states that cultural pluralism “involves a mutual appreciation and

understanding of the culture of various ethnic groups and the coexistence in society of different

languages, religions, and lifestyles.” An example of this is Chinatown in San Francisco, or New

York where there is a cultural district in a metropolitan area. Verywell Mind defines Cultural

Assimilation as “the process whereby a minority (subordinate) ethnic group takes on the

characteristics of the majority (dominant) ethnic group”. To achieve cultural Assimilation one

can, embrace the primary language for most communication, altering one’s age to the “Western”

equivalent or dressing in less traditional clothes and into something more common in that

culture. Cultural pluralism is integrating one’s culture with another but also keeping their identity

while cultural assimilation is converting into the culture you are in. When observing, I noticed

many students took the role of cultural assimilation, many students dressed and acted like the

majority of the students. Buying clothes and having different styles that can be found around the

United States.

Curriculum for all Learners

I will adjust my planning, delivery, and assessment as necessary depending on the

student. If there seems to be a student who needs to have extra help, I will adjust what is being

taught in a way that will help the student grab a better understanding. If there is a student with

special needs in my class, I will give them more time on a test or assignments depending on the

student’s needs. I would like to give students time to ask questions if they have any problems or

questions about what is being taught or on an assignment, so the student has the best opportunity

to succeed. A few educational theories that I believe will be beneficial for students is the Social
Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

Cognitive Theory by Albert Bandura believed that “media contribute to children’s learning by

enabling them to observe role models behave on screen.” (pg. 9-4b) I think this is beneficial

information to know will benefit students, by seeing how people act on TV and that specific

character is being awarded or recommended for their actions. The students are likely to learn

from what they see and apply it in real life. Using this type of theory, I can show students what to

do and what not to do and the result each action has. For example, if I were to show students a

science project video that we will do in class, we could see the outcome of the project before we

start so the students know what they are looking for and what bad actions could cause.

Conclusion:

All students can learn, socialize, and get along with students from different backgrounds.

At first, it may be hard to teach in a way for all students to learn, but finding new teaching

techniques to get all students to understand the topic and allowing all students to learn will help

them grow as a student. Providing a safe space where students can be and socialize with others

and be themselves will make them feel safe and have a strong and positive social ecology where

they are likely to participate in school. Learning and teaching about different religions and

cultures will help students feel accepted. All students can learn, and teachers need to help

provide a space where they feel welcome to learn.

Statement of Informed Beliefs Paper

Resources

Barr, J. J. 16AD, October. “Developing a positive classroom climate - ed.” files.eric.ed.gov.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED573643.pdf

Berns, R., White, S., & Berns, R. (2023). Child, family, school, Community: Socialization and

support. Cengage.

Gupta, N., & Sampat, S. 2022, March 9. “How teacher expectations empower student learning.”

Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2021/07/29/how-

teacher-expectations-empower-student-learning/

Lake, R. 1990, September. “Indian fathers plea.pdf.” Google. https://docs.google.com/viewer?

a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZXRoczIwMi5vcmd8bXMtdGhvbXBzb24tcy13ZWJzaXRlfGd4Oj

U1NTUzYzBkMTMwY2JmMTA

Ludvik, D. 2020, November 9. “Emerging theme: Classroom ecology.” Early Learning Network.

https://earlylearningnetwork.unl.edu/2020/02/03/classroom-ecology/

Midwest Comprehensive Center. 2018, May. “Student goal setting: An evidence-based practice”

Eric. files.eric.ed.gov. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED589978.pdf

MindTools. (n.d.). Home. MindTools. Retrieved May 1, 2023,

https://www.mindtools.com/a4wo118/smart-goals