Statement of Informed Beliefs Essay Former U.S. first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, once said "Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them (Goldman, 2012). I believe this is true. Every student is different and they should be treated as such. As a future teacher I hope to go by this quote. Most people want someone to believe in them and as a teacher I want to be that person for them. Kids, especially, should get the attention that they deserve. Since all of them are different they should receive it in many different ways. In this essay I will explain my beliefs about how different children are and how I will apply all of this in my classroom. There will be five sections that I cover in my essay: all students can learn teachers expectations, students social ecology theory, cultural diversity instruction, and curriculum for all learners. All Students Can Learn I agree that all students can learn but I think that it is our job as a teacher to help them find out how to learn. I did my observing at Nampa High and my teacher, Ms. James, talked to me about how this year they placed students in different math classes as needed. They had a review for the first few weeks of school, had the students take a test, and then placed them in their needed math classes. I think this was helpful because math is a hard subject but if you dont understand it then youre going to learn how to hate it. I will try and help my students by offering extra help and by going over lots of examples to try to get them to understand each chapter. Math is about repetition and I want to get through to them how important math really is. I will look at each quiz and hopefully change the next chapters information with a direction that works. Everyone learns differently but they can learn with the right tools. I want them to like math so I want to try and make it fun but the most important thing is if they understand it or not. SIB 3
Teachers Expectations The most important thing a teacher can do is believe in their students. Without this students might have low self-esteem and they wont push themselves harder. I always connected more with my teachers that knew I could push myself even harder. Ms. James believed in all of her students and didnt let them turn in their test until they tried every problem. Even if they got it wrong at least they tried and got some credit. Another important thing is to have good socialization skills. Communication is key between students and their teachers. If a student doesnt understand something they need to be able to ask the teacher about it. The teachers need to have a good attitude about it though and not make the student feel stupid. I was always afraid to ask a certain teacher questions because they made me feel stupid for not knowing how to do it. Students dont/cant learn that way. Educational goals are important because if not met then the child shouldnt go on to the next level. Education is an ongoing process but you cant move on without knowing the basics first. Its the whole no child left behind. In my opinion if one doesnt meet the goal then their getting left behind. With goals you can see where your class needs help and where you can move on quicker. Students Social Ecology Theory My idea on connecting learning to students social ecology is important. Students have to learn how to socialize with others, especially ones at their level. Depending on their temperament, they can be willing to talk to others or be shyer about it. Ms. James aloud her students to try a problem then let them compare their answers with the other students before she went over the problem. She would also give the students their missing assignments if the communicated with her about them. They were in high school so she was making it their SIB 4
responsibility to keep track. That is teaching them to be responsible and that it is good to talk with your teachers. She also has them is a routine to write in their journals everyday about something not related to math. This helps her meet her goals and also other teachers curriculum. It also helps her get to know her students on a different level. Students microsystems can be very different and play a big role in their learning. There are so many different possibilities to where people can come from. They could be born in a different state, have a binuclear family, and hate everyone. This is why teachers need to understand that every child is different. They could have similarities but no one is exactly the same. Their behavior could be hostile because his parents beat them at home. There could be issues of violence, bullying, and prejudice within the family or even the community. The child could be abused or neglected. Lawrence Kohlberg developed a theory of moral development. Depending on how the person feels is how they will answer but in the example on page 462 there was how the husband felt and the other side was the legal rights to the drugs. These stages help us understand where people are and how they reason for different things. They learn what is right by experiences that they have had. There are so many different things that can happen outside the classroom but that is why you should try and get to know your students on a more personal level. Culture Diversity Instruction As a teacher I think it would be beneficial to know my students family and learn about their different backgrounds. Like in our final project, we introduced a Culture Day. Parents could come in and explain about their ethnic background. Connecting with my students like that would be good and then I could learn about where they come from. Bronfenbrenners bioecological SIB 5
theory helps us understand that students come from many different places, depending on what religion, economics, peers, and so on they will be different from everyone else. Culture assimilation is a phrase that is not necessarily around anymore. We dont expect minority groups to conform to American culture anymore. Now, we encourage Culture Pluralism. We have so many different minority groups that they should all be respected and learned about. If everyone understood that not everyone is alike then we should all try to at least understand each other. Curriculum for All Learners In the beginning of teaching I will have a game plan and have an agenda to follow. I will try and stick with this plan as much as possible so it will be easy to follow along with. I will have to make sure all of my students are improving and learning what is needed to go onto the next level. I will have to make changes based on what worked and what did not. I will also try and learn how my students learn the best. Some could be visual learners and others could be artistic. Based on how well I do I will try to incorporate all of these and fix my mistakes throughout the year. Upon entering my classroom I will pretest on each section of the book to see where we should start. Math can be a hard topic so I want them to fully understand it and learn to not hate it. After each chapter I will look at the test and see what was clear and what is still muddy. I will also offer after school help to anyone who is willing to come in. I want to be there for my students and show them that their future matters to me. I will do anything I can to understand that every child is different and we all learn in different ways.
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References Berns, R.M. (2007). Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support (7 th Ed). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc. Goldman, E. (2012). compassion.com.