Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

Diversity Statement of Informed Beliefs

Jamie Hall
College of Southern Idaho
Evin Fox
EDUC 204: Families, Communities, Culture
Fall 2014

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

Statement of Informed Beliefs

Introduction
Anyone who desires to become a teacher naturally possesses the selflessness and
understanding that this position requires. This means that they will understand that each learner
in a classroom, even of the same race or ethnic background, will occupy some sort of diverse
nature. Teachers must acquire the capacity to accept this and to apply it to the lesson plans and
the delivery of these plans. With the many differences of culture, background, race, religion, or
sex, there are different learning styles presented. Diversity is very prevalent in the United States,
as we are known as the melting pot. What once was a heterogeneous society is steadily
becoming more homogeneous with the different elements of each culture melting together into
a harmonious whole with a common culture. Every child is born with the need/want to acquire
constant, untouched knowledge. As a teacher, I must be able to deliver the necessary curriculum
to each student in an independently suitable fashion. While using each diverse background to
assist in creating a smooth flow in the classroom, teachers must also remain a positive example
for the students. This can be accomplished by helping students develop values and morals that
will teach them to become productive members of society. As a future teacher, I want to inspire
every student that I come into contact with to reach his/her educational and exclusive goals.
Personally, I would like to develop a sort of strength between my students by intertwining their
different cultural backgrounds and learning from each student individually.
Students Ability to Learn
In order to address diversity in a classroom, the teacher must first acknowledge different
cultures, learn about them, and in turn produce lesson plans that will be effective for every style
of learning. It is vitally important that the students comprehend and understand the material that

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

will be presented to them. Each student can gather their own idea on each individual, cultural
background through modeling. The best way to help the students learn is through promoting
growth using positive reinforcement. The student mustnt feel as if their differences have any
effect on their capability to learn; because they dont. It is my job as a prospective teacher to
guarantee the students that they can all equally and adequately learn the material.
Communication is necessary for growth between both the teacher and student, and the student
and their peers. As a future teacher, I must practice effective communication in all areas. I must
also teach my students the importance of effective communication between his/her peers and
myself as well. In order to help the child obtain his/her desired educational goals, communication
and positivity are crucial. Many things tie in to diversity; this doesnt solely relate to difference
of race, religion, or sex. For example, economic status is a large diverse separation between
students. Students who come from broken homes or separated families are likely to have a harder
time absorbing the information given to them as compared to those students who come from
homes with solid foundations and consistent routines. Students of low socioeconomic status
(SES) are typically experiencing stress that children of a higher socioeconomic status arent.
These could be things such as where they will find their next meal or wondering why they cant
have the clothes like the cool kids. Being sensitized to each individual situation will have a
direct effect on my planning and delivering of material.
Students Social Ecology Theory
In order to prepare a lesson that is going to be easily absorbed by the student, I must be
able to present it in a fashion that is appealing to the student. My lessons need to grab the
students interest and make them desire to learn. The way I will be able to do so will be by
getting to understand my students individually and studying all of their preferred learning styles.

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

Different learning styles will come with different knowledge, and things that have been taught to
the students through their own personal experiences. This is where families, communities, and
cultures tie into teaching each student in a manner that will be successful for him/her. Piaget
states that children learn better through their own activity (Berns, 2013. p. 57). I believe that the
way a child has been socialized has a major effect on how they will learn. If the childs family
consists of only one person who graduated high school, then the child might not have any desire
to pursue school because they have been shown that school is not of great importance. Where as
a child who comes from a successful educational background would want to pursue school and
be educationally successful. This same idea relates to a students community and culture. If a
child has been brought up in a culture whose main focus is religion, for all intensive purposes,
then the child would not be as motivated to complete his/her education as they would be to serve
his/her religion. Diversity plays a massive role in the desire to learn, and the desire to further
ones education. As a teacher, I will respect and acknowledge all of the diverse backgrounds, and
have a clear understanding that each child needs individualized attention paid to these
Cultural Diversity Instruction
Though the differences in the classroom may be more apparent for some children than
others, it will be my job to make the classroom blend as smoothly as possible. I dont plan on
this being an issue due to my experience in a very diverse classroom every day. It is easy to
forget that students dont hold the same outlook on everything. Again, this comes from their
many diverse backgrounds. One group could share the same values, morals, attitudes, and
behaviors while another group could be entirely different. Its all based around what theyve
been taught. As a prospective teacher I want to familiarize my students of two very important
ideas. One being, cultural pluralism, a minority group who choose to maintain their identities

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

within a larger group. I want every student to feel relaxed and safe to come to my class and be
who they are. My students will be provided with a safe haven while in my classroom. They will
be able to be who they are at home while they are in my class, so maintaining their ethnic and
cultural identities will not be an issue. I want every one of my students to gain knowledge about
the backgrounds of his/her classmates. I will have group discussions/activities in which we can
openly discuss differences in lifestyles and cultures. How the students dress, talk, behave, or
even their daily routines will all be a part of the group discussions/activities. This will help the
students to become more comfortable with each others diverse backgrounds. Secondly, I want
my students to understand that the longer theyre around each other, the more they will pick up
on each others different customs, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. When my students language
and/or culture begin to resemble one of his/her classmates, I will explain to my students that this
is cultural assimilation taking place. It is a completely natural process, and they need to
understand that by taking part in cultural assimilation, they are actually learning and gathering
information that could be beneficial to them within that given culture in the future.
Curriculum for All Learners
Recognizing the diversity within the classroom, gaining understanding of each diverse
background, and learning the different learning styles based around these diverse backgrounds
will help me to plan and deliver lessons in the appropriate manner. It is important to me to ensure
that all of my students feel they have an equal opportunity to learn and grow as much as possible.
In order to make this happen, I may need to make adjustments to the environment of the
classroom. I will do whatever is necessary to make each students educational journey a positive
one. Keeping my students from segregating against one another due to these culturally diverse
backgrounds will be my main goal. I plan to keep my students interacting with each other in

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

groups so they gain continuous knowledge from one another. Peer interaction will be an
unceasing goal in my classroom. Each child will have differences in cognitive development, so I
will make sure to accommodate each child accordingly. Cognitive theorist Lev Vygotsky argued
with Jean Piagets cognitive theory, stating that learning is a necessary aspect of the process of
developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function (Berns, 2013. p.
216). I will allow my students to chose how they process, and perceive the information that I
provide them. As long as I am able to assist/offer my students with the necessary and added
knowledge that they need to be successful, I will be incredibly pleased with whatever they
achieve.
Conclusion
As a potential teacher, I have the opportunity to inspire and create an entirety of children
who desire to learn and absorb not only the core curriculum that I must teach them, but the
different backgrounds that lie within the classroom. The many diverse backgrounds will only
make for a better learning environment considering that each student can learn from one another.
I will continually promote peer growth for my entire career as a teacher. When a student can
learn from their peer, they can apply what theyve learned to many other things in life. Everyone
is unique, even if they share the same ethnic or cultural background. We each bring something
different to the table. A stable, diverse, and creative environment will only make for a better
educational journey for each student. My classroom will be one where ideas can flow freely and
children can emerge from their hidden depths being only their true selves. With endless
contribution to classroom instruction, each diverse background will be equally welcome. I plan
to make this very apparent when I am able to occupy my own classroom. My students will have
a deep understanding that diversity is a positive thing in which we can all learn and grow. A

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

teacher that will be remembered is one who makes the student feel like he/she is needed, and
desired. In order to ensure my students feel this way and never give up, I will constantly remind
every one of them that their diverse backgrounds provide distinct attributes which we need in our
classroom to succeed as a whole. With each students unique contribution to my future class, I
can easily empower each student to use his/her individual and diverse strengths to succeed.

STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

References
Berns, R. M. (2013). Child, Family, School, Community (9th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.