Running head: Statement of informed beliefs

Statement of Informed Beliefs

Jill Ratto
Dr. Evin Fox
EDUC 204: Families, Communities, Culture
Spring 2013

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Statement of Informed Beliefs
Introduction
It is my lifelong dream to be a teacher. As I have gone through school I have realized the
affect a teacher can have on a persons life. I have come to know that the affect a teacher can
have is for good or for bad. The teachers I had in high school and some the professors I had at
college, have inspired me to become great. These teachers showed me what I can become if I
work hard and believe in myself. These teachers are amazing and they are the kind of teacher
that I wish to become. These people taught in a way that inspired students to become better, to
change, and to grow. I want to be the kind of teacher these people were for me.
To be like them, I need to be competent, diverse, respectful, and flexible. Furthermore I
need to value my future students. I have to see them as individuals, I need to see their
uniqueness and embrace it. I will keep a positive attitude so that I may help my students gain
and establish high values and morals. I will do that, because that will help my students succeed
in life and achieve their full potential.
Students Ability to Learn
Every student has the ability to learn, but not every students wants to learn. It is the right
of every human being to have the opportunity to learn and pursue knowledge. It is the
responsibility of teachers to help those who are pursuing, to find knowledge. They also need to
help those who arent pursuing. At first not everyone wants to gain more knowledge, and some
dont believe they can. As teachers we can help gain a love for learning. As I stated earlier
every student has the ability to learn, but each and every one learns best in their own unique way.
In order for all students to learn, the teacher needs to create a good learning environment.
One way the teacher can do that is by using different learning styles. He or she must think

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about the questions cite in Berns (2013) Does this child learn best by watching? By listening?
By moving his or her body? Does the child achieve more alone or in a group? Is the child better
at breaking down a whole task into smaller ones? Because each student learns differently, each
teacher must organize a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Ove the course of many years
teachers have changed their teaching so that it would fit the learning styles of their students.
They did this to make sure that every child can learn effectively.
I am going to state again every student has the ability to learn, as teachers we have to
remember this. It will be especially important to remember this when I have a student who
doesnt want to learn. When a teacher has a student how doesnt want to learn he or she must
think about motivates a student. They need to know if: this child motivated by pleasing the
teacher? By concrete rewards? By internalized interests? As the teacher finds what motives the
students, he or she can help this student learn to love learning.
Teachers Expectations
Anything can be achieved, if you have the right attitude. When a person is expect to do
more, then he or she will likely do more. A great teacher expects that all students can and will
achieve not only in the classroom but in life. A great teacher tries hard not to label his or her
students as overachievers or underachievers. This teacher realizes everyone student has
different abilities. When students have someone behind them telling them that they can achieve,
and that they have support, students will begin to believe in themselves. Henry Ford said,
Whether you think you can or think you cantyou are right.
Robert Rosenthal a Harvard professor did an experiment on teachers expectations
(Spiegel 2012). Rosenthal went to an elementary school and gave the students a test. He told
that teacher that this test was to see who would have a dramatic growth in their IQ, but in reality

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it was an ordinary standardized IQ test. Rosenthal chose random kids from several classes, there
was nothing that distinguish these kids from the others. He watch these kids for two years, and
saw that the teachers expectations of these students really did affect them. Now, with every
experiment there are always multiple things that affect the outcome. Rosenthal says if teacher
had been led to expect greater gains in IQ then those kids gained more IQ (as cited in Spiegel,
2012
As Rosenthal did more research he found that expectations affect teachers moment-tomoment interactions with the children they teach in a thousand almost invisible way (Spiegel,
2012). Those students who were expected to have a higher IQ had more specific feedback, more
approval, and they had more time to answer questions. Teachers expectations can be both good
and bad. No matter how hard teachers try some are going to be bias, teachers are still human.
When a teacher see a student who acts badly they might label that student as a troublemaker
then the teacher expects that student to be a troublemaker. Teachers really have to be careful
with labels, because if a teacher gives a student a bad label then the teacher will treat him or her
differently.
Although, too high of expectations can be just as bad. Good expectation are good,
sometimes teachers expectations are too hard. Even though, teachers are trying to do a good
thing, sometimes students need a break from high expectations. When we set our expectations
too high we can cause our students self-esteem to drop. As teachers we have to remember that
we have so much power. We have the ability to help someone succeed or to have someone stop
believing I themselves. We have to be careful how we use this power, because what we as
teachers expect from our students is what we will get from our students.

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Students Social Ecology Theory
When information is interesting to a student and if the student can relate to it than the
student will probably pay more attention. If I know what the student is interested in then I can
help the student be interested in learning. So to understand future students I need to understand
their background. If I understand their background then I can tie in what they love in to what I
am teaching. For example if a student loves history, but hates English then I can try and tie the
together. As I have greater understanding of my students I can make learning more personal.
I plan on being an elementary teacher; I will need to teach in different ways to be able to
reach all my students. I will need to change the learning environment to keep all my students
interested. If my students just sit in the class room all day at some point they are going to stop
listening. I need to switch the learning environment to try to keep their minds active. As I
switch the environment I can show the students how to apply what they have learning in real life.
For instance if you are teaching math, take the students around the school and you can show
them different angles, or have them count how many swings there are. Use all of the
environment to teach. Or if you are talking about different animals and those animals are around
where you live have the students look for them.
Cultural Diversity Instruction
America has been called the melting pot of the world, and this is true. America is full of
so many cultures. As a future teacher I will have the opportunity to teach children from all
different cultures. It will be my job as a teacher to make all students feel welcomed in my
classroom. I will also be responsibility to make sure those students know that no matter where
they were born or where they just move from, they are a part of my class. I will strive to make
sure every students knows they belong.

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As a teacher I will be sensitive to cultural pluralism in my classroom I will do this by
brining different cultures into my classroom. One way I can do this is by having different things
from different countries displayed in my classroom. I hope to have my future student share the
traditions in their families with me. I have respect for all cultures, and I will strive to aske
appropriate questions and listen carefully to my students.
While it is important to remember where a person is from and to be proud of where they
are from, it is also important to be proud of where they are. To help my students feel more
comfortable, I hope to show them that every student in the class has a unique lineage. I will
encourage all children to work together, no matter their background. By doing that students can
learn different things, and understand you can always find something in common.
A lot of cultures have been assimilate into the American society, and some believe that,
that means they have to give up their cultural and live the way everyone else does. That is not
the case when something is assimilate that means you take things from bother sides and adapt
them to make it your own.
Curriculum For all Learners
Once again each student has a different learning style, a different way to be motivated
and a different background. To make a curriculum for all learners is hard because there are so
many different aspects a teacher needs to remember when making a curriculum. Just because it
is hard doesnt make it impossible. When make a lesson I can tie in a pictures for visual learners,
I can have reading assignments for those who need to read, I can speak for those who need to
hear it. After I explain or lecture, if the lesson allows then I can tie in an activity. Jean Piaget
states that children learn through their own activity (Berns 2013)

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My classroom will be diverse, not only will I have students form different countries I
may have those with disabilities and I will need to make my curriculum applicable to them.
Even if those students get a different assignment, I will involve them so they know they are a
part of the class.
The only way to make a curriculum for everyone is by using every possible way of
teaching. As I use different methods of teaching I will look to see which students do better, with
what style. If they react well, and if they do well, then I will know to do those kind or lesson
more. If there are few students who do better with a different style of teaching then I will tie that
teaching into my lessons. If some students need a different style of homework then I will do my
best to accommodate those students. I want every student who comes in to my class to have an
equal opportunity to learn.
Conclusion
As I go through my teaching career, I will have a diverse group of children. I will do my
best to change my teaching style so that, each and every student may achieve his of her full
potential. I will expect and believe that all of my students can and will achieve in my classroom,
and I wont give up those who dont want to learn. I will use the power I have as a teacher to
raise up my student and help them fulfill their dreams.

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Resources
Berns, Roberta. Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support. 9th ed. Belmont,
CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2013. Print
Spiegel, A.() (2012). Npr [0 series episode]. Retrieved from
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/09/18/161159263/teachers-expectations-caninfluence-how-students-perform