1. Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS <br />Statement of Informed Beliefs<br />Pizarro, Julie<br />Instructor: Evin Fox<br />EDUC 204 Families, Communities and Cultures, Online Course<br />Fall, 2008<br />Statement of Informed Beliefs<br />Teachers face many challenges in a classroom as they try to meet the needs of each individual student, while still maintaining a relationship with the child’s parents and the greater community. A teacher’s goals should never be focused directly on curriculum, but also on setting expectations, supporting goals, and encouraging socialization and success among students. As a teacher, I will work hard to challenge students, form positive relationships, and meet the needs of all students in a fair and equal manner. My statement will address the following issues: Students Ability to Learn and the Teacher’s Responsibility, Teacher’s Expectations and Students’ Ability to Learn, Connecting Learning to Student’s Social Ecology, Creating Educational Experiences for Students’ from Different Ethnic Backgrounds, and finally, Adjustments in Planning, Delivery, and Assessment. <br />Students Ability to Learn and the Teacher’s Responsibility <br />Teachers have an extraordinary challenge in front of them at the beginning of each school year. The instructors are faced with a new group of children, each of them with a unique background, learning style, and enthusiasm level for school. Learning how to tweak the curriculum and teaching style to fit the needs of the individual student is the responsibility of the teacher. One way that children learn effectively is through a learner directed environment, which can be created through a Montessori environment. Dr. Maria Montessori is a physician who worked with disabled children and developed learner directed curriculum. It was her belief that children should be treated with respect and each child deserves treatment as an individual. Her learning environments consisted of a director who prepared the classroom and demonstrated materials. The children were then free to use each object and educational tool and were taught sharing, respect and patience. By learning through a Montessori curriculum, a child will gain a sense of independence and success. <br />I will also be cognizant of family and social factors that may affect a child’s ability to learn. A student who is facing hardships in her family life will have difficultly learning in a formal environment. Some of the problems that students face at home may include adjusting to a blended family, divorce, maltreatment, neglect or abuse. Students who are facing these problems at home may be moody, antisocial, or present unusual behavior. As a teacher, I will respond to the situation with compassion and support while also reporting suspicions of abuse as required by law. One quality teachers should have is the ability to empathize and provide emotional support, especially if working with young children. <br />Teacher’s Expectations and Student’s Ability to Learn<br />A teacher’s responsibility to her classroom lies in her expectations. Teachers who approach each student with a pre conceived notion of that student’s limits and abilities will adjust their expectations accordingly. If a teacher begins a school year with information on each student’s socioeconomic status, gender, past achievements and behavior problems, the teacher may start to develop bias toward the student. As a teacher, I will work to change and modify my expectations throughout the school year based on a student’s achievements and needs, rather than past behaviors. My students will not be given preferential treatment, and each student will have the same opportunities to learn and grown in knowledge.<br />As a teacher, my method of behavior modification will be through positive reinforcement, which will be done through rewards and praise. Students who are able to physically see and hear that their actions caused the teacher to respond positively are much more likely to repeat the good behavior. Other socialization techniques that rely on negative reinforcement may actually increase the negative behavior because of the unpleasant response. Although this method may work on most children, there are students who will not respond to negative reinforcement, which is another reason why teachers must always be prepared to modify and adapt teaching methods and systems.<br />Connecting Learning to Student’s Social Ecology<br />Even a student with a great teacher will have a challenge with school success if he does not have a support system at home and in the community. Urie Bronfenbrenner studied the relationships and interactions that form a child and influence socialization. Bronfenbrenner found that four structures are present that have a great influence on a child. The first system is the microsystem, which is the relationships in a small setting, such as a school or family. The second system is the mesosystem, which consists of the links and relationships between microsystems (such as the connection between a family and school). The third structure is the exosystem, which consists of the indirect systems (such as the parent’s job, community groups) that affect the child. The final structure is the macrosystem, which is the larger society and structure where the child belongs. By understanding the relationships and connections between the four systems, a teacher will come to the classroom prepared to understand and promote healthy socialization among students.<br />Another way that teachers can address the needs of the student’s ecology is through the promotion of socialization and interaction with the school community. As a teacher, I will work with the school and community to promote a sense of understanding and compassion among my students. By encouraging volunteerism, peer interaction, and community participation, students will begin to understand how they are connected to their macrosystem. One way I will do this is through planning and executing drives to collect food and clothing for underprivileged families. By involving the students, they will gain an appreciation for what they have while also learning how they can make a difference in their community, <br />Creating Educational Experiences for Students’ from Different Ethnic Backgrounds<br />Students in the United States have access to a wealth of knowledge and teacher support, in addition to socialization and interaction with their peers. However, students who are of a diverse background face some hardships. Cities that have a wide variety of cultures, religions and ethnicities tend to have students who are tolerant and accepting of all cultures. Schools that are located in small, rural communities may have a tougher challenge in meeting the needs of ethnically diverse students. For example, I grew up in various small towns throughout Idaho, which is not a very diverse state. In my high school, there was one African-American student and two Jewish students. There were not any specific hate crimes or prejudice toward these students, but it did take time for all of their peers to accept the students. Among the teachers though, there did not seem to be any bias or unfair expectations toward the students. <br />One of the challenges that teachers face is the students in the school who do not speak English as a first language. One way that schools have worked to meet the needs of non-English speaking students is by immersing them into an English-speaking classroom, which is an example of cultural assimilation. Another way that teachers can meet the needs of the students is through bilingual and multicultural education, which will help the students meet educational and communicative goals. The responsibility of the teacher lies in helping a non-English speaking student reach goals and have success in school, while also maintaining diversity and the student’s sense of culture. <br /> Adjustments in Planning, Delivery, and Assessment<br />Teachers have the responsibility and task of evaluating their students on an academic level. This can be done through observation, formal assessments, and authentic assessments, which are evaluations, based on actual performance rather than a test performance. The combination of these three assessments will make it easier for a teacher to understand her student’s achievements to encourage and motivate the student to pursue educational goals. While in the classroom, it is also necessary to modify the curriculum and delivery to meet the needs of students who may have a learning disability, language barrier, or physical disability. Inclusion, the practice of all children participating as a whole, can be used to involve students with disabilities in the classroom. Inclusion can be full or partial, and often supplementary support services (such as therapy, Braille, counselors, etc.) are needed, which will benefit both the student and the teacher.<br />Teachers must also be prepared to modify and adjust curriculum and classroom atmosphere if the current program is not working. After assessing student’s progress and curriculum success, if I find that the students are not responding well, it is my responsibility to modify my own teaching style and plan to benefit the class. In doing this, the students who are not doing well will have the chance to succeed when presented with the information in a different style or manner. As a teacher, I will also be prepared to understand the wide variety of influences on student socialization. By understanding how students are influenced by other factors, I will be able to adjust my teaching style and curriculum to meet each child’s needs. One example would be the political influence over students in an election year or the media focus on a national event. I will be able to use my knowledge of media and political influences to modify my delivery and curriculum. This will increase the student’s knowledge and understanding of the local and global community.<br />Children are unique and individual, and one student may have very different needs than another. Teachers must be prepared to effectively meet the needs and goals of each student, while also making sure the student is succeeding to their full potential. By encouraging socialization and interaction with peers, and being prepared to modify and adapt my teaching style, I will face the classroom with the knowledge and understanding needed to guarantee each student has access to an education that is fit to meet their unique needs and personalities. <br />References<br />Berns, Roberta M. Child, family, school, community. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning<br />Inc, 2007.<br />