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Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS

Statement of Informed Beliefs Ferrell, Astrid Instructor: Linda Vermette EDUC 204 Families, Communities and Cultures T, TR 10:00-11:15 spring 2012

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Statement of Informed Beliefs When we make the decision to become educators our belief is that we will change every students life for the better and at the same time improve the community and make a difference in the world. While this may seem like a romantic view, without it we can lose our desire and motivation to make it happen. Recognizing several different aspects that can affect how we teach is crucial to a successful and rewarding classroom and career. All Children Can Learn Children learn in several different ways. The diversity of a classroom, whether it is cultural, economic, or social, should not hamper the students ability to learn. It is up to us as educators to help them in any way we can. According to Jacob Kounin the difference between a successful and unsuccessful teacher is the result of insufficient planning and preparation leading to student boredom (Berns, 2010). In turn, this student boredom can result in disruptive behavior that causes an environment than is unfavorable for student learning. Being fully prepared for the day, before students arrive will greatly impact the flow and smoothness of each lesson; therefore allowing the student to consume the information being taught and have the opportunity to retain the information as well. Using the knowledge of the different learning styles of students in our classroom is a great responsibility as well. Using different types of instruction such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic will help bridge the diversity and differences in learning styles (Ryan & Cooper, 2010) by understanding the diversity of our students we can also adapt and instruct between teacher-directed curriculum and learner-directed curriculum (Berns, 2010).While teacher directed curriculum is wherein the activities are planned by the teacher, learner directed

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curriculum is guided by the teacher with emphasis on the individual students interests (Berns, 2010).Using a blend of both of these can help ensure that in fact, all of our students can learn. Teacher Expectations As educators we sometimes do not particularly use the best judgment when it comes to our students. Preconceived notions come at us from other teachers, parents, schools and other staff around the school that have worked with our students. It is our job to foster these notions away and come to conclusions on our own as we get to know our students by examining them in our own classroom setting .Basing our expectations on what we have heard about a specific child is not fair to the child or ourselves. We are already placing limits on what that child will or will not learn and limits on what will or will not work in terms of teaching that child academically or socially. Setting forth a positive attitude that all students are going to be successful will play into a students self-esteem and encourage a positive self-fulfilling prophecy. Giving students the tools to be successful and teaching them to use those tools will help in having a successful and smoothly ran classroom. Letting the students know what is expected of them is also very important. Clearly written out guidelines should also be discussed verbally, and students should have some input on those guidelines. Giving the students power to help establish the expectations of the class can promote responsibility for ones actions and those of others as well. The expectations of our students should change throughout the time we have them; just as the students change both academically and socially, how we react and teach should change with them based on their struggles or achievements. It is the expectations we hold of our students that will help or hinder them in years to come.

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Students Social Ecology Theory Our students are socialized many different ways. To examine the sources of their socialization we can look at Urie Brofenbrenner. He is credited with forming a Biological Model of Human Development. In this model he has identified four structures, the microsystem, mesosystem, ecosystem and macrosystem (Berns, 2010). For the purpose of the paper and length restraints I will be focusing on a few of the microsystems of the students. The microsystem is defined as the activities and relationships with significant others experienced by a developing person in a particular small setting such as family, school, peer group, or community (Berns, 2010). As we start our year off in teaching, meeting new students and parents is bound to be somewhat nerve racking for all involved. It is our job to make sure those students and their families have a feeling of security. By understanding the family microsystem of our students we can incorporate different strategies to engage learning at school and home. For instance, in a case where we know there may not be an abundance of books at home we may be able to incorporate a lending system in our classroom so that students can check out books and take them home. If we know that the family cannot or will not help the student with homework we can hold a time where students have access to the teacher or aid to ask questions. We will also have students who have an overwhelming support system at home. By recruiting these families to help in the classroom we will have more opportunities to enhance individual learning. A students peer group, the students he or she is around out at recess for example, has an extensive effect on the socialization of that student. The student will use this microsystem as a way to figure out who they are, and the group may even develop a pecking order, they may make some mistakes and end up in trouble or they may go through and find out that they do not belong

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in a particular group. In elementary school this can be difficult for a child to go through. As an educator we may want to jump in and save a student but we have to remember our job at this point is to guide and support the student. For instance, a student who is normally very outgoing, helpful and successful starts becoming withdrawn and their grades begin to fall. Showing concern for the student and asking if there is a problem and listening to what they say before acting is vital. Instead of fixing the situation ourselves, we can use this situation as learning experiences for the students to not only gain the tools to fix it themselves but how to use the tools in all aspects of their lives. This is only a small portion of the socializations that we as educators will encounter in our classrooms. By understanding this we can continue to develop methods for particular situations. We must also remember that we are students as well, and are forever learning. Cultural Diversity Instruction Diversity in the classroom is more common than not. Educators are becoming more and more involved in instruction of a diverse group of students than ever before. In the past, cultural assimilation was the standard way of doing things. Elwood P. Cubberley, a historian and educational leader in the 1900s believed that we should Americanize immigrant children as much as possible (Berns, 2010). We then came to the melting pot idea that cultures should blend with the American culture and come to form a more diverse culture. In todays schools we see cultural diversity everywhere. We are less concerned with molding everyone together and focus more on cultural pluralism. This is the idea of mutual appreciation and understanding of other cultures and having those exist together in society (Berns, 2010).

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Instruction, with the idea of cultural pluralism in mind can actually be a great asset in classroom management. Teaching cooperatively and dividing students in to groups for activities or lessons aids in this practice. By combining students of different ability, sex, ethnicity and other characteristics we can accomplish several things (Wong, 2004). This cooperative model of instruction fortifies all students. Students will learn things about their fellow students and develop different social skills. They learn to cooperate with those that have different ideas and beliefs than they do and can take what they learn academically and socially into the diverse world that awaits them. By recognizing and being aware of the cultures in our classrooms we can teach our students many things, keeping in mind that we are responsible for socializing our students as well. Curriculum for All Very often teachers view the textbook as the beginning, middle and end of curriculum. However, curriculum, defined by Berns (2010) is the goals and objections of an educational program, the teachers role, the equipment and materials, the space arrangement the kinds of activities and the way they are scheduled. While states determine the grade level standards which must be achieved, curriculum is written by the teachers and curricular materials are chosen by them. The states also grade the students and teachers on the results of state tests. Teachers are beginning to be paid based on this grade rather than being paid the traditional way based on tenure and educational level; teachers are finding it difficult to accept this adjustment (Delisio). This has become a problem in that teachers are moving toward teaching the test instead of the actual curriculum. Without compromising the test results, the pay for performance issue or the curriculum, we must take a look at the definition of curriculum again.

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As a teacher we must take into account each and every student in our classroom. While some of these students may not be in our classroom 100% of the time due to English language Learners (ELL), Extended Resource Room (ERR), Positive Behavior Intervention (PBI) and Title One classes, we must still keep them and other students that may have a disability, impairment or handicap in mind when we are making our lesson plans, seating arrangements and any activities we may undertake. In a single classroom we will have a mix of genders, behaviors and socioeconomic classes, more than likely we will also have different cultures, including race and ethnicity along with academic ability. While the school district and the state will provide some outstanding resources along with the traditional curriculum (textbooks, worksheets etc.) it is our responsibility to supplement with approved activities, books, worksheets and manipulates, including learner- directed or teacher directed scenarios that may not be the norm, in order to provide the best education possible to each of our students. Stepping out of the traditional textbook and/or teaching styles and bringing in different styles of teaching and other supplemental materials and ideas will have a great effect on what the students gets out of the chosen curriculum while still succeeding on the states standardized tests. Being aware of each of the responsibilities I have talked about and keeping them in mind while we teach will help us, as educators reach our goals and aspirations. We can keep the romantic view that has lured us to the profession and still succeed.

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References
Berns, R. M. (2010). Child, family, school, community socialization and support. Belmont: Wadsworth. Delisio, E. R. (n.d.). EducationWorld.com. Retrieved from Educationworld.com: http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues/issues374a.shtml Ryan, K., & Cooper, J. (2010). Those who can teach. Boston, MA: Wadsworth. Wong, H. W. (2004). The fist days of school. Mountain View: Wong K Publications.

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