STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS SIB 1

Statement of Informed Beliefs

Eli Chase
Jen Lund
EDUC 204







STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS SIB 2

Statement of Informed Beliefs
The ability to learn as rapidly as we do is something completely unique to humans. A few
hundred years ago, literacy was something that was only achievable by the wealthy. It was
thought that most children simply could not learn to read no matter what interventions they got.
Today we know that just about every child is capable of reading, writing, and more. What has
changed isnt the students ability, but the method in which they are taught. New research comes
out every year about improvements in how best to teach students. Common Core is a great
example of the constantly evolving state of education in the United States. It wouldnt surprise
me if at some time in the future, every student learns differential calculus in the same way they
learn to read now. I think students are definitely capable, and as we learn new teaching methods
we can reach new heights as a society.
To ensure all students will learn, I will do my best to create lessons that can hit multiple
levels at once. Ive seen a really good lesson in a multi-age program on clouds. Kindergarteners
learned about weather in general, second graders learned about the names of the types of clouds,
and first graders were somewhere in between. This was especially nice because gifted and
talented students could be placed with higher age levels, and lower students could be placed with
lower groups. Higher second graders were asked why they thought different types of clouds
formed. I think even in a single grade classroom it is important to let higher and lower students
still access the content in an appropriate way. I will use all the resources I can find online and
from other teachers to be sure I am implementing lessons in a way that can reach multiple levels
of students.
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Classroom management is something many people forget, but I believe it is really what
makes or breaks a teacher. I am a big proponent of positive reinforcement because I have seen it
work so well (the mountains of research behind it also helps). Too many times I walk into a
classroom where the teacher believes they are using positive reinforcement when in fact theyve
warped the system into punishment. I worked at a school where there was a school-wide
green/yellow/red card system. Everyone starts on green, and if they misbehave, they are knocked
down to yellow or red. Many of the teachers I talked to seemed to think it was a positive
reinforcement system rather than a negative punishment system. The funny part is that it would
be incredibly easy to change it into positive reinforcement. Rather than starting on green, maybe
you start on a neutral (beige?) color. Good behavior moves you up to green or beyond, and they
could even keep the yellow/red for teachers who are used to it. It would be a simple change but it
could have incredible results for teachers struggling with behavior. The best teacher in the world
cannot access their students if they cannot manage behavior, so I think a strong background in
behavior management is key to ensuring all students can learn.
One thing that every great teacher has in common is that they have high expectations for
their students. It is easy for a teacher to give token assignments and give everyone who turns
something in 100%. But this does not help students learn, and it does not challenge a student to
push themselves. Instead, students will end up putting in less effort on future assignments
because they feel that there is no need to work hard if a 100% score is practically guaranteed. I
know how disappointed I get when I slack off on an assignment and get pretty much the same
score as Id have gotten if I had worked hard. I much prefer the teachers that will never give you
100% even if you earned it, because they know you will work even harder on the next
assignment if they give you some room for improvement.
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Teaching is more about motivation than anything else. If the best teacher in the world
fails to dispel the indifference of his or her students, they will not learn. This is not The
Matrix where you can sit a student in a chair, hook up to their brain, and force information in.
Good teachers teach; great teachers inspire.
Educational goals are important because they help a teacher focus their efforts and pursue
a well thought out plan. In my future field of special education, educational goals are even more
important. The family comes together with the school to discuss exactly what is important for
their child to learn, and the school figures out how best to implement systems to promote that
learning. Without goals, teachers cannot get end results as effectively because they will stray off
their path too often.
The social ecology of the student is something every teacher should take into
consideration when teaching. As suggested by Piaget, different social values can have impacts on
the student's perception of right and wrong, such as the weight of consequences versus intent
when behavior is concerned. I know many students who became completely impenetrable to
teaching because they accidently caused some damage, and keeping in mind that the student may
have been taught that consequences are of higher importance than intent a teacher may be able to
approach the situation more aptly.
In special education, it is especially important to consider families in student learning
because the families have direct influence over the student's goals. Culture and community are
also important in the overall picture, but I still believe families are the most important aspect. A
teacher should know all of their parents because the home-school link is so important to the
child's achievement, both academically and socially. Peer influences can be made a positive
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experience by proper parental supervision, whereas many negative peer experiences can be
traced back to poor parental supervision.
At one time, the United States was thought of as a melting pot, in which all different
cultures came together, melted down, and became one uniform culture. This idea was called
Cultural Assimilation, and over time it has become less and less influential in our teaching. We
now see there are benefits in keeping cultures distinct even as we work together. Cultural
Pluralism is the idea that there are many different cultures in our society and that they all have
something to offer the country. There is no "main culture" that should have more rights or
influence than any others. Teachers should be aware of these ideas and use it to inspire their
students, especially those coming from culturally distinct backgrounds. Acknowledging one's
own history can help students feel proud of who they are, and can help them realize their full
potential in many areas.
A teacher needs to constantly adjust based on their students. That means more than just
giving assessments; a teacher needs to look at each child and understand what kind of attitudes
are already ingrained in them. One year a class might have a disproportionate number of students
with uninvolved parents and lots of TV babysitters, so the teacher will need to adjust to counter
the influence of mass media. Other years students might come from cultures or demographics
that are not the majority in the school, because those students are more likely to have lower self-
esteem.
In addition to looking at demographics, a teacher must also be fluid in their teaching; a
lesson that is ideal for one class might be inappropriate for another. Some years, a class will just
not be in the same place developmentally or academically, and it is important to set goals that are
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appropriate for the students you have. Assessments are a powerful tool when used correctly to
help teachers identify strengths and weaknesses of a particular class or of a particular student.
Looking at an individuals assessments, a teacher can understand at what level that
student is currently and can then identify the correct way to help that student advance. A big part
of this is setting appropriate and reachable goals. A student who is intrinsically motivated to
succeed will have greater successes, and a big part of intrinsic motivation is achievability. When
a student feels like they can't do something and they do not get the proper supports, they are
more likely to be unsuccessful and unmotivated. And an unmotivated student is the bane of
learning.