Running head: STATEMENT OF INFORMED BELIEFS SIB 1

Statement of Informed Beliefs Essay

Emily A. Ivy

Professor Etheridge

Spring 2018
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All Students Can Learn

Every student has the right to learn, and it is a teacher’s responsibility to set proper

expectations for their students; working towards creating a comfortable environment for students

to learn in and exhibiting characteristics and behaviors that are geared towards assisting their

students to meet the expectations. As a future educator, I believe it is my responsibility, to make

sure that I get to know each of my students academically, personality wise, and their family

backgrounds. What are my student’s strengths and weaknesses coming into the school year that I

know of, and what goals are we trying to achieve for each student as well? This will ensure that

each child receives the proper curriculum and instruction modifications, as well as any

accommodations to have the means to meet these goals.

As a teacher, really knowing your students can open doors for you to gain trust from

them, which will give them the stability needed to be able to focus on their education, when there

are so many other things in their life that may be unstable and easily may take precedence in

their lives, if not met and countered by their teacher. Teachers must look at a student’s

microsystems such as their home life, peers, community, etc. to really understand and be able to

help each individual child. (Berns, 2016) This is how you ensure that all students are able to

learn. You can’t always teach a whole class at one pace, in one type of way. Students may have

learning disabilities, situations that are making it hard for them to focus, or things such as

cultural ways or lack of proper schooling in the past that may put them behind. This doesn’t

necessarily mean they have a learning disability. They just may not have had the experiences in

education to prepare them for their new traditional educational experience. It isn’t always black

and white as to which students may be having life troubles. You may have a student that is

homeless, but who appears fine. You may have a student that seems to be a normal student; but
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may have dyslexia. Instead of letting the teacher know, the students may just act out. A passive

teacher may think that the student is just not interested in learning, when in reality, the kids most

likely are just trying to cope and are trying not to stand out; avoiding possibly being made fun of

by their peers.

To ensure that all students are learning, I will make sure that I have an individual file for

each student that contains any information that can possibly influence the child’s ability to learn.

I will try and have different teaching methods, if needed, for each student and try and give them

some one on one time to check their progress as often as needed. Maybe even part way through

the year we can have another questionnaire sent out, or a conference with the parent and or the

child to check and see if there are any changes in their microsystems of socialization, good or

bad. This way we can further adapt their educational experiences to meet the needs of the

individual child.

To manage the classroom so that all students learn, I can make sure to spend some time

observing each child, and do comprehension checks daily of the material we are covering. This is

where I will be able to see where each student is at, and then adjust my methods of teaching, and

the instructions I give accordingly.

Teacher’s Expectations

There are many factors that can influence a student’s ability to learn. One of the

prominent influencers being teachers. Ideally, they exhibit this power through their expectations.

It is imperative for teachers to set high expectations for their students, as well as for themselves,

to ensure that they, as educators, exhibit the characteristics and behaviors themselves to help

students reach their full potential. (Cotton, 1989)

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Teachers teach differently, and kids learn differently (Berns, 2016), however there

should be one common goal; academic development. This is contingent on the school also

paving the way to success through school wide expectations, which holds the school and teachers

accountable, or responsible for academic achievement. (Berns,2016). These expectations are

only effective if the school and teachers follow through with the appropriate characteristics and

behaviors.

Sometimes the behaviors of teachers are not that of successful means. When a child

comes to school, they are entitled to an equal learning opportunity as their peers, as well as

helping them reach their fullest potential, at least meeting the standards, or measure of adequacy

required for their grade level. (Berns, 2016). This can take ample effort, and not all staff are

trained properly, especially in their behaviors, to make this happen. It can be hard to achieve

when teachers form their expectations of students early on and interact with the students with a

one-track mind of what they think the student is capable of. Students pick up on the lack of

expectations teachers have for them, and often do not push themselves past this. As a result,

students, “self-concepts, achievement motivation, levels of aspiration, classroom conduct, and

interactions with the teacher,” can be negatively impacted. (Cotton, 1989). In turn, the teacher

feels warranted in his or her initial expectations, not even realizing that they most likely set their

student up for failure from their expectations in the first place. Of course, sometimes

expectations are warranted, but it isn’t worth gambling in my opinion. It is imperative teachers

try and help every student achieve academic success regardless.

We know that the most productive teaching style to help students meet expectations is

democratic. When you have a happy medium, expectations are set, and the teaching style blends

well with them, students grow and achieve academically. Teachers answer questions thoroughly,
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they give constructive feedback to students, encourage academic growth and expansion of the

mind, and just have an overall positive atmosphere in their classroom. If a student needs a little

extra encouragement, they are there. If they need one on one help, the teacher is there. The

teacher teaches with the goal of helping the student reach their fullest potential, sets smaller

achievable goals to make this happen, and really puts in effort every single day for their students.

It is all about the effort and depth given to these kids. One of the articles we read listed related

factors of, “strong administrative leadership, a safe and orderly environment, schoolwide focus

on basic skill acquisition above all other goals, and frequent monitoring of student progress,”

(Cotton, 1989) as association with high expectations. She also stated that, “low-achieving

schools, meanwhile, are usually found to lack several of these elements.” (Cotton, 1989). It is

almost like they feel an overall sense of being defeated, so they don’t even try to help their

students. They have no hope for their students most of the time and don’t feel responsible to help

change. Linda Cliatt-Wayman gave a Ted talk regarding her experience as a principal at a low-

income school. She discussed how the teachers had low expectations for their students, and how

she came in and, “set high expectations immediately for student’s behaviors and what they are

going to learn.” (Cliatt-Wayman, 2015). She revamped the look of the school, created a new

behavior system, and eliminating excuses from the teachers for why the students weren’t

successful. She explained how, “teachers know what to teach, but they don’t know how to teach

so many children with vast abilities.” (Cliatt-Wayman, 2015).

It all starts with creating goals, which can help you live your best and most successful

life. They give you something to look forward to; something to be proud of. The road to

achieving your goals is often paved with smaller goals that hold you accountable as you go;

showing students the steps it takes to reach their goals. Goals are essential to academic growth.
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Educational goals often keep you focused, preventing unwanted behavior from students.

Students often have no idea what they are capable of achieving. When they accomplish their

educational goals, it builds up their self-concept and self-esteem because they realize they are

capable of greatness. It is imperative to set realistic educational goals or students will feel

inadequate. Starting out with small obtainable goals, student’s muster up motivation and a sense

of accomplishment. This pushes students even further, to reach the high expectations set by their

schools and teachers.

Students’ Social Ecology Theory

Another influence on child development goes beyond the school, into the child’s family

life, and into their community, otherwise known as their socialization process. It is who they are

culturally, as well as the influence of their family dynamics, and the quality of the environment

that they are being raised in. I believe it is important to connect learning to students’ social

ecology because you get a better insight of who students are and what influences their behaviors

and their socialization skills, or lack thereof. Different factors in life, such as these, are a big part

of learning and gaining new experiences and insight. Variations of socialization help to expand

the mind; giving you the opportunity to see things from other’s point of views and to learn from

others. Children are constantly learning as they go throughout life, and social ecology gives

students diverse opportunities to learn and grow in many aspects of their lives, but it can also

negatively impact their development and behaviors.

Families play one of the first important roles in a child’s life, starting with the formation

of personal attachment. They are often the first to teach children the basics. Kids experience

socialization with their families before they do anywhere else which is a huge part of learning, as

is communication in general. Children take what they have learned from socializing with their
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family into their school environment when they reach the appropriate age, which is just a small

portion of the impact families have on student’s learning. Family is there to aid the child in

intellectual development outside of school. They help with homework, projects, teaching about

good work ethic, and about values and morals that can be useful when a child is learning. When

a child receives emotional support from their families and come from stable homes, it can impact

their motivation positively, and when kids come from broken homes, abusive homes,

homelessness, etc. it can have a negative impact on their motivation, as well as other factors such

as their behavior. A family’s cultural background, and community where they live can greatly

impact a student’s learning. If a student comes from a low-income family, they have less access

to educational materials when they aren’t at school, which limits their ability to learn. When kids

have access to materials outside of school, it can further their education with the different types

of learning styles such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc. (Berns, 2016) When students see

other kids with things they cannot afford, it affects their self-esteem, which can lead to low

motivation for students. Being part of a low-income family can really be a factor in determining

whether kids continue their learning past high school or just decide to apply for jobs to be able to

pay their bills. This then affects their future, which starts the pattern over again when they have

their own kids and are still living in low income housing.

Communities play a role in student learning as well. Through the different types of

communities, kids are subjected to, they see the dimensions of life. They learn about the different

roles, or jobs people take on as members of different communities. (Berns). Community support

systems are important for kids and their families to thrive and have the means to learn. There are

formal and informal social support systems in communities that can really be beneficial for

kids, giving them a sense of security, and creates a sense of community that can be transferred to
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the classroom where kids learn. These include regular people surrounding kids and their families

in their communities, and services readily available for support. (Berns, 2016) When kids feel

secure and have a great support system and services that take care of their needs, they are able to

have a ready mindset to learn without being distracted by life’s obstacles. Also, when kids are

part of a community, they can play with other kids in the community. They learn by watching

others and doing what they do, otherwise known as modeling, which requires observing. (Berns)

Kids gain skills such as, “remembering, reasoning, making decisions, solving problems, sharing,

communicating, etc.” (Berns, 2016) which are skills they can take with them to school and

associate with their learning in class.

Cultural differences can play a huge part in students learning. Different cultures have

different forms of communication. This can affect what kids learn in a class that may not have

the same traditions, communication style, ways of learning, and materials for learning.

Sometimes they value collectivism over individualism, in which valuing the priority of the

group over one’s self can change the importance of education, or the importance and materials of

what one learns. (Berns, 2016) These values can have influence over how kids learn in and out of

class, unless they are taught otherwise. They may also have different values in general, rituals or

ceremonial observances, and traditions that can impact what they learn. (Berns, 2016) They

sometimes have different meanings for words, symbols, actions, etc. so if the teacher doesn’t

know about a student’s cultural differences, she may think the student has a learning disability.

It is imperative that teachers are aware of any cultural, family, and community aspects

that may impact a student’s learning. It also gives the other students insight into the different

cultures, which is helping the other students learn as well, about the cultural differences of their

classmates to avoid things like isolation, and bullying.

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Cultural Diversity Instruction

There isn’t just one way to learn, one language to be spoken, one set of traditions to

uphold, one set of roles to take part in, etc. There are several different cultures or ethnic

backgrounds all over the world that people come from, and many times they migrate to the

United States for ample reasons. These reasons are irrelevant, and all we need to know is they

exist, and to gain world peace and acceptance, it is a great idea to educate ourselves on the

different ethnic backgrounds that exist and embrace the diversity that surrounds us.

Cultural differences are something that should be embraced not hidden away due to

inexperience or ignorance. If not really understood, these cultural differences can negatively

impact a student’s relationship with their teacher, and even their peers because they compare

everything they see and hear from students of another culture and compare it to theirs, which is

all they know, believing that there is something wrong or different in a negative way with that

other person they are observing or interacting with because they don’t know any better. If people

are different, sometimes this creates stereotyping or the idea that the person is delayed physically

or intellectually, when in reality, they may have been taught things differently due to their

culture. Students and teachers both have different cultural experiences which includes values,

morals, attitudes, motives, behaviors, and roles. (Berns, 2016). Students aren’t going to normally

initiate the embracing of cultural differences unless it is something they have been taught at

home, or previously in another school or community setting. As an educator, it is our duty to

create a safe environment for students to be who they are, and for others to become educated in

the cultural differences to prevent instances such as peer isolation, misunderstandings, and

bullying by encouraging diverse socialization showing those diverse perspectives from other

cultures. In order for cultural differences to truly be accepted and understood, it is also a subject
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that needs to be addressed on a school wide level, because these kids interact with more than just

the students and teacher in their classroom. During lunch, recess, after school, before school, at

daycare, in the community, etc. these students interact with other kids and adults, and more than

likely they are coming into contact with people of other cultures.

As a teacher, I will instill the importance of not judging others if they are different than

you. This should be a universal moral for any culture, especially in the classroom, since this is

our main focus as teachers. Making a difference from within our classroom and our schools

because this is where we have the most influence in these kids’ lives. By educating on cultural

differences, our students are learning, which is what school is all about. Learning intellectually,

and learning the importance of socialization, especially diverse socialization, which all can be

taken and applied in these students’ lives on a daily basis.

It is important when learning to be able to make connections regarding the learning

material and your students. When teachers create their lesson plans, they are usually thinking

about themselves and their experiences. This does not help their students to be able to relate to

the material; connecting those important dots, which help them apply the material to their lives.

Without those connections, they also are not able to feel like their culture is known and accepted

by others in general. These kids need to know that they can be who they are and feel proud, as

well as learn with the expectation of being held to high academic standards like the rest of the

students, by having modified lessons with such goals in mind, instead of teachers just lowering

their expectations. (Quinton, 2013) Teachers may feel like it’s too much work or inconvenient to

take the time to learn about the different cultures of their students, and integrate them into the

lessons, and because of this, they don’t try. When the teacher makes those cultural connections to

the curriculum, the result is the students can teach and be taught about their culture and others,
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as well as have any cultural modifications and accommodations necessary so students receive an

equal education opportunity. With proper learning on the teacher’s end of the equation, we can

be prepared for students lack of knowledge, differences in ways of life, and identifying of

objects, with creative ways of teaching them what they don’t know, as well as letting them

explain what it is for their culture, or how they learn about the subject. (Berns, 2016). Teachers

can, “ask appropriate questions and listen carefully to avoid misunderstandings.” (Berns, 2016).

Opening the door of diversity can expand kid’s minds to a whole new level! It can be as simple

as having a cultural presentation where students do sort of a show and tell. They can bring items

that are important to their culture or even that are symbols of their culture. They can bring store

bought foods for the class to try that represent their ethnic background, clothing, etc. The effect

is students getting excited for learning and trying new things. This is just one example of

integrating ethnic backgrounds into the school and classroom. Kids can also research and write

essays or fill out worksheets on different cultures.

There are two different types of cultures. Cultural assimilation is better known as the

word, “melting pot.” Now when you think about things melting in a pot you think of mixing

together. Therefore, if we think of cultural assimilation, we may think of different cultures

mixing together and embracing differences, but cultural assimilation is when cultures come

together and the majority rules, so the minority cultures are lost and frowned upon in a lot of

ways. Here in the United States, we have the American Dream. Many people expect people of

other ethnic backgrounds, who come to the United States, to learn English and blend in,

following American ways of living. The real term that would better represent a melting pot is

cultural pluralism, which takes into consideration different cultures and embraces the differences

they represent. They all have the potential to bring something to the table.
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Curriculum for all Learners

With the vast diversity of students that I will encounter over the years through teaching

such as special needs, family backgrounds, communities, cultural differences, religions, and

many other differences, it is imperative that I am an open minded; adaptive teacher. I will adjust

my planning, delivery, and assessment by researching the types of diversity that are a part of my

classroom; pulling from my resources the most effective ways of teaching from other people’s

experiences, research, and studies done, as well as my own.

Observing students in real time is a sure way of really gauging a student’s strengths and

weaknesses, as well as getting to know how the student personally learns best. Not all students

are going to be part of the majority when it comes to statistics and ways of learning determined

by research of different disabilities, cultures, etc. Some students are the exception and respond

differently. By observing my students while they are learning, through assessments, getting their

input, my knowledge and experience, the testimonies and ideas from other teachers, as well as

extensive research, I will be able to adjust my lesson plans and the ways I teach to help each and

every student feel like their needs are being met. This will ensure that my students receive the

best education and that I can set high expectations for them when they have the right tools to

succeed. The assessments will also be tailored to the students if they need that diversity in

assessments to get accurate results. My extensive research will consist of familiarizing myself

with any learning disabilities and effective curriculum recommended for each. It will also consist

of familiarizing myself with cultures present in my classroom, school, and the community so that

all my students feel like they are understood and accepted for who they truly are and where they

come from. As well as avoiding any cultural differences that can negatively impact students and
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their academics if misunderstood, or not incorporated or explained to the student or teacher

depending on the situation at hand.

Through documented establishment of where students begin the year academically and behavior

wise, I can give assessments both verbally and written to check the progression of student

improvement periodically. With these assessments, I can adjust my methods of instruction,

materials, connectivity of materials to students lives, and my expectations of each individual

student. Also, with further observations daily during class time, I can really gage each student’s

improvement or lack thereof. This tactic is important because some students may excel during

classroom discussions and activities verbally but may struggle with their written assessments due

to behavioral issues, learning disabilities, etcetera, which is where modifications and

accommodations come into play during class. Students may need additional help from resource

teachers if they have learning disabilities. This may be a handful of times throughout each day,

or just during specific activities and assessments.

Teaching isn’t and shouldn’t be black and white. If it is, you’re doing it all wrong, and

are probably not as effective for your students as you could be if you taught in color. In order to

be effective, there has to be variety, acceptance and recognition of diversity. So many shades and

blends of ideas, methods, connections, modifications, etcetera. As an effective teacher, you

should always be learning, yourself, as you teach your students. It is a process, not unchanging

and concrete, and if you do teach in black and white, it’s not too late to change your ways.
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Resources

Berns, R. (2016) Child, Family, School, Community Socialization and Support 10th Edition.
Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Cliatt-Wayman, L. (2015). How to fix a broken school. Ted talk.
Cotton, K. (1989). Expectations and Student Outcomes. School Improvement Research Series.
https://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/expectations-and-student-outcomes.pdf
Quinton, S. (2013). Good Teachers Embrace Their Student’s Cultural Backgrounds. The

Atlantic. Theatlantic.com.