STUDENT INFORMED BELIEFS

Student Informed Beliefs Essay

All Students Can Learn

our job as teachers to help them reach their goals academically, emotionally, and socially.

There are several ways for teachers to foster student’s academic achievements. As a

teacher, it is important to keep track of their classroom and each individual student’s growth.

Testing is one manner to track and assist children academically as it allows teachers to directly

see what the student needs help on. Another way for a teacher to aid a child academically is to

group them with similar students and to utilize centers as a way for the teacher to have one on

one time with all their students. Encouraging achievement motivation by placing stickers for a

job well done will also encourage academic success. Most importantly, the teacher simply needs

to address both obvious and subtle needs of the child by spending time with each one of them.

There are also strategies for teachers to help their students develop emotionally. With the

hustle and bustle of the classroom it is very difficult to implement emotionally support for

students, yet it is the most critical. Saying hello to students and getting to know them helps them

to feel supported and welcomes into the classroom. Emotional support also goes a long way

when learning. Encouragement and positive reinforcement will inspire students to have self

confidence in their learning abilities. As the teacher, it will be my job to help them accomplish

these goals.

The third way a teacher can help students learn in the classroom is socially. It is

necessary for students to understand different cultures and walks of life. Students must learn to
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cooperate, share and accept others. Part of this included understanding developmental

appropriateness and editing or adjusting strategies moving forward.

As a teacher, I plan to implement these aspects of academic, emotional, and social

learning in my classroom by spending time with every student, communicating needs with their

parents, and fostering a positive environment to not leave a single child behind.

Teacher Expectations

I believe very firmly that all teachers set the bar for their students. The higher the

expectations the teacher holds for their students, the more likely it is that those students will float

to that bar set before them. A teacher should maintain an atmosphere of learning, creativity and

self-sufficiency as well as teamwork. These different dynamics will greatly affect how those

students strive through their educational journeys. It is also the job of the teacher to assist these

students in reaching those high expectations. Providing ample resources and incorporating

technology in the class are great ways for teachers to enable their students to take wing. The

incorporating multiculturalism and bilingual education is a great way to lend understanding

other cultures but also to give those cultural groups pride and confidence in their backgrounds.

There are many ways teachers can raise their expectations and yet at the same time make their

students feel comfortable in reaching their goals.

There are also many goals of education for students that must be met. The idea of

preparing students to enter society as participative figures is one goal. Another goal is to foster

the individuality of each student and to help them grow socially, academically and emotionally.

Inclusion is an important tool to use in the classroom as it helps students reach that goal of self-

independence but also reaching societal standards. These are crucial to forming the student a
STUDENT INFORMED BELIEFS

unique individual but also to grow a contributor to the adult society. There are many factors in

education that will nurture a child’s success in society.

Students’ Social Ecological Theory

I believe that it is essential for students to connect their academic learning with their

social ecology or a series of trends around an individual’s social life. I also believe that it is the

job of the teacher to foster this kind of growth in the classroom as much as possible. The more

social support and knowledge that can be taught or emphasized, the better off students’

development will be and the stronger the connections they make with others will be as well. One

important core aspect of the social ecological theory is creating a supportive microsystem around

the individual.

A classroom is one of the most important agents in the microsystem. The classroom can

easily create a supportive environment by implementing morality of cooperation. This behavior

involves participation in a group that also shows personal understanding amongst themselves as

equals. Not only is this important to practice for classroom success, but it also is crucial for

students when forming peer groups. It stresses empathy and listening to others, while also

facilitating in self-development and self-worth.

Another important aspect of the social ecology theory is the comprehension and the

teaching of social cognition which is “the conceptions and reasoning about people, the self,

relations between people, social group roles and rules, and the relation to these conceptions to

social behavior” (Burns R., 2016). In this area, families, cultures and communities play an

enormous role. These groups help their children to develop a sense of self and how they ought to

treat others in these networks. Many of these social groups can clash as well. The parenting style
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or family structure may disagree and contradict the social standards of the school setting for

example. Therefore, it is up to each social group to communicate openly and effectively to

collaborate on a set of standards for both academic and social purposes.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

As a teacher, I will for sure run into many different students. Each of these students will

have unique experiences and life histories. Many will come from different family and cultural

backgrounds. I believe this is essential to expose to others to enrich the life and learning of not

only the other students, but also the other teachers and parents as well. Learning about others and

their experiences is essential to avoiding cultural conflict across the community.

A major problem with cultural understanding is confusing the ideas of cultural

assimilation and cultural pluralism. This is a particularly difficult differentiation for younger

children and therefore must be emphasized and distinguished more often. Cultural assimilation

is holding and emphasizing the moving a minority group into a dominant culture (Burns, 2016).

In other words, assimilation is also known as white washing other cultures and experiences. In

terms of peer socialization, especially in adolescent years, this is particularly hard to combat as

many students look towards acceptance. Teachers must be sensitive and on the lookout for acts

or words suggesting assimilation as it creates a destructive and conformative outlook on other

cultures (intended or unintended). Instead, teachers should emphasize cultural pluralism which

is where minority groups actively participate in the dominant culture yet do not lose their own

cultural identity (Burns, 2016). I believe this can only be achieved through teaching and listening

to others’ life stores, experiences, and histories to fully understand where people are and how to

navigate their understanding of others moving forward.

It is the duty of the teachers to bring forth their students’ experiences and cultures and

demonstrate them to the class. During my observation hours, I saw how the teacher used

activities such as journal writing to allow the students to see others’ experiences and outlooks on

life. Another teacher I observed in the past, had a student share a storybook her dad created that

told of how she was adopted form Haiti. Implementing strategies such as these will bring cultural

awareness and understanding to the classroom.

Curriculum for all Learners

In every classroom, there are multiple levels of education and skill set in different areas.

These kids also exhibit different types of intelligences. Every year, as a teacher, I will also

experience the change of these new dynamics. It is my job as the teacher to ensure each child is

appropriately challenged yet can complete and strive in their academic goals. Planning, delivery

and assessment will all be aspects that I must be willing to fluctuate in implementation to each

individual student and catering to their academic needs.

As a teacher, it is the duty to make sure that every student walking into your classroom

leaves with a greater understanding in academic, social, and cultural of the world around them.

By creating an effective learning environment, I will be able to adapt my teaching and

curriculum to each individual student. Having a strong support system is also essential.

Throughout my observations, I noticed how my teacher implemented stations. This circular

rotation system allowed for one of such stations to be the “teacher table”. By breaking up the

classroom into small groups of about 5, the teacher could give small group instruction to all her

students and to see first hand how to implement changes in instruction and/or material.
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Utilizing the community to encourage learning and to help students reach their potential

learning and social skills. Preventative Services are “services that attempt to lessen the stresses

and strains of life resulting from the social and technological changes and to avert problems”

(Burns, 2016). These include parks, recreation, and education. Encouraging both parents and

students to participate in these activities will help them not only possibly exercise their multiple

intelligences, but will also enable the teacher to find out more about students interests and use

that in teaching material to make it interesting and effective.

References

Burns R. (2016). Child Family, School and Community: Socialization and Support. Cenegage

Learning.