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Statement of Informed Beliefs

Christine McAllister

College of Western Idaho

Educ. 220: Diversity in Schools

December 13th, 2021

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Introduction

At the beginning of the semester, when I was asked to draft a paper, nine pages in length,

about my personal beliefs in the world of education I was unnerved. When I looked at the

assignment and simply laughed. I have only known my college experience amongst of wonderful

world of living in a pandemic. As a student whose major is elementary education, there was not

much room to gain experience but through videos, online lectures and of the literature I have

read. It was not until this fall semester of 2021 that I was able to go out in the field to use my

knowledge in which I have learned over the past three years and apply that knowledge to real,

factual scenarios and situations. Witnessing the difference of personalities and learning styles in

over thirty-six different Kindergarteners is very insightful and eye-opening to one who has never

overseen that many little hands at once. Being surrounded by two separate groups of students has

taught me many things, but by far the most important would be to have patience with each

student and most importantly be kind to your peers.

All Students Can Learn

In all schools there is a diverse variety of different children. From different backgrounds,

genders, ethnicity and cultures, anyone can learn. On top of the differences between the student’s

everyday life, each student also has a unique way of retaining information. This is what makes

our job as teachers so easy, the curiosity of what's ahead and how to make learning fun.

Children absorb information like a sponge, especially at their younger stages in life.

Being able to witness several types of learning styles in the kindergarten classroom allowed me
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to witness this firsthand. Being a teacher, one must observe the students and adjust their lesson

plans accordingly. Different learning types are "Logical-mathematical (skills related to solving

logical problems), Linguistic (skills related to sound, and rhythm of words as well as the use of

language) Body kinesthetic (ability to coordinate parts of the body and manipulate objects or

Musical (ability to produce pitch and rhythm and appreciate musical expression). (Berns 2016).”

Although there is a plethora of learning types, students also pick up traits from their peers

whether that be a teacher, parental figure and or friends in the students’ classroom. As a teacher,

I hope to promote a positive space where everyone is comfortable with each other. Being

comfortable in a classroom helps the students become more engaged in their studies and more

involved in the classroom overall whether it be participation, asking questions when needed or

even just socializing with students their own age. By ensuring a positive learning environment

for my students, we will focus on building better relationships which will help me understand

which style of teaching works for each individualized student. Being in contact with the

student’s parental figures will also be a valuable tool that I will use in order to keep the child on

track and pinpoint any issues that the child is having whether at school or at home. Collectively,

the parents and I are a team that work together to provide the children with the best education

possible. After learning and witnessing the students' learning styles, I will ensure my lesson

plans fit all types of learners. But before the lesson is introduced. I will ensure that my classroom

is alert and paying attention. I was able to witness this firsthand in the classroom that I was

observing. When the teacher needed her students’ undivided attention she said “class, class” and

they would respond with “yes, yes.” Most of the time this tactic worked on the students but if it

did not then she would add a tally to a box on the whiteboard that was named “the interrupting

box” and every line counted for the number of minutes that you must stay in for recess. Another
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aspect I would like to incorporate into my classroom is positive constructive criticism. Many

kids get the world handed to them from their parents and never heard the word “no.” Well not in

my classroom. By promoting positive criticism, this will teach students that getting said “no” by

someone of higher authority happens more than they every expect.

There are so many ways that students can learn depending on their learning styles.

Starting school at a young age is the most beneficial even though it may take time for the kids to

fully grasp a concept, their brain is constantly growing, and absorbing information thrown at

them.

Teacher Expectations

Most children had rules growing up that were established by their parents at a very early

age. The same applies to every environment including stores, work and especially school. By

having teachers lay down their expectations from the beginning, the students will respect and

follow the rules (for the most part). Each teacher has their own way of running a classroom, like

how parents have different ways of parenting.

Every teacher has their own expectations of how their classroom should be ran. By

following the same routine every day, students will grow habits that promote more efficient

learning. When thrown off this routine, their mind gets flustered that they are not following the

same routine that they have developed throughout the entirety of the school year. In my

classroom, I hope to promote positivity and diversity. Some techniques I can incorporate to

promote diversity would be “Increased positive intercultural contact, vicarious intercultural

contact and perpetual differences (Burns 431)”. By working in teams, telling/listening to stories

about diverse types of family and observing a person to view their qualities and personality traits.
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Attitude is a major key to keeping a positive mindset. Attitude effects were found to be mixed

with an overall count of positive changes (40%), nonsignificant changes (50%), and negative

changes (10%) in attitude. Most of the effects were observed with children from the majority

ethic group 67% of the attitude was positive. By leading a classroom with a positive attitude and

including diverse lesson plans, it will set the students up for success in not only their current day

classroom but also their future lives. The wonderful thing about having diverse classrooms is the

ability to pull different viewpoints and life experiences and share them collectively so that we

can learn from one another! Myself, on a personal level, have experienced so much from my

main group of friends growing up. Having a group of friends who were a mixture of Filipino,

African American, and Mexican with completely different family values and home lives really

taught me a lot about diversity and how to be accepting of everyone no matter their background.

I want to implement that sense of diversity into each student that comes through my classroom

door.

By listening and following one's directions and expectations, we are preparing these

children to succeed in life whether that be academically or mentally. Attitude is everything in

aspects of making friends, creating long-lasting relationships and abiding by the expectations

given to you.

Student’s Social Ecology

Ecology is the “science of interrelationships between organisms and their environments.”

We humans are surrounded by ecological groups every day, but students are exposed to their

school’s ecological groups based on the macro and mesosystems in their everyday life. There are

many different theorists that believes different things about child development and social

ecology but Urie Bronfenbrenner’s study from back in 1979 is still being used today to
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determine the different stages of development and patterns that comes along with evolving as an

individual.

One of the five main categories of biological development is schools/childcare which acts

as a socializing agent to children and helps provide proper education to keep them on track for

their future. This semester, I was allowed the opportunity to observe a Kindergarten classroom in

my hometown. While observing, I physically got to witness Urie Bronfenbrenner’s theory of

childhood development. By watching the students help each other and listen to the individuals

around them, it helped prove Urie Bronfenbrenner’s main concept of child development to be

sound. Bronfenbrenner believed that “school-agers (ages 6-11) can use logic to understand

relationships, but only on concrete, or real, people, objects or events” (Berns 2016). One activity

that helped me understand what he meant in this discovery was when the students had to build a

fence out of popsicle sticks and clothes pins, but the challenge was that it had to stand on its own

as well as balance five candy corn pumpkins. To many, it was very frustrating not getting it on

the first time, but with encouragement and a few tips from their peers, every student left the

classroom having completed one, if not two, different fence designs. The students used logic to

figure out how to balance the pumpkins and seeing some of the designs the children were coming

up with was brilliant.

By being aware of the different stages of development in children, it can help teachers

develop lesson plans and projects that are tailored to how the child is understanding the

information that has been provided for them. Being aware of Bronfenbrenner’s theory of

childhood development helps teachers and aids them to be more aware of their student's

educational background.
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A family is a microsystem and based on how children are raised, they will act differently

than others. If a family is involved in a child’s successes throughout their educational career, it

has often led to positive student outcomes. But not only do students learn at school, but a large

part of their educational background starts at home with their family's culture and community.

Within a family unit, there are basic systems that vary by culture or social background. In a

normal household these systems include reproduction, socialization/education, assignment of

social roles, economic and emotional support.

There are so many different impacts to a child’s educational journey. The most influential

impacts come from parental figures, community and culture. “Parent involvement leads to

positive benefits for students, parents, and schools, including improved academic performance

and improved parent-teacher relationships. Students whose parents were involved in school

during their elementary years experienced lower rates of high school dropout, were more likely

to complete high school on time, and had higher grades” (Banyard 2004). By having a role

model, like a parent, participate inside a child’s classroom, it helps show the child that their

parents are genuinely invested in their studies and want what is best for them. This same concept

is acknowledged throughout the community. When the community acknowledges the child’s

successes it encourages them to be the best version of themselves. On the other hand, regarding

culture, “the cultural deficit theory states that some students do poorly in school because the

linguistic, social, and cultural nature of the home environment does not prepare them for the

work they will require to do in school. (Lynch).” A large factor of how a student performs

educationally is based on the people that surround them.

Family, community and culture are such a large part of a child’s life for many reasons but

especially developmental, emotional and educational. They provide positive (sometimes

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negative) components to keep a child driven to success. Depending on their background and

family ecology, it will give the child confidence and drive to continue in their studies.

Cultural Diversity Instruction

Growing up and going to public school in California was very insightful in that I grew up

surrounded by a variety of different cultures and ethnicities. As a teacher, I want to emphasize

how important family traditions are as well as share different cultures with one another in our

class. You never know what you are going to learn about different cultures and young students

need to be shown that it is important to embrace and not be embarrassed by their cultures.

One experience during high school that completely opened my eyes to the diverse world

around us took place in my world history class where we did an oral presentation on our family's

heritage and backgrounds. This project helped me understand and appreciate the different

cultures from around the world. Many people brought a prop or food to help describe their

culture for extra credit. Some of the items people brought were authentic Italian food, Día Los

Muertos memorabilia, and I was even able to bring in my Irish dancing shoes. As a teacher, I

hope to include a lesson plan that shows the students how we were all brought up differently and

to embrace the cultures/traditions we carry on from the many family members before us. During

school I was always embarrassed that I used to Irish dance. But after learning about different

customs from other cultures, it helped me understand that I am unique and to embrace my Irish

culture. By incorporating a lesson plan like this one, it helps the students not only learn and

express themselves through their culture, but it also helps the students be introduced into a

variety of different cultures that maybe they were not so familiar with before the assignment.
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Cultural pluralism is when one values and maintains cultural differences throughout

society whereas cultural assimilation is when diverse cultures are absorbed within a dominant

culture. Assimilation displays the blending of different cultures within society which provides a

‘melting pot society’ and creates a group full of different backgrounds and cultures. Cultural

pluralism allows the cultures to keep their unique identities. There is no dominant group when

referring to cultural pluralism whereas assimilation is one large group. The United States of

America is an example of cultural assimilation.

Today, we are surrounded by so much diversity whether at work, school or even the

community overall. By indulging the children in the different aspects of these people's beliefs we

can create a more open-minded community.

Curriculum for all Learners

Being a teacher, one must be able to adapt and form a curriculum available to all students

dependent on their skill levels. No student is going to understand and obtain information the

same as the student sitting next to them, therefore we as teachers need to be prepared to make

lesson plans accessible to the different learning styles of students throughout our classrooms.

There are many ways to incorporate the different learning styles throughout a classroom,

but I personally believe the most important is by creating lesson plans that require partners so

that the duo can work as a team in order to help each other succeed no matter the skill level of

either student. By explaining to the students that we are all able to accomplish our goals and

tasks at different skill levels it may even help the students achieve higher-level thinking by

putting their thought processes together. John Dewey believed and argued that ‘curriculum

should be relevant to students’ lives’ because it helps learn by doing and developing practical life
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skills. He also believed that schools must become “an embryonic community life, active with

types of occupations that reflect the life of the larger society and permeated throughout the spirit

of art, history, and science” (Dewey 1917).

Regarding lesson plans, I will make sure to incorporate the different types of learning so

that each student can understand the concept to the best of their abilities. I have personally had

teachers who only focused on one avenue of teaching, and I couldn’t understand/retain

information in lecture-heavy classes. I am a visual learner so by conducting lectures included

with power points and videos I should help each student grasp at least one concept provided

throughout the lesson. Conducting oral pop quizzes at random should also encourage the students

to discuss what they learned throughout the entirety of the lesson as well as pull from

information that their classmates provide. This will help them later in life when they are faced

with difficult situations in which they must problem-solve on the spot.

People like John Dewey have revolutionized how we as teachers teach the students that

filter through our classroom. By making the curriculum relatable and helpful later in life, it

would help the children better retain the information that is being given to them.

Conclusion

There are a variety of different backgrounds and learning styles that come along with new

students each year. By following previously famous theorists like Urie Bronfenbrenner and John

Dewey help us teach and dive into the minds of kids. By incorporating different learning styles

in the classroom your students can learn and adapt to your ways of teaching.
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References

“PBS Online: Only a Teacher: Schoolhouse Pioneers.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,

https://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/john.html.

Berns, R. (2013). Child, family, school, Community: Socialization and support.

Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.