Teacher Beliefs Vs. Technology Integration

Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs: The Final Frontier in Our Quest for Technology Integration? is an article examining teacher beliefs concerning technology. The author attempts to reflect upon teachers’ beliefs and make connections between their comfort level of technology, and use (with students) of incorporation in the classroom. Varieties of surveys examined teacher beliefs, though the nature of a belief is something that in and of itself is often immeasurable. Nevertheless, the author truly tries to form a link between teacher beliefs and practice, with the result being that technology incorporation is on a low-level scale. Low-level is referred to in the article as using computers to express oneself through written language (i.e.: word processing), using the internet for research purposes, and/or using computers for incentives/rewards, and drill/practice activities (i.e.: use of language, math software). In sum, the author’s conviction is that teacher beliefs need to change, before practice can change. In a surprising twist, professional development is not the answer (according to the author). Overall, the majority of my cohorts felt that the article was a breath of fresh air, after which the majority of technology-centered articles seem

“to cast scorn on teachers for not jumping into new tech like it was a pool of happiness” (Ted Vasel, SPU discussion).

I think the majority of people assume, as I once did, that teachers fail to incorporate higher levels of technology into their curriculum because they are either uncomfortable or don’t know enough about it. Several of my classmates saw this as the veteran teachers’ dilemma. Therefore, young, fresh-out-of-college teachers know technology, feel comfortable with it, and therefore use it, right? Wrong!

As the article continues, we find the disparity between lower-level technology skills and higher-level technology schools parallels a continuum of teacher-centered and student-centered learning. Therefore, we can conclude that teachers incorporate lower-level uses of technology into their curriculums, not because it is easier to use, but because teachers are in control (teacher-centered). A few statistics from the US Department of Education supports this claim. In 2003, well over 83% of teachers surveyed felt prepared enough to use technology in their classrooms. Furthermore, 80% felt as though they were ready to learn more in terms of incorporating higher levels of technology into their classrooms.

If this is all starting to add up, take it with a grain of salt. Because, according to Michigan Virtual University, only 1 in 9 teachers are tech-savvy enough to create a multimedia presentation, and work with spreadsheets & digital software. Moreover, of teachers interviewed, those that do consider themselves tech savvy (the 1 in every 9), feel the pressures of time constraints, lack of resources, and parental complaints.

This leaves me with an important thought on standards, specifically technology standards: we have standards; yes, but are they graded? Can I, as a teacher, justify the use of technology in my curriculum if I am not required to grade students, in their skill level, in this area?

Educational Philosophy

I firmly believe that students are intrinsically motivated with a desire to learn what they do not already know. Learning is exciting; it is stimulating, challenging, and lifelong. After the school day is over, and the graduation ceremony has ceased, students continue to learn as they journey through life. Everyone is a lifelong learner whether a student, a teacher, or someone in-between. A goal of every educator is to understand how humans learn, which theories and philosophies of education work best in our own teaching, and what environments should we establish to implement the best practices for learning. I have delved through these essential questions to establish my personal philosophy of education with regard to human learning and motivation, and the best environments for student learning for my specific role as a K-6 educator.

Human Learning and Motivation

Piaget and Vygotsky have both identified that human learning best takes place when learning is student-centered (Santrock, 2001, p369). I believe that there are generally three methods where learning centered on the student, generates new knowledge. Problem-based learning, essential questions, and discovery learning all drive human wisdom. While problem-based learning “emphasizes real-life problem solving…a problem-based curriculum intentionally exposes students to authentic problems like those that crop up in every day life” (Santrock, 2001, p369). Essential questions however, reflect the heart of the curriculum and focus on the most important things students should know. Through asking essential questions, educators often have to plan from a backwards approach, through which teachers create creative inquiries encompassing an entire study, and refer to them throughout the entity of the unit. While essential questions are teacher-driven strategies focusing on student-centered learning, discovery learning completely contrasts direct instruction, because it allows students to construct understandings on their own. John Dewey and Piaget share the similar sentiment that teaching students often takes away from learning. Both believed that students should receive more opportunities to learn on their own (Santrock, 2001, p374).

Whether our learning is teacher directed or discovered independently, I believe the Attribution Theory best describes the phenomenon of what motivates human learning. “The theory assumes that people are inclined to seek information to form attributions” (Schunk, 2004, p352). However, I believe there are numerous motivators that steer human learning. Learning that is formed behaviorally, takes place by repeating behaviors. B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory suggests that we repeat specific behaviors due to an effective reinforcement, whether positive or negative (Schunk, 2004, p19). Motivation can likewise be stressed by environmental conditions. Constructivist Theory suggests that the structure of the learning environment and organization on the part of the teacher and student are complex factors that influence motivation (Schunk, 2004, p306). When considering the Constructivist Theory with regard to motivation, I think of very young students who aim to please their teacher, and those kids are highly motivated to do well, constantly seeking constructive feedback in an effort to produce their best work. Abraham Maslow expanded the Constructivist Theory giving it more humanistic qualities. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests that all humans have basic needs, such as safety and a sense of belongingness, and learning cannot take place until these basic needs are met (Schunk, 2004, p336). It is a rarity to find a student completely motivated by intrinsic rewards. Although an interest in learning and the fulfillment of the actual learning experience helps drive our motivation, more often students seek achievement as a source of extrinsic motivation (Schunk, 2004, p376). One form of extrinsic motivation is the “behavior instigated and sustained by people’s expectations concerning the anticipated outcomes of their actions and their self-efficacy for performing those actions” (Schunk, 2004, p360). The Social Cognitive Theory is just one of many forms of motivation that drives human learning.

My Role as a Professional Educator

In my role as a professional educator working with K-6 students, my philosophy of education is influenced by each the behavioral learning theory, social cognitive theory, and information processing theory. The behavioral learning theory works for me in my position as a teacher by stressing the important role the environment has on how I arrange and presented stimuli, and in how I provide feedback (Schunk, 2004, p18). I believe that when working with young learners, behavior management is a key to successfully gaining knowledge. I believe in positive reinforcement, and the behavioral learning theory works for me, by stressing the importance of consistency and providing lots of praise and positive reinforcement. When I provide negative reinforcement, I do so by taking away a negative consequence for good behavior. For example, a student in my class notoriously turns work in late, and makes a positive change by turning his homework in on time. Negative reinforcement of this behavior may allow the student to participate at recess, when in the past he has not been able to do so. The future behavior of the student will be inclined toward his increasingly turning homework in on time.

I’ve found that the social cognitive theory of learning works for me in my role as an educator by encouraging the modeling appropriate behaviors, explanations, and expectations. In an introductory lesson, I will generally implement a guided release of responsibilities model of instruction, which is consistent with the social cognitive theory, by which the teacher “demonstrates, verbalizes, and models thoughts and reasons for performing given actions” (Schunk, 2004, p94). While self-reinforcing statements are useful (statements suchas “I just need to try my best”), I disagree with the cognitive modeling concept of intentionally introducing errors or dilemmas during instruction. Though deliberate mistakes allow students to learn to recognize and deal with difficulties they may stumble upon, since we are all capable of making natural mistakes, I feel it is not necessary to model by error, as it also tends to reinforce negative behaviors. By virtue of the fact that social cognitive theory incorporates observational learning, there are a few requisites to a successful modeling experience. On the part of the student, attention is required, and the teacher should attain to the needs and interests of the students to sustain their concentration. Secondly, retention is key to remembering, so students must have some way of imitating the model once they have observed it. To reproduce a specific behavior, the person must have the necessary motor skills, which is the third condition, and lastly, performances should be encouraged by “direct reinforcements…If a boy sees his neighbor admired for being polite, the boy is likely to imitate him” (Crain, 2000, p195-96).

Information processing is a third theory I find to be consistent with my pedagogical classroom strategies. With regard to memory and learning, I have found that coaching students in implementing effective study strategies aids in long-term memory retention. A reader’s workshop model for literacy instruction emphasizes the importance of arranging thoughts using graphic organizers, asking questions, making connections, and tracking down the important information. The strategies that I teach my students, aid them through the entire stage model of memory, from their attention of the particular learning goal, to their short-term memory, and encoding into the long-term memory. Finally an accurate retrieval of the information learned, too comes from the memory retention strategies of organizing their learning and thoughts. While numerous encoding failures challenge our ability to remember all things learned, teaching students strategies for remembering and studying effectively, motivate learners to want to discover more.

Best Environments for Learning

The National Research Council has expressed the need for various types of learning environments. Each environment is unique and has something to offer to education, but not one environment is sufficient as a sole best practice for learning. Knowledge-centered environments, are preferred by the likes of educator E.D. Hirsch, and those that believe there is a core set of knowledge upon which “knowledge-centered environments take seriously [and] help students become knowledgeable” (National Research Council, 2000, p136). However, knowledge-centered environments must work together with student-centered settings to connect the curriculum to the students’ lives and make it meaningful. I believe both are essential in conjuncture with one another, while student-centered environments allow the learners to make their own discoveries and connections between self, texts, and the world.

I believe environments must be assessment implemented, though not necessarily centered. The heart of education still should focus on the student; the learner, but understanding where the learner is at with regard to the curriculum, requires assessment. “The key principles of assessment are that they should provide opportunities for feedback and revision and that what is assessed must be congruent with one’s learning goals” (National Research Council, 2000, p140). I believe both formative and summative assessments are necessary. In addition, all assessments must fall under the context of being either norm or standards referenced, meaning that the goal is to rank students by level, or to provide an opportunity where it is hoped and expected that all students have the capability and means of meeting mastery. These norm and standards referenced assessments will generally fall under the larger umbrella of formative assessment, in which the goal is to receive and interpret the feedback that will drive further instruction. I believe formative assessments in core knowledge areas provided continuously throughout the year are the best methods in which to learn not only about the students’ thinking, but to analyze the teachers’ skills and ability of meeting every student at their current level. Summative assessments, given at the end of longer units of study, and informal observations also aid in instruction. I believe administering a battery of assessments provide the most thorough opportunities to assess student abilities. Lastly, I believe feedback from assessments shared with parents is most effective, as the parent-teacher team can work better collaboratively to provide the most effective model of instruction for the student.

A final, yet equally important context for student learning involves a community-centered environment. The National Research Council has found that learning environments are richer when there is a “connection between the school environment and the broader community, including homes, community centers, after-school programs, and businesses. Connections to experts outside of school can have a positive influence on in-school learning because they provide opportunities for students to interact with parents and other people who take an interest in what students are doing” (National Research Council, 2000, p147).

Because students spend a relatively small amount of time in class, compared to the amount of time they spend elsewhere, I believe the climate of the classroom community, when connected with home, clubs, and the larger community, is far more enriching that a classroom that operates day in and out disconnected from society. A goal of every educator is to understand how humans learn, which theories and philosophies of education work best in our own teaching, and what environments should we establish to implement the best practices for learning. In my role as a K-6 educator, I have found that human learning is motivated through a variety of contexts, including asking questions, discovery, constructivism, and self-efficacy. In my current assignment teaching a wide range of grade levels, my philosophy of education is influenced by each the behavioral learning theory, social cognitive theory, and information processing theory, all of which have their strengths which work for me, and weaknesses that I choose not to employ. As I have set up my classroom environment for learning, I have tried to make it an atmosphere that is welcoming and consistent with regard to being student-centered, assessment driven, and community based. After an examination of the types of motivation that guide student learning, and the environments with which to implement best practices of teaching I feel that I have established a solid foundation of professional philosophy for my role as a K-6educator.

Crain, W. (2000). Theories of development. New Jersey, Prentice Hall.

Gredler, M. E. (2005). Learning and instruction: Theory into practice. New Jersey, Pearson.

National Research Council (2005). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school.

Washington D.C., National Academic Press.

Santrock, J. W. (2001). Educational philosophy. Boston, McGraw Hill.

Schunk, D. ( 2004). Learning theories: An educational perspective. New Jersey: Pearson.

Moral & Ethical Framework

“Your Values Become Your Destiny” -Mahatma Gandhi

Religious values motivate all aspects of our lives, and our afterlives. My own multicultural religious background deeply affects the role I play as an educator, and the teaching approach I bring to the classroom. While I do not agree that there is only one path to understanding God and reaching the Kingdom of Heaven, I do believe that most religion is good and its main purpose seeks to produce good people. In this article, I will address how I have arrived at these beliefs, the critics that challenge me, and my defense for translating my personal values into guiding principles used in my role as an educator.

Core Values

I am fortunate to have had a diverse religious upbringing. I was born and raised Roman Catholic, yet I acknowledge my parents’ open-mindedness for encouraging me to experience other denominations under the umbrella of Christianity, as well. Growing up I had friends that were Jewish, Mormon, Buddhist, as well as Atheist, therefore I also had the opportunity of learning about religions outside of Christianity. As an adult now, I truly appreciate my parents’ unprejudiced views and encouragement to discover a diversity of religions. I credit my parents’ guidance for shaping my core religious values, though I recognize that my confirmation to Catholicism was ultimately my choice, and one that was not pushed upon me. In my adult years, my faith in God had allowed me to determine that most religions have good aspects to them, and their main purpose is to teach what they believe to be good, and produce good people. Whether or not the parishioners of such religions has been exposed to our Lord Savior, hold a belief in God, and/or act in a way that imitates Jesus’ life, I believe that God will recognize good people, whatever their religion may be, as He is the ultimate judge.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them from another…Then the king will say to those on his right, “Come, you are who bless by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. – (Matthew 25:31)

As it is evident that I consider myself both a follower of God and of Catholicism, it is true that there are philosophical values of Christianity with which I do not agree. For example, I disagree with the Christian conviction that one must accept God into their life in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation…to enter the joy of heaven” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 291). I disagree with this principle because I know many good people that have simply not been exposed to a belief in God, and therefore, have absolutely no knowledge of what it means to be His follower. These people include my students lacking any sort of religious upbringing, indigenous people of Ethiopian tribal regions (also children), and my friends, many of which are followers of Mahayana (Chinese) and Theravada (Thai) Buddhism. “The indigenous tribal people of Ethiopia have not a single organized religion but include several traditional African beliefs and philosophies (such as) voodoo” (Intercultural Competence, 80). All of these people are virtuous, though they may not believe in my God.

My faith that there are good non-Christian people in this world helps shape the core philosophical values by which I live my life. These are made of various approaches to decision making, including a bit of ethnical egoism, deontology, and spiritual soul searching. “Almost all Christians recognize that ethical egoism is a poor way to live life and that a life lived merely in the pursuit of self-gratification is an impoverished one” providing more evidence that although I am a follower of God, I do not have to agree with every Christian belief. I believe the same values that inspire the way I live my personal life also motivate me as an educator. As a teacher, I try to educate my students to look out for themselves beyond all else. A good person shows concern for their own physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being, which in turn is part of caring for others. In fact, “concern for one’s own (self) is part of caring for God’s gift” (Exploring Christian Ethics, 15). I encourage my students to be truthful with themselves and one another, and that honesty is the best policy. “A deontological method of doing ethics stresses that certain actions are inherently right or wrong” (Exploring Christian Ethics, 16). Most importantly, we need to look at family and our

cultural upbringing, to make the best decisions that will affect the greater community and ourselves.

“By Christian understanding, truth is neither “out there” nor “in here”, but both. Truth is between us, in relationship, to be found in the dialogue of knowers and knowns who are understood as independent but accountable selves…The community consist of more than other human selves. We are also in community…with God.” (To Know as We Are Known, 56-57).

My experiences living in a third-world country are partly responsible for shaping the values by which I live my life as a person and as an educator. During my summers, I have the opportunity of living and teaching among the natives of Southeast Asia, where various branches of Buddhism are the mainstream religions. In Bangkok, Thailand and throughout much of the regions I have traveled it is often difficult for me to identify with the belief system twenty-six centuries old, and with over 376 million followers. Yet Buddhism, ranked sixth among the world’s largest religious hierarchies, continues to grow along with Islam, Hinduism, and the Chinese Folk Religions such as Taoism, and Confucianism. When compared with Christianity that comprises the largest population of followers (approximately 2.1 billion), still more than two-thirds the world’s population follows a religious belief system that is non-Christian in faith (Wikipedia). Yet does this mean that only one-third the world’s population is worthy of being saved by the grace of God, and that two-thirds the population on this Earth are not good people? Of course, not, religions are social organizations, a focus on the sacred, spiritual journeys, and cultural in meaning, yet the main goal of all religions, in my belief, is to lead its followers in the direction, which they believe to be good. Therefore, if 4.4 billion people on this Earth have chosen not to believe in my God, I have to accept their right to choose and believe that they are following what they know to be true.

Critics Challenge My System of Values

It is essential for me, an educator, to embrace an outlook of cultural understanding and religious acceptance because my classroom is a united nation. The students in my classroom U.N. represent a multitude of backgrounds, ethnicities, nationalities, and denominations both in and outside my umbrella of Western Christianity. As a teacher, it is essential I model acceptance of inter-relationships whether to encourage befriending a classmate who looks, speaks, or has different religious beliefs from you, working cooperatively with our neighbors, or simply acknowledging that we all share commonalities yet have differences too. “The starting point for developing intercultural competence in the educational context is to understand one’s own cultural background” (Intercultural Competence, 316).

Defense

In my role as a public school educator, I think I have done a good job of modeling this belief system to our future world leaders, though I do have my critics. I am generally not too public at work or school with my private life, though I make a point of advertising my partnership with a husband who is all nationally, ethnically, and religiously different than myself. I think this is something both my coworkers and students view as different, yet feasible. There are those, however that find it a direct conflict of values that I have committed my worldly life with someone who shares drastically different outlooks on the afterlife, than I do. In my defense, I communicate that we must show cultural acceptance if our world is ever to heal itself from warfare, poverty, racism, and the everyday prejudices so many people encounter. An educator of our future United Nations leaders, it is my job to promote public inter-relationships, transferable to a secular context.

Religious acceptance is important so that we may be one. Just as it is important that good Christians go to church and good Catholics attend Mass; it is important that we show tolerance of others’ religious beliefs. We do not have to agree with them, but we need to accept each and everyone’s right to their own views. My purpose for attending Mass is to worship with a support system of other believers, though imagine how large that support system would be if we could learn to show tolerance of all people’s religious views. It is possible, because this is something my students, in their classroom united-nation, do day in and out for 185 days of the school year. Yet, in our world, not a day passes without conflict initiated by religious warfare. It is a sad thought that our children have mastered virtue ethics, thought adults are still struggling with this concept.

Classroom Code of Ethics

I am someone who teaches from a multicultural perspective. I translate my values of acceptance, particularly denominational, ethnical, and national acknowledgement, into a moral principles approach to teaching life’s lessons through character education. In my classroom, this looks like teachers modeling respectful behaviors, using positive statements, and holding daily class meetings. It includes implementing and interpreting climate surveys throughout the year, and the presentation of student-selected citizenship awards for problem solving, and making good decisions, to name a few things. Though there is not one particular character education program with which I completely agree, my experiences working with numerous curriculums has allowed me to self-select the attributes, materials, and approaches that best fit my community of students.

The professional code of ethics in my classroom is on display in a pictorial collage of shoes. On the first day of school, each student is responsible for creating a replica of their shoe; compete with real laces and eyehooks. Each eyehook represents that particular student’s personal values. The students decorate their shoes with graphics of what we value; mine portrays God, family, friends, my students, school, water representing a healthy lifestyle, and books illustrating intelligence and hard work ethic. Each shoe is different in appearance, yet they all serve the same basic function, and the collage reminds us throughout the year of what it would feel like to walk in another person’s shoes. The code phrase for our first-day project is “Common Courtesy” and it remains in use throughout the year as a behavior management strategy. When I say the code phrase “Common Courtesy”, the students respond with the phrase “Showing Consideration for Others” and all eyes are respectfully on me.

Challenges of the Code

The challenges of implementing any character education program are such that the chosen attributes may not be characteristics of a particular student’s culture. For example, respectfully showing all eyes on me, the teacher is an oxymoron for young Asian students, where it is inappropriate to look at your elders on the same hierarchical level. Similarly, the very value I impel of accepting all regardless of religious beliefs, sexual orientation, nationality, et cetera, is a difficult value for those who do not accept God as the only and ultimate judge of how we choose to live our lives. There are those that despite understanding God’s will to analyze our worldly life on Judgment Day, seek to imitate the Lord by attempting to do his job for him, on Earth.

Overcoming the Challenges

My belief is that through educating our students when they are young, this is the best method by which to overcome the challenges and critics of our systems of faith. We cannot defend ourselves completely, to do so is suicidal. In a world where there are too many sects of religious beliefs, and every war in the history of the world has been rooted in religious cleansing, the only way history has learned to defend oneself completely is by picking up sword and shield and preparing oneself for religious warfare. But if we can all commit to educating the young of tolerance, accepting both one’s differences and commonalities, it may be possible that our future united nations will grow, and all men will be recognized for their strive to act as they believe to be good.

My multicultural life experiences have influenced my role as an educator. I know that my understanding of multiple ethnicities and religions has positively affected the way in which I strive to create a community that encourages cultural appreciation and seeks to produce virtuous citizens that will make good decisions for the future of our world.

SOURCES

Catechism of the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday, 1995.

Fedler, Kyle D. Exploring Christian Ethics. Louisville: Westminster John Knox,

2006.

Lustig, Myron W. and Jolene Koester. Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal

Communication Across Cultures. New York: Longman, 1999.

“Major Religious Groups” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 2007. Major

Religious Groups 11, March 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/

wiki/Major_world_religions>.

The New American Bible. Nashville: Catholic Bible Press, 1987.

Palmer, Parker J. To Know As We Are Known: Education as a Spiritual

Journey. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1993.