Beliefs about Students

Beliefs about Students

Introduction

The beliefs held by a teacher about his students have a great influence on his professional practice. These beliefs can be both constructive as well as destructive for both the teachers as well as students (Robert, 2006). The beliefs on students can be divided into different classifications from global to local. These range from schooling and education to learning and epistemology, teachers and teaching, academic content and students themselves. The paper discusses some of the common beliefs about students and how they are operationalized through actions. It also presents the contrary views of the same beliefs and how they are operationalized.

Beliefs about Students

The most common beliefs about students along with their contrary perceptions are discussed hereunder.

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Belief about Students

Contrary Beliefs

1

Purpose of Schooling

The purpose of education is to groom children and make them better human beings. This is the first and foremost responsibility of all students and teachers, and is agreed upon by many educational philosophers.

The primary objective of education is to make students smart (Diamond, 2000)

Operationalization

Teachers who view that the purpose of education is to help children become better human beings have an entirely different approach to teaching and learning than those who hold a contrary point of view. These teachers believe in reflective practice. In whatever they do, they make sure that their students are being taught the path of righteousness and are being advices on becoming moral. They strive to become the role models for their students. They work closely with each and every child in their class and pay attention not only on the curriculum but also on character building and conduct.

Teachers who view that the objective of education is to make children smart and help them perform at par in their academic life have been found to be obsessed with results and numbers. They are too concentrated on how the children performs and less on what the child is gaining out of what is being taught in class.

2

Validity of Knowledge

Validity of Knowledge

Most teachers believe that only certain type of knowledge I valid

Teachers believe that knowledge is universal and is valid at all times.

Operationalization

These teachers will be focusing on only certain aspects of knowledge. They will teach children only what they themselves think is the right knowledge (Davis, 2008).

These teachers believe that knowledge is good no matter what subject area it pertains to. It only adds to the learning of a child and makes him versatile. Students at their age and ready to learn and the information that is disseminated to them may not be filtered for valid and invalid knowledge (Bramlett & Murphy, 2002).

3

Leadership

Leadership

Leadership can be learned

Leadership cannot be learned

Operationalization

Operationalization

People, who believe that students have the ability to improve on their innate leadership skills, help them enhance their confidence and excel at what they do best (Teaching Tolerance, 2010).

Leadership is innate and students who are not leaders cannot be turned into leaders either.

4

Ways to accomplish learning

Ways to accomplish learning

Learning is best when ...