Teachers’ Beliefs, in the Context of Policy Reform

Abstract

Teachers’ beliefs shape their practice. Beliefs, conceptions held with enough personal conviction to be considered true, serve as helpful heuristics for teachers embedded in the complex, ever-changing contexts of classrooms and schools. Three sets of beliefs appear essential to teaching practice, namely, beliefs about teaching, knowledge (epistemic beliefs), and students’ ability. Empirical research about these beliefs is reviewed in light of current U.S. policy documents of curriculum standards, the Common Core State Standards initiative and the Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Teachers’ beliefs filter, frame, and guide their perceptions and implementation of the new curriculum standards. Recommendations to policy makers, educational leaders, and teacher educators include allowing teachers to examine and reflect on their beliefs in light of reforms.

Critical integrative argumentation: Toward complexity in students’ thinking

“…Changing teaching practices also often involves changing teacher beliefs regarding such things as epistemology, learning, and authority (Fives & Buehl, 2016;Wilkinson et al, 2017), improving teacher self-efficacy in using argument pedagogy (Nussbaum et al, 2019;Thurlings et al, 2015), and collective problem solving of various implementation issues (Lefstein & Snell, 2014), such as how to adapt the instruction to the needs of English learners or how to find enough time in the calendar to implement argumentative discussions.…”

Contributions of Neuroscience Knowledge to Teachers and Their Practice

“…However, teacher beliefs and practices are remarkably difficult to change (Fives and Buehl 2012, 2016; Wallace and Kang 2004). Teachers, like students, can hold many, often contradictory beliefs regarding their classroom practices (Alger 2009; Fives and Buehl 2014).…”

“…Teachers need a framework for explaining how reform pedagogies will actually work to engage students and develop higher order thinking skills called for by Common Core and NGSS (Fives and Buehl 2016). While the conceptual change framework has rarely been applied to teachers own pedagogical beliefs and practices (Gregoire 2003; Lee and others 2013), understanding the neurobiology of learning and memory may provide the explanation needed to change practices from teacher-centered to learner-centered.…”

States’ Description of Common Core State Standards to Support Students with Severe Disabilities

“…In addition, Trela and Jimenez (2013) argued for the use of the term "personally relevant curriculum," as a means to shift the conversation away from the "functional curriculum," that may have unnecessarily limited educational experiences for students with severe disabilities to a small set of skills. If teachers believe in the standards (Fives & Buehl, 2016), it is possible that the development of curriculum will be enhanced, as teachers create or promote broad skills that benefit students with severe disabilities. For example, there is a need to better understand how the development of social relationships, both friendships and romantic, can be supported (Sigstad, 2016).…”