A Belief Matrix

Belief Matrix Reflection for Christy Belardo

I viewed this belief matrix as a professional job description.  I filled it out in three main steps: a personal-professional individual level, an educator level, and my overall philosophy and principles.  As a former volunteer coordinator, I had a job description matrix that I used to visualize my staff roles and responsibilities within specific categories.  Whether looking at this matrix from a volunteer coordinator or an educator perspective, I felt that there were categories that overlapped.  Once the personal-professional beliefs were placed, I was able to focus on the educator belief perspective.  By using my knowledge, notes, and reflective journals I had from my classes here at TSS, I was able to pinpoint specific concepts that I felt were important to how I teach.  After completing both my personal-professional and educator beliefs, I was able to construct overall personal philosophies and principles that I feel truly represent myself as an individual in a career that I enjoy.

Reflecting back on my volunteer coordinating days, I filled in categories such as: personal strengths, safety, and professional development.  These categories had very similar qualities that, I believe, can be transferable in any working environment.  I believe that in a professional environment no matter if you are teaching or whatever, you must have skills that enable you to be confident, well-spoken, and positive in any career.  I also believe that bringing a passion, reflective mindset, respect, and an awareness of self and others to any career sets you up to be a collaborative team player.  These three categories were placed in the middle of my matrix, representing qualities of awareness of myself in any professional working environment.

After looking over and reviewing notes from Intro to Field Science, Place-Based Education, and Advanced Instructional Strategies classes, I was able to choose ideas, concepts, and strategies that I felt I incorporate currently or want to incorporate into my teaching.  The bottom and top rows include: educational setting, student management, assessment, curriculum, and instructional strategies. I also reflected on how I taught during my fall teaching practicum in outreach and the personal conversations I had with all of my teachers.  Being able to write down things I learned in class to qualities I observed from other teachers and in myself when teaching was incredibly important in pinpointing my beliefs from an educator’s perspective.  Ideas and concepts that I felt strongly to incorporate in my matrix included: working as a community, building trust with one another, taking ownership in actions, student-based and driven lessons, and incorporating the bigger picture and sense of place.

After the first week of Advanced Instructional Strategies, I believe I was able to complete my last category.  I think after having time to reflect on what I had learned thus far, allowed me to compile a few guiding principles and personal philosophies that I felt strongly represented a well-rounded vision of myself.  As I look as this matrix for my future, I feel that this matrix is continuously evolving.  As I continue to grow and learn, my belief matrix will shift and grow with me, but this is a great foundation to becoming a more effective, efficient, and professional individual/educator.