ECE JOURNAL

Careers in Early Childhood Education Reflection

[CLO: 4]

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the Career Planning Step by Step (Links to an external site.)

Early childhood education is such a vast field of study including opportunities for many diverse roles and positions. Your desired profession likely played a major role in your selected field of study and the degree you plan to earn. While you might know exactly what you want to do with your degree, there are still typically required planning elements. Often times, we know where we want to go, but the path is not always as clear. For this journal assignment, you will conduct research and set clear goals to make sure you are on the correct route. To get a realistic handle on what it is going to take to achieve your career aspirations, it helps to create a “roadmap” that outlines the steps you need to take to reach your goals. As you conduct your research and begin planning, you should consider all of the courses you have taken and will take in the future, your prior experience both within and outside of the field of early childhood development, and any brainstorming and research you may have done so far in considering career options.

For this journal, you will research the requirements for your potential career path, reflect on your current skill set, and begin to examine the steps necessary to reach your career goals. The purpose of this journal is to help you create an organized career plan using the resources provided below.

To prepare for this journal,

• Utilize the Job Market Research (Links to an external site.) and Short-Term & Long-Term Goal Setting (Links to an external site.) tools provided by Career Services.
• Use this Individual Development Plan (Links to an external site.) to outline a plan after your research.

In your journal,

• Summarize your job market research by including details you found on the job boards.
• Discuss your short- and long-term goals.
  • Where would you like to be 1 to 5 years from now?
  • What is the industry and role you would like to pursue for your career?
• Examine the skills and qualifications related to this type of role.
  • Identify the qualifications you already possess.
  • Identify the new skills, knowledge, certifications, or trainings that you still need to acquire.
• Discuss your Individual Development Plan and include details about your development goals, activities, the support required, and the timeline.

Suggested Assignment Length

• Two to three double-spaced pages (not including title and reference pages).

Research and Resource Expectations

• Sources are not required for your journal assignments. However, if you need to cite information, you must cite in APA format and include a reference page. Refer to the Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) and Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resources created by the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

Writing and Formatting Expectations

• Syntax and Mechanics: Writing displays meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment

 

Required Resources

Required Text

Jaruszewicz, C. (2019). Curriculum and methods for early childhood educators [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

• Chapter 10: Cognitive Development, Mathematics, and Science

Article

Flannigan, C. (2018, January 9). Kids in STEM: Science, technology, engineering, and math (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/2018/kids-in-stem

• This article provides information about STEM education and will assist you with your STEM and Early Childhood Education discussion this week.
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Web Pages

Engineering for Kids. (2016, February 2). Why is STEM education so important? (Links to an external site.) Retrieved from https://www.engineeringforkids.com/about/news/2016/february/why-is-stem-education-so-important-/

• This web page provides information about why STEM education is so important and will assist you with your STEM and Early Childhood Education discussion this week.
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The STEM Laboratory. (2017, April 24). Preschool STEM activities (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from https://thestemlaboratory.com/preschool-stem-activities/

• This web page provides examples of STEM activities that can be done with preschoolers and will assist you in your STEM in Early Childhood Education discussion this week.
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Supplemental Material

Career planning step by step (Links to an external site.). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2v34RZV

• This web page provides four simple steps for students to follow in the career planning process and will assist you with your journal this week.
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Recommended Resources

Articles

Ashbrook, P. (2010, March 1). Preschool STEM (Links to an external site.) [Blog post]. Retrieved from the National Science Teachers Association Blog website: http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2010/03/01/preschool-stem/

• This resource provides the purpose, advantages and examples of integrating science, technology, engineering and math into the preschool classroom. This resource may assist you with your STEM and Early Childhood Education
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Friedman, S. (2016, May 10). STEM starts early! (Links to an external site.) [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/blog/stem-starts-early

• This article provides information about why STEM education in the early years is so important and may assist you in your STEM and Early Childhood Education discussion this week.
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