6 years agoMarsha Miller WALDEN INSTRUCTOR MANAGER Group ACOLLAPSE

Aligning Your Philosophy with Your Profession

In preparation for this week’s Discussion, consider the following questions, which are all pertinent to deciding what you want your career to be:

• What makes one field more appealing than another?
• Why did you choose the bachelor of science in child development program?
• What appeals to you about this field?
• What role would you like to play in fostering children’s and/or adolescent’s healthy development and learning?

Then, consider how you have grown and what you have learned throughout this program. Reflect on what you believe with regard to the importance of giving children healthy starts in life, the role of the family in this process, the impact and importance of cultural responsiveness, healthy brain, physical, and cognitive development, strong mental health and socio-emotional development, and developmentally appropriate practice. Bring to mind all of the influences on children’s healthy development—significant adults, parents and other family members, quality educational programs, supportive community and public policies, and quality health care and nutrition. Think about what you learned from the informational interviews you conducted in the Project Assignment and how they have shaped your vision for your professional future.

Next, identify one job in the field that appeals to you and that you truly can see yourself pursuing in the future. (This may be the same job you select as part of the Project Assignment in Weeks 2 and 3.)

Note: As you will learn more about next week, networking is an effective way to learn more about jobs and expand and deepen your thinking. Participating in the Discussions in this course is a form of networking. Deriving inspiration and gathering insights from your colleagues through the Discussion process may inform your thinking and enhance your Project Assignments.

By Wednesday:

Post: the profession you have chosen and an explanation of how this position aligns with your philosophy of child development, principles of effective practice with children and/or adolescents, and methods of working with young people and their families. Be sure to cite information from the program’s Learning Resources to support your thinking.

By Sunday:

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. As you read their responses, note those to which you would like to respond with advice, questions, comments, and/or encouragement.

Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in any of the following ways:

• Build on something your colleague said.
• Explain why and how you see things differently.
• Ask a probing or clarifying question.
• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Validate an idea with your own experience.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.
• Ask for evidence that supports the posting.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Consider what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.