Discussion Prompt - Beginning Reflections... Who are you and why are you here?
Preamble: Most of us have entered the field of Early Childhood Education and Care with similar interests to make a difference in the lives of the children and families in our care. Each of us is in the process of our own professional journey and although we probably share similar reasons for entering the field of ECE, each of us has a unique story to tell about how we got here and where we are heading in terms of our professional development.
Creatively share (draw, paint, etc) your journey and share here in a picture format. Think about how you might demonstrate or illustrate some of your responses to the guiding questions below.
Once posted, find someone with similar thoughts/images to your own and someone with differing thoughts/images to your own. Comment on what stood out to you from their responses to the below questions. What do you wonder more about?
The following questions will help guide your creative reflection:
· What beliefs, values, etc. led me to enter the field of ECEC?
· What characteristics do I have that make me an asset to the field?
· What have I done in my life (experiences) that have contributed to my journey?
· Who has helped me get to where I am?
· What are the skills and attributes I hope to attain?
· Where am I headed or what is my goal in this field?
>>I teach Early Childhood Education and Care, and our students engage in lots of critical thinking, self-reflection, and collaborative discussions to help us unpack and dive deeply into who we are as Educators, why we do what we do, and how we can continue to hold quality care and education as our foundation for advocacy. This discussion prompt is to help students connect with one another at the beginning of the course. This is also a set up for one of their assignments where they share their learning and wonderings individually.