The purpose of this journal is to help you reflect on course topics in preparation for your final project.
In your final project, you will be creating a presentation focused on your plan to advocate for a selected topic of your interest, including the strategies you would create within the three arenas of advocacy (Personal, Private and Public).
For example, if your interest is in the topic of family and community engagement, what would you advocate for, regarding family and community engagement? Would it be more awareness of their importance for families in your own classroom (Personal Arena)? Would it be to connect and partner with local organizations that support families so that the families in your program could have access to these services (Private arena)? Would it be to increase funding to support this type of engagement (Public arena)?
Keep this in the back of your mind as you reflect and write this week’s journal entry. To read more about the three arenas for advocacy, you can look at chapter 18 in your text.
In a journal entry of at least two pages reflect on the following in three separate sections. Each section should be a separate paragraph.
Section ONE: Say what you personally identify as a great challenge to the field of early childhood education. Be sure to give an example illustrating why this is a challenge.
Section TWO: Say how this challenge relates to the Standard you chose to learn more about in week two. Use information from your interview about to describe how this challenge impacts children and families, and/or you and the work you will be doing (or are doing) on behalf of children and their families.
Section THREE: Think about and then describe which of the three arenas described in chapter 18 of the text (Personal, Private, or Public) you can see yourself becoming an advocate for this challenge. Within that arena what do you do you think you will be able to personally to do to make a difference? How will a deeper understanding of the Standard you chose in week two will help you to be a more effective advocate in this area?
While your journal is an informal, reflective piece it still requires citations and the use of APA format to back up your thoughts and opinions, as appropriate.