In Social studies we have been looking at Careers and what we want to do when we leave school. I decided to do an Inquiry on Early Childhood Education (ECE) I have always wanted to be a teacher, and only recently I thought about ECE. I want to do ECE because I think I would be good at it, and I'm good with little kids. (it used to be because I like being in control =) )
When completing your Career Plan Booklet you are given the opportunity to investigate a career that interests you.
You will research your chosen career and present your information as a Google Doc Report
You should provide the following information about your job, a good source of information is the
Provide a one paragraph written overview / summary of your job.
Early childhood teachers educate and care for young children in kindergartens, kōhanga reo or childcare centres. they teach via play and hands on things. they do what a parent does and more, so yes they change nappies, wip bottoms after going to the toilet, things like that. They monitor the child's learning and then tell the parents. they hang out and play with the kids
What are the working conditions like?
35-40 hour weeks, work indoor and out, may take the children on trips to places like the mussum,
What skills and knowledge are required for this career?
different teaching methods and learning styles
Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
how to plan lessons and evaluate childrens' progress
behaviour management techniques, such as establishing boundaries and rewarding positive behaviour
safety and emergency procedures
food preparation and hygiene
child learning and development, and early literacy and numeracy.
What are the personal qualities that you require to do this job?
skilled at communicating clearly with children and adults from a range of backgrounds and cultures
organised, and good at solving problems quickly
enthusiastic, open-minded and able to motivate children
creative and adaptable
able to work well under pressure
firm and fair, with a sense of humour
able to work well in a team
committed to the kōhanga reo kaupapa (Māori language nest concept), if working in kōhanga reo.
What are the key tasks that you will do in this job?
educate and care for babies and children
help prepare meals, clean and tidy up, give medicines and change nappies
plan daily programmes, learning experiences and routines for children
make or adapt learning resources
implement Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum
assess and record the learning and development of each child
discuss children's progress with their parents or caregivers, whānau and other education professionals
run workshops for parents, caregivers and whānau
attend social gatherings and hui
prepare budgets, order supplies, and help manage the centre.
How much will you earn? Salary? And what are the work hours like?
Graduate early childhood teachers usually start on about $45,000 to $71,000 a year.
Assistant head early childhood teachers usually earn $71,000 to $74,000.
Head early childhood teachers who are responsible for staff can earn $74,000 to $80,000.
Senior early childhood teachers who run centres or services can earn $74,000 to $98,000.
What training and education is required for this career? How long does the training take and cost?
3-4 years training. cost $5,755.00 at University of Otago
What pre-requisites are there to get into the training course?
Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) or a Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education).
What subjects will you need to study in school to prepare you for this career?
Useful subjects include health education, home economics, music, dance and drama, painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking combined and te reo Māori.
Add in an image / photo / picture that relates to your job
FQ 2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of your job
Identify the positive, negative and interesting aspects about your chosen job by completing a PMI Chart
Positive - Hanging out with the little kids - seeing age milestone (Walking, talking etc)
Minus - Mentally and physically taxing
Interesting
FQ 3: What does someone in this job have to say about it?
Find someone who does this job and conduct an interview and include their responses. You can also add your own questions which are more specific to your career inquiry. (if you have trouble finding someone, come and discuss this with your teacher).
Ask them these interview questions – over the phone, email or in person – and record the questions and answers in your notes.
Don’t have anyone to ask/anyway to see people's responses, so can’t answer
What is your occupation?
What is your current job title?
How long have you been working in your present job?
How many jobs have you had in your life? What were they like?
Have any of the following factors affected your work life, and if so, how?
Changing technology?
Layoffs or cutbacks?
Changes in the economy?
Working from a home-based office?
Travelling or moving?
Having a family?
Other Factors?
Can you think of any other ways the world of work has changed since you first started working?
Have you ever had to retrain? If so, in what field? Why?
Have you ever had to relocate to find work? Why?
When it comes to finding and keeping a job, do you think education is more or less important than it used to be?
What advice would you give to help young people prepare to enter the workforce?
See if you can draw up a work line for them, starting at when they left school.
It should show the length of training, length and names of jobs, something like this:
Reflecting
Once you have completed your interview, think about your persons responses and write a quick summary discussing the following points:
Has technology impacted on their job? If so, how?
Was there anything discussed that surprised you?
How do you think their working experience will differ from your own?
FQ 4: Evaluating your Job – the what and why you are interested in this career
You need to answer these questions and you are expected to write a paragraph for each.
Why do you think this job is important, what values does it promote? I don’t know. It’s important for kids to learn and grow and the EC teachers are here to help that. I really don’t know
Why have you chosen this career to investigate? I think it may be fun, and I think I would be good at it
What qualities and skills do you already have that suit this career? I help in the Creche in church other than that not much
What qualities and skills do you need to develop for this career? a way to control my temper, and get more patients. and to be better at faking my emotions, in other words a lot.
The job market is competitive, what can you do now or in the near future to out-compete others for this job? I have no idea.Make a good Cv?
I think this job is important because kids need to learn and grow, and ECE helps with that. I have chosen this career because I think I would find it fun and I think I would be good at it. I have experience from helping in Creche at church, but other than that I don’t have any skills and/or qualities already. I will however have to learn to control my temper, and get more patients. I would also have to learn to better fake my emotions. I’m not sure how I will out-compete the others looking into this job but I will try my best anyway
FQ 5: What were your sources of Information – bibliography
Include a bibliography which lists the details in full of the different sources of information used. If you are unsure how to set out your bibliography, check the Library webpage.
https://www.careers.govt.nz/jobs-database/education-and-social-sciences/education/early-childhood-teacher-kaiako/https://www.otago.ac.nz/study/fees/index.html
FQ 6: Reflecting on the Research Process
What worked / went well for you during the research?
Having the website there with answers,
What have you found challenging during the research?
I don’t know.
How did you try to overcome these challenges?
Well if I don’t know the challenges, how can I overcome them?*
If you were to do this again what would you do differently and why?
I would possibly do counseling instead? I don’t know. But then again, when do I ever?
Career Investigation Success Criteria
All requirements have been meet to a high standard, including a comprehensive bibliography. A wide range of information has been provided and the presentation has real impact.
Level 5A
All requirements have been meet to a good standard. A bibliography has been included. Information provided is relevant and presentation is neat and tidy
Level 5P
Most of the work has been completed to a reasonable standard and most of the requirements have been covered. A bibliography has been included.
Level 5B
Minimum requirement for Level Five are not meet The work is not presented clearly, lacking organisation or style and information is at a very basic level.
Level 4A
