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Tuesday 4:00 PM – 5:20 PM
Ritter Hall 207
Teaching & Learning Department
Education 2082 sect. 013 / CRN 25763
Career Strategies & Pathways for Educators
Instructor:
Jason B. Bozzone, M.A.
Assistant Dean for Career and Student Development & Special Events
Ritter Hall 240
Phone: 215.204.8093 / Fax: 215.204.5662
Cell: 215.620.2554 (Call or text up until 8pm)
Email: bozzone@temple.edu
Office Hours: By Appointment
View My LinkedIn Profile
Start date:
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 (nine week course)
Course Required Textbook:
Rath, T. (2007). Strengths finder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press. (180 Pages)
 The text will assist in measuring the presence of 34 talent themes. Talents are people's naturally recurring patterns
of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied. The more dominant a theme is in a person, the
greater the theme's impact on that person's behavior and performance. The text will coincide with career
development learning objectives
 Supplemental materials (articles, videos, and journals)
Prerequisites or Co-Requisites:
Open to any Temple University student with a sincere interest to engage themselves in a broad range of education related
career development fields, including researching about educational trends, forecasting career opportunities, and building
your brand in education to be a competitive and productive educator in your field.
Course Description:
This course is designed to assist students interested in educated related careers to develop career competencies that will
prepare them to strategize a successful transition from college life to the professional workplace and/or
graduate/professional school. This course aims to accommodate students at different levels of decidedness to become
career ready. Emphasis is placed on tactics to find employment and the development of tools and techniques necessary to
reach occupation goals within educated related fields. The topics in this seminar will initiate short and long term career
and personal goals.
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Topics in this seminar will include:
1. Personal & Professional Development: (Career Concepts, Skills, and Applications) –
focusing on self-exploration and self-assessment, occupational exploration in education, professional/personal
values and interests, interviewing techniques, resume/cover letter design, developing a social media presence,
skill development and decision-making;
2. Industry Awareness: (Conditions Affecting Career Development within Education)Focusing on trends in education while forecasting opportunities, exploring the labor market, financial literacy,
career pathways in education, the educational environment, and examining their education philosophy.
3. Implementing a Strategic Career PlanFocusing on employability skills and strategies for implementing career/academic development plans. Develop an
understanding of the workplace, industry, and career options. This includes networking effectively using social
media, navigating the job search process, investigating and identifying their marketability and brand in education.
In this seminar students will be able to:
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Develop a plan of short and long term goals leading to career promotion, credential, advanced certificate or
degree.
Participate in learning-centered activities and experiences to become familiar with career planning and apply this
knowledge to their own
Assess and understand how their personal characteristics, e.g., interests, values, and skills, influence career
development and opportunities;
Conduct employer research and networking strategies to improve marketability of oneself and employment
opportunities.
Develop an understanding of what comprises a comprehensive job search strategy.
Identify appropriate occupational alternatives in relation to educated related field aligned with their personal
characteristics;
Learn about and use a variety of information resources.
Identify competencies sought by employers in educated related fields.
Learn about and use job hunting skills needed for employment;
Acquire knowledge of current workplace issues and professional expectations.
Demonstrate an understanding of a Professional Appearance aligned to appropriate online presence.
Formulate action plans and strategies for moving oneself toward implementation of career goals.
Explain why career decision-making is a lifelong process.
POLICIES
Registration Policy
Registration for courses is not optional, and students must not attend courses for which they are not registered. Once a
student registers for a course--or is registered by an advisor at the student's request--the student remains financially
obligated for the course unless and until he or she drops the course by the prescribed deadlines for dropping and adding
courses which our posted on the Office of the University Registrar’s website. Students may drop courses and otherwise
modify their registrations in Self-Service Banner (SSB) or by working with an academic advisor.
You can visit
www.temple.edu/registrar to obtain the add/drop and withdrawal deadlines for each semester and summer session.
Temple University ‘s Student Code of Conduct:
Students will be held accountable through the University’s Code of Conduct.
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Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities Policy:
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has a policy on
Student and Faculty and Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy #03.70.02) which can be accessed on the website.
More information can also be found on the undergraduate bulletin.
Disability Disclosure Statement:
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss
the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to
coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. You must have documentation from
Disability services to receive accommodations- this should be presented to me well in advance not after assignments have
been completed.
Sustainable Printing
The College of Education supports Temple University’s efforts to create a sustainable environment. To conserve paper, we
ask that you print only when necessary. When you must print assignments, notes, handouts, or other class materials, we
ask that you print on both sides of the paper. Each printer in the Ritter Hall computer labs is equipped with a two-sided
printing capability. Please see the computer lab staff for assistance with printing on both sides. Also, all assignments shall
be printed on both sides unless otherwise specified.
Academic Honesty and Integrity
Any student who plagiarizes or cheats on any assignment or exam in this class will automatically receive a failing grade
FOR THE CLASS, along with university disciplinary action. Please refer to the Temple University Student Handbook for a
full description of academic dishonesty.
Appeal of Academic Decisions:
It is in the best interest of the College to foster a spirit of justice and fairness among students, faculty, and administrators.
Toward this end, the College has established a system of appeals. This system is intended to afford students an adequate
opportunity to appeal academic decisions or academic actions of faculty, administrators, or other College employees on
either procedural or substantive grounds. If you would like to appeal an academic decision you should consult the policy
and the College's ombudsperson (education.ombudsperson@temple.edu). Appeals of academic decisions must begin
with the ombudsperson and should not be directed to the College's administration.
Instructor’s Learning Philosophy
What you can expect from me:
 Appreciation of student interests and experiences: I understand that each student is coming to this class with different
experiences and knowledge. It is my expectation that these diverse backgrounds will contribute to how each student
will feel about each of the topics we will discuss.
 Constructive feedback: The best way to improve your writing is by receiving feedback. I will emphasize the importance
of performance feedback throughout this course by providing comments on your assignments and an opportunity to
engage in peer-review editing. I will make every effort to grade and provide feedback on assignments quickly. If you
use my feedback to help you strengthen your next assignment, you greatly improve your chances of getting a high
grade.
 Fair grading standards: I will provide a grading rubric for each of the major writing assignments and in-class
presentations outlining my expectations. Students may come to me with questions if they do not understand why they
received the grade they did.
 Purposefulness: I have a reason for asking you to complete every assignment, including all readings, viewings, written
assignments, and presentations. I do not assign work for no reason. If you are unclear about why I have asked you to
do something, come ask me after class or during office hours, and I will explain.
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Facilitation of discussions: This course will not follow a lecture format. As the instructor, my role is to facilitate
discussion and help students to integrate the readings and videos into their growing understanding of adolescence.
This course will provide a seminar atmosphere.
Availability: I will be available to discuss questions before/after class or by appointment. I will also respond to email
on a regular basis. However, I may take up to 24 hours to respond to an email, so do not leave questions about an
assignment for the night before it is due.
WHAT I EXPECT FROM YOU…
Class Attendance & Lateness
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Attendance & Punctuality: Students are expected to arrive on time to class and stay until class is dismissed.
Students who arrive late to class or leave early will lose attendance points for the day.
o If you know you’re going to be late or need to leave due to public transportation or student teaching I
more than willing to make arrangements with you. Please inform me in the first week of class.
o The course is offered over 9 Tuesdays, thus your attendance is important. Should you miss (3) courses
you will fail the course. However, arrangements can be made to make those classes up if the class absence
constitutes an emergency.
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Emergencies: If you are sick please contact the instructor prior to class not after. Just like any career, you need to
call out ahead of time not after. Emergencies due occur (i.e. medical, death, childcare) the instructor will have
discretion on what constitutes an emergency. I am very reasonable; however, please note that not attending class
because you have other projects or assignments for another course is not an acceptable excuse. Physician
documentation may be asked of a student.
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Preparation: The benefits that students derive from the course are directly proportionate to the amount of time,
energy, work, and involvement invested in the course. We have high standards and encourage students to work
hard to meet them. The assignments will help you understand and discuss topics related to career readiness.
Students are expected to complete assignments prior to the class time.
Assignments and Contributions
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Assignments should be turned in on time. If students fail to do so, I will deduct points per day which will be factored
in your overall grade of the assignment. Treat this as any career. Many employers would not be so forgiving in the
real world when their staff is not upfront and honest.
o After three (3) days of late work, the assignment will result in a zero. (If your assignment is one day late
points will be deducted from A to B, two days B to C, three days C to D, after three days a zero).
It is expected that you complete each assignment on time. The exception to this is if you request prior to the due
date, for an extension, which I will decide whether or not to grant on a case-by-case basis.
Active Participation: should not solely be equated with “talking a lot”. It involves the following: supportive
listening; respectful and thoughtful responses to your classmates and me; the ability to engage in respectful
disagreement; asking helpful questions; and showing a willingness to share ideas and perspectives. Our collective
goal should be balanced participation and engagement, not discourse dominated by a small group of the most
talkative (or forceful) members. Please do your part to help us reach this goal. Finally, each student has a different
background and active participation enhances the learning of all members of the class. Self-disclosure is
encouraged and necessary, and all personal information shared in class will remain confidential.
Likewise, we are relying on one another to create and sustain a vibrant and active learning community. Therefore,
your participation in class will be required. Sign in sheets will be distributed randomly; however, the instructor will
make note to student’s added value to course discussion and activities which will impact your class contribution
grade.
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Controversial Subject Matter
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This class will be discussing subject matter that some students may consider controversial. Some students may
find some of the readings and/or comments in class or in discussion conducted through a Blackboard forum very
challenging. Our purpose in this class is to explore this subject matter deeply and consider multiple perspectives
and arguments. Students are expected to listen to the instructor and to one another respectfully; but of course,
are free to disagree, respectfully, with views expressed in class, in electronic discussions through Blackboard, or in
readings. Students are expected to practice professionalism at all times and adhere to Temple University’s Student
Code of Conduct.
Other Administrative Details/Procedural Guidelines
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Deadline violations disrupt the progress of the course, so please ensure that you comply with all deadlines. You
will receive reminders in class and on blackboard via the announcements.
I will be happy to discuss the course, your progress, and your contributions in the class, or any other matters of
interest with you, on an individual basis. Like all of our faculty, I too believe in continuous improvement of the
course and my teaching, so please feel free to provide constructive comments.
Policy on Religious Holidays: If you will be observing any religious holidays this semester which will prevent you
from attending a regularly scheduled class or interfere with fulfilling any course requirement, I will offer you an
opportunity to make up the class or course requirement if you make arrangements by informing me of the dates
of your religious holidays at the beginning of the semester (or three days before any holidays which fall within the
first two weeks of class). Be cognizant that we are only together over nine meetings.
As the instructor, I reserve the right to edit, change, rethink, and otherwise modify the content of this syllabus as
deemed necessary and appropriate to promote student learning, development and growth. However, any changes
in the syllabus will be immediately communicated with students and opportunity for student feedback will be
provided.
We will certainly find dissimilar viewpoints within the class, perhaps even passionately held. Keeping in mind that
we come from a broad range of backgrounds, each with unique experiences, we are expected to conduct our
discussions, “live classroom” setting or the discussion board, with kindness and respect. We need not hide our
beliefs, but should please express them with humility and a willingness to learn from one another.
Academic Requirements
Final grades will be based on the total points earned at the end of the semester. The various components that will be used
to compute the final grade are described below:
Self-Exploration and Assessment
1. Strength Finder 2.0 Assessment
2. Focus 2:
- Career readiness Section (Complete and bring to class)
- Self-Assessment Section (Complete all assessments)
- Explore Possibilities Section (Will review in class)
- Create A Plan to Achieve Your Objectives (Complete and Bring to Class)
- Career Portfolio (Print and Bring to Class)
3. Autobiography Reflection paper
4. Philosophy of Education
Implementing a Strategic Plan
5. Develop LinkedIn Account
- Professional Picture
- Dress to Impress
6. Resume & Cover Letter
7. Elevator Speech
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Industry Awareness
8. Industry Group Research
9. Career Topics- Best Practices Advice through LinkedIn Connections
10. Develop Your Owlnetwork Account
Autobiography Reflection Paper
Using the Strength Finder 2.0 and Focus 2 assessments, imagine you are preparing for an interview about a
Job/Internship/Study Abroad/Graduate School application. You can be sure the interviewer will ask you about your
strengths and background on how it has influenced your goals. The purpose of this assignment is to help you gather your
thoughts and prepare for the interview. While this is a reflective paper, be sure to review spelling, grammar, punctuation
and clear-thought. This paper should be a minimum of 3 pages double spaced. You can expand upon each topic as much
as you want. The time you spend on this assignment will payoff in numerous ways in the future assignments. Allow these
questions to guide your thoughts:
1. As you read your personalized strengths insights, what words, phrases, or lines stand out to you? Why?
2. Out of all the talents identified in the Strength Finder 2.0 insights, what would you like for others to see most in
you?
3. Which of these action items speak to you? Highlight the actions that you are most likely to take.
4. How will you commit to taking action? Write your own personalized action item that you will take in the next 30
days. (Personal and/or Professional)
5. Share your strengths with a friend/family member/coworker to hear how they perceive your talents related to
your success. What was their response? Same? Different?
6. How will you use your talents to achieve?
Philosophy of Education
It is important to be aware of your own educational philosophy since it helps you focus on why you make the decisions that
you make when you plan for your lessons and implement these lessons. Through the writing of your own philosophy, you
will see more clearly your own goals and values. Your Educational Philosophy is a description of your goals and beliefs as a
future educator. There really is no such thing as "the" philosophy; our philosophies are a reflection of our own beliefs,
experiences and training. Your philosophy is a statement of PERSONAL beliefs and how these will be put into action in your
career - the philosophy is not a theoretical essay on education; but an action plan for you. It is often used by administrators
to judge whether the applicant is the "kind of educator that I want working in my organization.” This should be a 2 page
paper double spaced.
The Elevator Speech
Reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately
60-90 seconds and is widely credited to Ilene Rosenzweig and Michael Caruso (while he was Editor for Vanity Fair) for its
origin. The term itself comes from a scenario of an accidental meeting with someone important in the elevator. If the
conversation inside the elevator in those few seconds is interesting and value adding, the conversation will continue after
the elevator ride or end in exchange of a follow up meeting/connection. Utilizing your Philosophy of Education, Strength
Finder 2.0, Focus 2, and Autobiography- student will create a 60-90 second elevator speech in which they will present in
class. You will be critiqued by the professor and peers.
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Resume & Cover Letter
You will prepare a professional résumé and cover letter. In order to demonstrate your ability to tailor your résumé to
specific job postings, you will create the résumé and cover letter in response to a particular job description. You will find
a job posting for a position in the field you plan to pursue. You will utilize the College of Education’s Career and Student
Development website, LinkedIn or Owlnetwork to identify job posting.
Students will schedule a coaching session with the university career center to conduct a resume and cover letter review
before submitting your final resume and cover letter. You MUST have your cover letter and resume reviewed by a career
coach before submitting the assignment!
Industry Group Research
This project will allow you and your group members (assigned via strength finder results) to find trends in education while
forecasting the job outlook through exploration of the labor market, locations of high need for positions, reviewing earnings
related to job skills and areas of study to become more marketable, understanding working conditions, You will set up an
informational interview with a professional in the field your group selects. You will prepare interview questions and conduct
the interview preferably in person or secondary online via LinkedIn or email. Additionally, you will be required to conduct
research in your selected field and report your findings in a Power Point presentation.
The Action Plan
While using Focus 2, you will develop an action plan for your remaining years/semester you have at Temple through the
process of coordinating your job search.
1) This plan will include semester(s) grids that will list what you need to accomplish academically and extra-curricular
which are aligned with goals and objectives (related to your career aspiration).
2) You will describe how the following will play a positive impact that will leverage your marketability in your profession
a) internships/practical experience opportunities available
b) Potential student/professional groups you could join
c) Skills you need to learn through your courses
d) certifications/exams/other criteria to advance
Also, indicate how you will start gathering references for future employment. If graduate school is part of your plan,
indicate what exams will be needed and when, who you will acquire letters of recommendation from and where you will
apply.
Career Topics
Once you have created your LinkedIn profile, you will identify a professional colleagues in which you want to establish a
new or closer professional relationship that you can add to your 1 st degree network. Students will be evaluated on the
introduction message to professionals in a specific area of employment that will help advance your marketability for
potential positions within your primary and secondary fields/course of study.
Create an Owlnetwork Account
Students will create an Owlnetwork account that will include the upload of their resume, cover letter, clearances. They
will also join specific communities related to the educational industry they seek career opportunities.
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Contribution to Class Learning
This course carries a heavy focus on classroom discussion and assigned readings/viewings. Given the discussion-oriented
nature and activity based setting of this course, your participation is essential to the depth and breadth of the classroom
experience. The value added to class discussion depends on both the quality and quantity of your contribution. The
instructor will evaluate your thought provoking answers, questions, ideas, and philosophy of education each class session.
Some tips follow:
1. Be Here! Plan to attend every class session. If any scheduling conflicts arise, please contact me so that alternate
arrangements can be made. Be focused mentally and if need be take a 5 hour energy drink!
2. Be Prepared. Plan to arrive prepared for each session.
3. Be a Good Citizen. Learning is in part a collective enterprise. You are therefore asked to exhibit professional and
personal courtesies towards your classmates. This is great practice for the real world experience! Adherence to
the following norms will ensure an atmosphere that is most conducive to learning:
a. Please use the time in class constructively to contribute your points relevant to the understanding of the
readings/lectures/case materials. This can include (but is not limited to) posing meaningful questions and
providing salient examples from your own experience.
b. Please ensure that the comments that you provide help to keep the discussion moving forward and are
not tangential. This means that simply saying things to secure “air time” or just to “say things to say things”
that doesn’t demonstrate a connection to the readings will not be viewed favorably (i.e., such behavior
will be counted as negative class participation); rather, it is the quality of the comments as opposed to
quantity that are most important.
c. Please carry on in a positive, professional manner. I will be sure to point out in a constructive manner any
comments that may be questionable or wrong and will ask you to do the same.
d. Please adhere to the standards of conduct in Temple University’s Student Code of Conduct.
e. Please turn cell phones onto vibrate and devote laptop usage for coursework only.
The following criteria1 will be used for evaluating class participation:
Outstanding Contributor: Contributions in class reflect exceptional preparation. Ideas offered are always substantive;
provide one or more major insights as well as direction for the class. Challenges are well substantiated, persuasive, and
respectful. If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished markedly.
Good Contributor: Contributions in class reflect thorough preparation. Ideas offered are usually substantive; provide
good insights and sometimes direction for the class. Challenges are often well substantiated, persuasive, and
respectful. If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished.
Adequate Contributor: Contributions in class reflect satisfactory preparation. Ideas offered are sometimes
substantive, provide generally useful insights but seldom offer a new direction for the discussion. Challenges are
sometimes presented, fairly well substantiated as well as sometimes persuasive and respectful. If this person were not
a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished somewhat.
Non-Participant: This person says little or nothing in class. Hence, there is not an adequate basis for evaluation.
If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would not be changed.
Unsatisfactory Contributor: Contributions in class reflect inadequate preparation or ignorance of others’ opinions.
Ideas offered are seldom substantive; provide few if any insights and never a constructive direction for the class.
Integrative comments and effective challenges are absent. If this person were not a member of the class, valuable
airtime would be saved.
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These guidelines were adapted from the web site of Prof. John Tyler of Brown University's Department of Education.
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Final Grading Formula
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Percent
10 out of 10 completed
exceptionally
9 out of 10 completed
minor corrections
8 out of 10 completed
exceptionally
8 out of 10 completed
Minor corrections
8 out of 10 completed
Major corrections
7 out of 10 completed
exceptionally
7 out of 10 completed
Minor corrections
7 out of 10 completed
Major corrections
6 out of 10 completed
exceptionally
6 out of 10 completed
Minor corrections
6 out of 10 completed
Major corrections
5 out of 10 completed or
Missing 3 classes