This book supports the development of academic, personal, and professional skills for students of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). It aims to demystify aspects of learning and writing practices and can be used by students as a practical resource to enhance their engagement with education and to support their success on their programmes. The book guides students in a range of areas to help their academic development including study techniques, time management, managing groupwork, understanding assessment requirements, academic writing and how to work effectively within a digital learning environment. In addition, the book features a strong personal and professional development dimension which enables readers to engage in a process of self-inquiry as part of their learning. This self-inquiry is important to understanding assumptions about learning and can help students to explore their prior educational experiences and to identify their particular motivations and challenges. The book extends this self-inquiry to support the development of reflective practice which is key to enhancing students' learning and to enabling the ongoing professional development and practice of the ECEC educator.

While many ECEC undergraduate programmes offer academic guidance to students, there is a gap for a more embedded academic support which is discipline specific and therefore more closely attuned to the needs of the ECEC student and the emerging needs of the sector. In addition to providing a resource for students and practitioners, this book can also serve as a useful resource for lecturers in the ECEC discipline. Its accompanying site contains downloadable templates from the book which provide a range of activities and prompts suitable for engaging students in thinking about their learning and writing about their professional practice.

Dr Ita Kennelly is a Programme Director and Lecturer in Education at the National College of Ireland (NCI). She works extensively in curriculum development including national projects designed to increase participation and access to education. She has been involved in teaching and supervising students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and has research interests in academic writing, curriculum development and reflective practice. She is particularly interested in supporting students to achieve their potential in education and has been involved in developing a range of academic support modules including an academic foundations module tailored to students in the Early Childhood Education and Care sector.

Meera Oke is an International higher education Associate Professor in Early Childhood Education and Care. She has been leading in designing courses to train and upskill Early Childhood Educator workforce. With an MSc in Child Development and Family Studies and a PhD in Human Development from India, Meera now holds the position of Academic and Programme Director Early Childhood Education & Care Programmes at Centre for Education and Lifelong Learning at National College of Ireland, Dublin. Her practice-based research interests and publications are in the areas of play, early childhood, wellbeing of early childhood educators, reflective practice and adoption.

Part 1.Introduction.- 1.Context of Early Childhood Education and Care.- 2.Why this Book and How to use it Well.- Part 2.Self-Inquiry And Tuning In: Self-Awareness, Motivation And Personal Development.- 3. Self-Awareness for Learning.- 4.Motivation for Learning.- 5.Self-Efficacy: Believing and Achieving.- 6.Growth Mindset: How Perspective can Shape Learning Experience.- 7.Thriving as Student and Educator: Fostering Wellbeing and Resilience.- 8.Goal Setting for Learning.- 9.Self-Inquiry and Learning Superpowers: Two Takeaways.- Part 3.Developing Reflective Practice.- 10.What Reflection is About.- 11.Definitions and Models of Reflection.- 12.Working and Writing Reflectively.- Part 4.Academic Skills To Establish Good Learning Practice.- 12.A Space for Learning.- 13.Time for Learning.- 14.TURNING UP: A Student Approach to Active Learning.- 15.Taking Note of Notetaking.- 16.Reading yourself into the Field of ECEC.- 17.Groupwork that Works.- 18.All about Assessment.- Part 5.Becoming A Writer With Something To Say.- 19.Writing Woes and the Writing Process (Introduction to section) .- 20.Stage 1 Understanding the Brief.- 21.Stage 2 Writing for Thinking and Ideas - Brainstorming.- 22.Stage 3 Drafting & Building your Argument.- 23.Stage 4 Revising for Structure and Key Points.- 24.Stage 5 Tidying up for Submission: Editing and Proofreading.- 25.Writing with Integrity.- 26.Top Tips for Improving your Academic Writing.- Part 6.Diving Into The Digital World - Awareness And Learning For The Ecec Student And Practitioner.- 27. Developing Digital Competencies.- 28.Digital Awareness and Learning for the ECEC Student.- 29.Digital Awareness and Learning for the ECEC Practitioner.- 30.Concluding Remarks & Reflections.