Prior to beginning work on this assignment, please read the following:

• Chapter 1: History, Theory, and Applied Directions
• Coffee Date With Piaget (Johnson, 2017)
• Children and Their Basic Needs (Prince & Howard, 2002)
• Montessori Method (Holfester, 2017)
  • Review job postings and find one that you would like to apply for someday. You can find these on Indeed (Links to an external site.), Monster (Links to an external site.), or LinkedIn (Links to an external site.).

We’ve all heard the question, “If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be?” When asked that question, does a theorist immediately pop into your mind? We have more in common with theorists than you might think. For instance, have you ever championed for those less fortunate than you? Bronfenbrenner saw injustice in the way governmental policy overlooked poverty-stricken families, which prompted him to co-found Head Start. Have you ever taken a video of a child? Arnold Gesell was a pioneer in using motion pictures to document developmental milestones. For this assignment, you are to plan a coffee date with a theorist. The goal of this assignment is to let you know that theorists are not outdated, obsolete figures. In fact, theorists have a lot in common with you and your classmates. This assignment gives you a chance to talk with a theorist about your own ideas and future career goals.

Instructions

Complete the following:

• Choose one of these theorists to use for this assignment: Bronfenbrenner, Gesell, Montessori, Maslow, Bowlby, Erikson, Skinner, Bandura, or Vygotsky.
• Refer to the Week 1 Instructor Guidance for further tips and examples that will support your success with this assignment.
• Review and download the Coffee Date with Your Favorite Theorist Paper Template.
• Review and download the Career Information Example.

In your paper,

• Include the name of the theorist you chose.
• Summarize the theory of your chosen theorist (the introduction should be one paragraph)
• Explain why you chose this theorist.
  • What is it about this theorist that excites you, draws you to, or relates you to this theorist?
• Discuss three topics that you will bring up during your coffee date.
  • Include the following career information in your paper (View the Career Information Example for guidance on how to write this section of your paper):
  • Identify a job posting within your area that you would like to apply for one day.
  • Provide a link so your selected theorist can review the job description.
  • Explain to your chosen theorist why you would be a great candidate for that role, based on the information in the job posting.
  • Discuss what you are working on to ensure you meet the qualifications upon graduation (or shortly after).
  • Discuss what you think the theorist’s career advice would be surrounding your experience and the position you are seeking.
• Cite information from this week’s readings (at least one source).
• Summarize the main points of your paper (the conclusion should be one paragraph).

The Coffee Date with Your Favorite Theorist paper:

• Must be three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Style (Links to an external site.)
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted

For further assistance with the formatting and the title page, refer to APA Formatting for Word 2013 (Links to an external site.).

• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
• Must use at least one of this week’s required readings.
• Must document any information used from the course readings in APA style
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style