| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Educational Leadership in Early Childhood |
| Unit ID: | EDMAS6059 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | (EDMAS6034) |
| ASCED: | 070101 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This course is designed to allow Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) to explore the concept of ethical leadership in early childhood settings. PSTs will compare historical and contemporary perspectives as they relate to leadership in early education settings. Legislative, management and administrative requirements will be examined as PSTs develop a professional identity as educational leaders. PSTs will come to understand the role of advocacy, change management, research, and reflective practice in the continual improvement of practices and service provision and the development of positive family and community partnerships. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: No |
| Supplementary Assessment: |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | | |  | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Analyse the complex role of educational leader, including management and administrative requirements in the provision of culturally sensitive and appropriate high-quality services for children, families, and their communities |
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| K2. | Apply leadership theories, both historical and contemporary and understand the impact of these on the development of their professional identity and ethical professional practice |
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| K3. | Evaluate the role of National, State and Local policy, including ECA Code of Ethics, current curricula frameworks, regulatory requirements, in quality service provision |
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| K4. | Use research and advocacy in evaluating and improving early childhood settings |
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| K5. | Understand the importance of developing family and community partnerships and the implications of these on wellbeing, especially as children move to, from and between early education contexts, including early intervention services |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Recognise challenges that occur when working with stakeholders – children, families, staff, and communities, including marginalised groups and early intervention services |
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| S2. | Implement effective strategies for decision-making, change management, communication and advocacy within early childhood services when working with children, families, staff, and communities |
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| S3. | Understand transitions for families, including those from diverse backgrounds and help build effective learning communities |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Reflect on leadership approaches and the impact of these on professional identity and ethical practice |
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| A2. | Analyse policies to identify the impact of policy on service provision and workplaces |
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| A3. | Develop plans for collaborating with staff and other stakeholders – children, families, communities to improve service provision |
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| Unit Content: |
• Leadership and management theory as they relate to early childhood contexts as human service organisations
• Administration, management of services for children, families, and communities
• Interpersonal skills
• Building and leading a team
• Understanding and analysing policy in social, cultural, and educational contexts
• Advocating for the provision of quality educational services for children prior to school
• Advocating for and supporting children, and families with sensitivity to sociocultural contexts and children and families with additional needs and support requirements
• ECA Code of Ethics, International Conventions on the Rights of the Child, current curricula, and regulatory frameworks
• Roles of the leader such as decision-making, initiating and implementing change, ethical leadership, conflict resolution, recruitment, and induction of staff, recognising and coping with ethical dilemmas, understanding confidentiality and legislative requirements and policy
• Examining issues of discrimination, prejudice, and approaches to advocacy on behalf of disempowered groups in terms of culture, social class, gender, and sexual orientation |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | Learning outcomes
(KSA) | Assessment task
(AT#) | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students at this level will demonstrate an advanced ability in a range of contexts to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display high level skills in-person and/or online in: • Using and demonstrating a high level of verbal and non-verbal communication • Demonstrating a mastery of listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Demonstrating and showing empathy for others • High order skills in negotiating and conflict resolution skills\\ • Demonstrating mastery of working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | K5, S1 | AT2 | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery in professional skills and behaviours in leading others. • Creating and sustaining a collegial environment • Demonstrating a high level of self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect and justify decisions • Inspiring and initiating opportunities to lead others • Making informed professional decisions • Demonstrating initiative in new professional situations. | K4, A3 | AT2, AT3 | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students at this level will demonstrate high level skills in working in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically to generate and consider complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level • Analysing complex and abstract ideas, concepts and information • Communicate alternative perspectives to justify complex ideas • Demonstrate a mastery of challenging conventional thinking to clarify complex concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving to new situations for further learning. | K1, K2, K3, S2, S3, A1, A2 | AT1 | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students at this level will demonstrate the ability to work competently across a wide range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Mastering, exploring, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information professionally • Collating, managing complex data, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding professionally to messages in a range of professional digital media • Contributing competently and professionally to digital teams and working groups • Participating at a high level in digital learning opportunities. | Not applicable | Not applicable | FEDTASK 5
sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery of considering and assessing the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting professional ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Demonstrate informed judgment making that considers the impact of devising complex solutions in ambiguous global economic environmental and societal contexts • Professionally committing to the promulgation of social responsibility • Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Communicating lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to the diverse professional others • Generating, leading and implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life | Not applicable | AT1 |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K3, APST 7.1 | Questions and Answers on Code of Ethics | Hurdle | U/S | | 2. | K1, K3, S1, S2, A1, A2, APST 6.4, 7.2 | From a provided list of relevant National and State Policy, choose one policy to analyse. Identify the importance to, and impact on pedagogical practice and processes. Identify professional learning needs in relation to practice and processes. Develop a proposed Professional Development Plan for staff | Report and Staff Professional Development Plan | 40%-60% | | 3. | K2, K4, K5, S1, S2, S3, A3, APST 7.1, 7.3, 7.4 | Identify an issue relevant to a children’s service Quality Improvement Plan (QIP). Research the issue, propose strategies for improvement and develop an Action Plan to address the improvement. Consideration should be given to including all stakeholders – children, including those with additional needs, families, staff, and community including early intervention services in addressing the improvement.The plan must demonstrate that work with diverse stakeholders and support agencies has been considered | Report with Action Plan | 40%-60% |
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