MAN 5167 Educational Leadership and Learning Environment in The Early Years Education

MAN 5167 Educational Leadership and Learning Environment in The Early Years Education

Course code: 
MAN 5167
Department: 
Communication and Culture
Credits: 
30
Course coordinator: 
Helga Norheim
Course name in Norwegian: 
Pedagogisk ledelse og læringsmiljø i barnehagen
Product category: 
Executive
Portfolio: 
EMM - Educational Leadership, Specialisation
Semester: 
2023 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
Norwegian
Course type: 
Associate course
Course codes for multi- or associated courses
Course codeSemester
MAN 5168
2023 Autumn
MAN 5169
2024 Spring
Introduction

This programme aims to give the individual preschool teacher knowledge and tools needed to meet the challenges and opportunities in pedagogical leadership in complex organisations such as preschools. The programme conforms to the value foundation in the Framework Plan for Kindergartens. Central questions are how to create a high-quality learning environment in institutions characterized by diversity (ethnically, culturally and in terms of language development), variable organizational models between preschools, and how to lead a staff with varying competencies and professional background.

Preschool teachers and good pedagogical leadership is important for developing and ensuring a high quality preschool focusing on children’s wellbeing and development. Mastering such tasks necessitates secure leaders that run high quality preschools and behave professionally towards demands from stakeholders. Initiating and continuing systematic professional development in all parts of the institution will be an important task going forward. This requires good cooperation with other institutions, as well as a trust-based relationship with parents and guardians.

The executive programme for preschool teachers will give the students a broad introduction to the central themes for preschool leadership and management, closely linked to the intensions in the Framework Plan for Kindergartens. MAN 5167 Educational Leadership and Learning Environment in The Early Years Educationcan be used as year 1 in the Executive Master of Management degree in Education Management.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

The candidate is able to:

  • Observe, analyse, initiate and run targeted improvements in own institution
  • Use and understand relevant research methods to be able to implement the framework plan in a good way
  • Identify need for improvements in own institution based on own analyses, systematic observations and professional evaluations
  • Use systematically collated pedagogical documentation as part of supervision and development work in own institution
  • Evaluate knowledge and information published about preschool development and perform all steps of an independent development project in own institution
  • Initiate and maintain good cooperation with parents and guardians
  • Evaluate children’s development to ensure satisfactory progress
Learning outcomes - Skills

The candidate is able to:

  • Observe, analyse, initiate and perform targeted improvements in own institution
  • Implement the framework plan in a good way
  • Identify needs for improvements in own institution based on own analyses, systematic observations and professional evaluations
  • Use systematically collated pedagogical documentation as part of supervision and development work in own institution
  • Perform all steps of an independent development project
  • Initiate and maintain good cooperation with parents and guardians
  • Evaluate children’s development to ensure satisfactory progress
General Competence

The candidate is able to critically reflect on own institution in debates about the institution’s priorities, development work and professional challenges. They have competence and confidence to analyse and conclude about how to increase quality, well-being, learning and development in the preschool. They have competence and knowledge to initate and lead independent innovation processes. The candidate is able to communicate and cooperate with parents and other stakeholders.

Course content
  • Preschool’s learning environment for children’s benefit

Preschool’s social mission in line with the intentions in the Framework Plan for Kindergartens
What does research tell us about preschool results?
Global trends and knowledge development about preschools
What characterises leadership and management in the best preschools?
Analysis of own institution
Understanding quality, pedagogical documentation and systematic observation of quality in own institution

 

  • Early intervention and preschool as preventative arena

Early intervention, development, learning in preschool, reduction of social differences
Preschool as preventative arena
Cooperation with parents/guardians and other actors relative to children’s development, wellbeing and inclusion
The difficult conversations

 

  • Change and development of own institution through staff development and establishing good organisational culture

Relational leadership and how to develop own institution’s practice
Organisational culture for developing a learning organisation
Staff development, motivation and peer guidance, loyalty and trust
How to learn from own practice
Professional communication, cooperation, relations and communication, guidance of parents/guardians and colleagues

 

  • Guidance and institution-based competence development

How to develop institutional practice
Peer guidance among staff
The double role of pedagogical leaders
Guidance in practice
Introduction to international tools for observing and evaluating preschool quality

 

  • Leadership development, roles and tasks

Different forms of leadership
What is effective leadership? Characteristics, style, skills, prerequisites and perspectives
Understanding the leadership role
Managing change processes
Organisational culture – importance and change

 

  • Leadership training and writing workshop

Me as leader
Power, influence and practice

Teaching and learning activities

In all BI Executive courses and programs, there is a mutual requirement for the student and the course responsible regarding the involvement of the student's experience in the planning and implementation of courses, modules and programmes. This means that the student has the right and duty to get involved with their own knowledge and practice relevance, through the active sharing of their relevant experience and knowledge.
 

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

Bachelor degree, corresponding to 180 credits from an accredited university, university college or similar educational institution. The applicant must be at least 25 years of age and at least four years of work experience. For applicants who have already completed a master’s degree, three years of work experience are required.

Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.

 

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
72 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Take-home exam: counts 40% in order to get a grade.
Exam code: 
MAN 51671
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Group/Individual (1 - 3)
Duration: 
2 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Term paper: counts 60% in order to get a grade.
Exam code: 
MAN 51672
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Resit: 
Examination when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
Total weight: 
100
Course codeCredit reduction
MAN 5133100
MAN 5148100
MAN 5137100
MAN 5140100
MAN 3127/3128/3129/3130100
MAN 3131/3132/3133/3134100
Credit reductions:
Course code:MAN 5133
Credit reduction:100
Course code:MAN 5148
Credit reduction:100
Course code:MAN 5137
Credit reduction:100
Course code:MAN 5140
Credit reduction:100
Course code:MAN 3127/3128/3129/3130
Credit reduction:100
Course code:MAN 3131/3132/3133/3134
Credit reduction:100
Reduction description

Følgende programmer markert som "faglig overlapp" kan ikke brukes sammen i en EMM-grad, med dette programet, Pedagogisk ledelse og læringsmiljø i barnehagen.

Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
150 Hour(s)
Prepare for teaching
150 Hour(s)
Student's own work with learning resources
326 Hour(s)
Examination
150 Hour(s)
Work with the term paper
Examination
24 Hour(s)
Work with individual 72 hour take home exam
Sum workload: 
800

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 30 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 800 hours.