MAN 3135/3136/3137/3138 National Management training for pre-school administrators

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2015/2016
Norwegian version

MAN 3135/3136/3137/3138 National Management training for pre-school administrators


Responsible for the course
Johan From

Department
Department of Communication and Culture

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
30

Language of instruction
Norwegian and english

Introduction
This program is BI Norwegian Business School’s offer to administrators in public and private pre-schools who wish to complete their national administrative education. With this program, administrators will be provided salient skills and knowledge with regard to management and development of the organization. The target group includes both established and future administrators in both public and private pre-schools.

This course overlaps to some extent with MAN 3127/3128/3129/3130 Leadership and Change Management in Schools. For students planning to take a Master of Management degree it is important to be aware that overlapping courses cannot be included in the degree, cf. UHL § 3-5.


Learning outcome

Norwegian pre-schools need to improve and expand their administrative capacity. Through this program, students are given a broad introduction to the most important areas of pre-school administration. This will contribute to:

· Strengthening children’s learning and development

· Developing sector standards for leadership among administrators in pre-schools

· Strengthening the practical and conceptual knowledge necessary for pre-school leaders to improve the quality and results of their activities

Acquired knowledge

The program aims to give students knowledge of institutional organization and pedagogical routines that contribute to enhanced learning and development among the children. Furthermore, the program will provide access to and understanding of scientific methods and perspectives that make it possible for students to assess the knowledge that is being developed in the pre-school sector. This includes management and development of the organization and the stimulation and development of staff, including active leadership. Consequently, the history, traditions and distinctive character of the pre-school sector are of importance.

Acquired skills

Students will, as leaders, have the ability to interpret and understand the society’s demands with regard to pre-schools. The program aims at giving students the confidence and courage to lead the pre-school in the direction of an increasingly more advanced, competence-based organization.

Skills in the form of pedagogical, organizational and interpersonal relations will be given focus, in addition to the ability to investigate and assess existing theories, methods and the validity of different frameworks of understanding.

Reflection
Students will be helped to underscore the importance of children’s’ learning and development in discussions concerning the pre-school’s priorities, organization and working conditions. They will be in possession of the competence, confidence and motivation to participate in the debate concerning development of the Norwegian pre-school both internally in an international perspective. Courage and conviction will be needed to meet the challenges of a complex management situation in which professional argumentation must address issues concerning the introduction of changes and adaptations that will lead to a better Norwegian pre-school. This requires the competence and confidence to choose strategies for the development of the individual pre-school, its staff and the children’s learning and development. In addition to competence and self-confidence, students will have a reflective approach to their own identity and integrity and those of other cultures.


Prerequisites
General admissions requirements:180 ECTS and 4 years’ working experience. See also admissions requirements

Compulsory reading
Books:
Arnulf, Jan Ketil. 2012. Hva er ledelse. Universitetsforlaget. 135 s
Børhaug, Kjetil ... [et al.]. 2011. Styring, organisering og ledelse i barnehagen. Fagbokforlaget
Eriksen, Bjørn. 2012. Rektors styringsrett. Gyldendal akademisk. sidene 37-50, 57-88, 110-125,137-181 og 217-239. Totalt 120 s
Hoff, Kjell Gunnar. 2009. Strategisk økonomistyring. Universitetsforlaget. 200 s
Jacobsen, Dag Ingvar. 2012. Organisasjonsendringer og endringsledelse.. 2. utg. Fagbokforlaget. 100 s
Klafki, Wolfgang. 2011. Dannelsesteori og didaktik : nye studier. 3. udg. Klim
Kuvaas, Bård og Anders Dysvik. 2012. Lønnsomhet gjennom menneskelige ressurser : evidensbasert HRM. 2. utg. Fagbokforlaget. kap. 4, 5, 6 og 7 (100 s.)
Martinsen, Øyvind L., red. 2009. Perspektiver på ledelse. 3. utg. Gyldendal akademisk. Kap. 2-7, 9,11-15


Articles:
Dweck, Carol S. Dec 2007 - Jan2008. The secret to raising smart kids. Scientific American Mind. 18(6). 2 Graphs, p36-43. 8p. 4

Journals:
NOU 2010:8 Med forskertrang og lekelyst. Kunnskapsdepartementet. del II, 81 s

Recommended reading
Books:
Eilifsen, Margareth og Anders Dysvik, red. 2014. Barnehagelederen : en samling av erfaringsbasert teori. Universitetsforlaget
Hattie, John. 2009. Visible learning : a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge. Kap1+3+11 (48 s)


Course outline
The program consists of seven modules

Module 1
Analysis of individual pre-school – the pre-school’s role in the educational cycle and the pre-school as an organization The strategic development of the pre-school
Development of the individual pre-school

Module 2
Leadership training – communication and influence, authority and conflict management

Module 3
Children’s pedagogy and didactics
Effective organization of pre-schools – organizational conditions for teaching and development

Module 4 – takes place in London
Supervising quality in pre-schools
The importance of learning at an early age
Visit to locations that stand out in their pedagogical activities


Module 5
Leadership training – communication and influence, authority and conflict management

Module 6
Perspectives on management
Legal topics
Management and development of personal resources

Module 7
Teaching organizations
Strategies for individual pre-schools – operational management and understanding economics

Leadership training
As a part of the program, leadership training will be provided for the students. Management training will be a combination of introductory lectures, exercises and feedback. The purpose of this is to give students confidence in demanding leadership situations. The subjects addressed in this Master’s program are Communication and Influence and Management and Authority.

In leadership training, students’ own leadership profiles will be addressed, both to assess how they themselves as leaders use their resources and as a foundation for developing their own leadership style. Central to this is the development of individual action plans and how these can be implemented in their leadership style.


Computer-based tools
Itslearning

Learning process and workload
The program is carried out in seven modules. Personal counseling will be provided in addition to counseling during the lectures. In general, students can expect advisory counseling as opposed to evaluative counseling. Counseling time is estimated to be two hours per student taking the Master’s program as a standard program. For students taking the Master’s program as their graduating program, the time estimated for counseling is six hours per term paper.



Examination
Students are assessed through a term paper - 18 ECTS, and a take-home exam 72 h, 12 ECTS.

The take-home exam is done individually.

The term paper can be written individually or in groups of up to 3 students. Approximately 30 pages plus attachments.

Both forms of assessment must receive a passing grade for the program degree to be awarded.

Students who are taking the program as their graduating Master of Management program will be assessed as follows:
Students are evaluated through a term paper – 24 ECTS – and a take-home exam – 6 ECTS. The term paper will be written individually or in groups of up to two students. The take-home exam is individual. Both forms of assessment must receive a passing grade for the program degree to be awarded.

Examination code(s)
MAN 31351 – Term paper: counts 100% in order to get a grade in MAN 3135 – 18 ECTS.
MAN 31361 – Take-home exam: counts 100% in order to get a grade in MAN 3136 – 12 ECTS.
All forms of assessment must receive a passing grade for the program degree to be awarded.

Students who are taking the program as their graduating Master of Management program will be assessed as follows:
MAN 31371 – Term paper: counts100% in order to get a grade in MAN 3137 – 24 ECTS.
MAN 31381 – Take-home exam: counts 100% in order to get a grade in MAN 3138 – 6 ECTS.
Both forms of assessment must receive a passing grade for the program degree to be awarded


Examination support materials


Re-sit examination
At the next completion of the course. When a program is discontinued, a replacement program is used for the re-sit

Additional information