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Leadership and Advocacy in Early Childhood unit (EDP706)

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Location: Online

Introduction

This unit explores ideas, practices and concepts of leadership and advocacy in early childhood education. Topics include research examples of practices that foster collaborative, effective leadership, constructive management strategies and considered ways to promote advocacy in early childhood. Students will have opportunities to refine their concepts of pedagogical leadership, with emphasis on collaborative approaches to pedagogy, curriculum and to building relationships with families.

Summary

Unit name Leadership and Advocacy in Early Childhood
Unit code EDP706
Credit points 12.5
College/School Arts and Society
Faculty of Education
Discipline Education
Coordinator Professor Iris Duhn
Delivered By University of Tasmania
Level Postgraduate

Sustainable Development Goals

The Unit Coordinator has identified that this unit aligns with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on the alignment of the unit with these goals.

Availability

Location Study period Attendance options Available to
Online Semester 2 This unit is available through off-campus delivery Available to International Students Available to Domestic Students
  • Key:
  • This unit is available through on-campus delivery On-campus
  • This unit is available through off-campus delivery Off-Campus
  • Available to International Students International students
  • Available to Domestic Students Domestic students
Note

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Units are offered in attending mode unless otherwise indicated (that is attendance is required at the campus identified). A unit identified as offered by distance, that is there is no requirement for attendance, is identified with a nominal enrolment campus. A unit offered to both attending students and by distance from the same campus is identified as having both modes of study.

Key Dates

Study Period Start date Census date WW date End date
Semester 2 5/7/2026 27/7/2026 30/8/2026 24/10/2026

* The Final WW Date is the final date from which you can withdraw from the unit without academic penalty, however you will still incur a financial liability (refer to How do I withdraw from a unit? for more information).

Unit census dates currently displaying for 2026 are indicative and subject to change. Finalised census dates for 2026 will be available from the 1st October 2025. Note census date cutoff is 11.59pm AEST (AEDT during October to March).

About Census Dates

Learning Outcomes

  • explore and analyse contemporary scholarship on early childhood leadership to consider pedagogical impact in early childhood settings.
  • critically discuss diverse issues relating to advocacy in early childhood.
  • incorporate a range of perspectives, synthesise information and reference according to the APA style of formatting.

Fee Information

Field of Education Commencing Student Contribution 1,3 Grandfathered Student Contribution 1,3 Approved Pathway Course Student Contribution 2,3 Domestic Full Fee 4
070101 $592.00 $592.00 not applicable $2,562.00
  • Available as a Commonwealth Supported Place
  • HECS-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility3
  • FEE-HELP is available on this unit, depending on your eligibility4

1 Please refer to more information on student contribution amounts.
2 Please refer to more information on eligibility and Approved Pathway courses.
3 Please refer to more information on eligibility for HECS-HELP.
4 Please refer to more information on eligibility for FEE-HELP.

If you have any questions in relation to the fees, please contact UniConnect or more information is available on StudyAssist.

Please note: international students should refer to What is an indicative Fee? to get an indicative course cost.

Requisites

Mutual Exclusions

You cannot enrol in this unit as well as the following:

ESM782

Teaching

Teaching Pattern

Weekly independent study to prepare for online workshops and contribute to learning activities (5 hours)

AssessmentLeading together? An exploration of collaborative leadership in early childhood (40%)|Early Childhood Leadership - Job Application (60%)
TimetableView the lecture timetable | View the full unit timetable

Textbooks

Required

Davis, K., Krieg, S., & Smith, K. (2015). Leading otherwise: using a feminist-poststructuralist and postcolonial lens to create alternative spaces for early childhood educational leaders. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 18(2), 131-148. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2014.943296
Cooper, M. (2023). Teachers grappling with a teacher-leader identity: complexities and tensions in early childhood education. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 26(1), 54-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2020.1744733 
Omdal, H., & Roland, P. (2020). Possibilities and challenges in sustained capacity-building in early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions: ECEC leaders’ perspectives. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 28(4), 568-581. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2020.1783929 
Klevering, N., & McNae, R. (2019). Making sense of leadership in early childhood education: Tensions and complexities between concepts and practices. Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice, 33, 5-17. https://doi.org/10.21307/jelpp-2018-002 
Aubrey, C. A. (2019). What early childhood leadership for what kind of world? Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 20(1), 65-78. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949119828145 
Nxumalo, F., & Villanueva, M. (2020). (Re)storying Water Decolonial pedagogies of Relational Affect with Young Children. In B. Dernikos, N. Lesko, S. McCall, & A. Niccolini (Eds.), Mapping the Affective Turn in Education. Routledge. 
Poelina, A., Wooltorton, S., Blaise, M., Aniere, C. L., Horwitz, P., White, P. J., & Muecke, S. (2022). Regeneration Time: Ancient Wisdom for Planetary Wellbeing. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 38(3-4), 397-414. 
Blaise, M., & Hamm, C. (2022). Lively Emu dialogues: activating feminist common worlding pedagogies. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 30(4), 473-489. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2020.1817137 
Somerville, M. J., & McGavock, T. (2022). Learning Planetary Literacies Through Multiple Bushfire Deaths and Hope Through Recovery and Regeneration. In M. Häggström & C. Schmidt (Eds.), Relational and Critical Perspectives on Education for Sustainable Development: Belonging and Sensing in a Vanishing World (pp. 113-127). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84510-0_8 
Nelson, N., Hodgins, B. D., & Danis, I. (2019). New Obligations and Shared Vulnerabilities: Reimagining Sustainability for Live-Able Worlds. In Nordina: Nordic Studies in Science Education (Vol. 15): University of Oslo.

 

Reading Lists provide direct access to all material on unit reading lists in one place. This includes eReadings and items in Reserve. You can access the Reading List for this unit from the link in MyLO, or by going to the Reading Lists page on the University Library website. 
Recommended

Bloom, P. (2011). Circle of influence: Implementing shared decision making and participative management. New Horizons. 
Campbell-Evans, G., Stamopoulos, E., & Maloney, C. (2014). Building leadership capacity in early childhood pre-service teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(5). http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n5.3
COAG. (2011). Guide to the National Quality Standard for Early Childhood Education and Care and School Age Care. Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority, Commonwealth of Australia.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Commonwealth of Australia.
Waniganayake, M., Cheesman, S., Fenech, M., Hadley, F., & Shepherd, W. (2017). Leadership: Contexts and complexities in early childhood education. Oxford University Press.

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