ACECQA Educational Leader Manual WEB
ACECQA Educational Leader Manual WEB
LEADER RESOURCE
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2
CONTENTS
Introduction 5 Skills 66
Attributes 67
Supporting and monitoring the educational leader 67
Part One: The role of an educational leader:
Expectations and requirements 7 Time allocation 72
A vision for the role of the educational leader 8 What will be considered in the assessment and rating process? 74
Research and the role of educational leadership 8 References and further reading 75
The role of the educational leader in continuous improvement 11
The educational leader: National Regulations and the Part Two: A Model for understanding and
National Quality Standard 13 exploring educational leadership 79
Undertaking the role: The educational leader’s perspective 16 Analysing educational leadership 80
Being a leader 17 Elements of the Educational Leadership Model 80
Thinking of yourself as a leader 18 Knowledge 81
Being a role model 19 Professionalism 82
Organising the role 19 Relationships 83
Linking with networks 21 Reflection 84
Leading others 22 References 85
Building relationships with colleagues 22 Knowledge—Professor Frances Press 86
Communicating with staff 24 What do educational leaders need to know? 86
Meeting with the team 26 What is knowledge? 86
Responding to challenging people 27 What knowledge do educational leaders need? 87
Mentoring 29 Knowledge areas 88
Observing practice 30 The value of uncertainty 89
Supporting professional learning 32 Educational leaders build knowledge collaboratively 89
Communicating with families 33 Getting practical 90
Leading practice 34 Encourage a culture of reflective practice 90
Using the approved frameworks 34 Be comfortable with uncertainty 90
Fostering reflection 38 Have resources on hand and seek them out when needed 90
Supporting the assessment and planning cycle 41 Make the implicit, explicit 92
Establishing systems 46 In summary 93
Community of Practice 47 Acknowledgement 93
Identifying and leading practice that exceeds the NQS 48 References 94
Using the Exceeding NQS themes for improvement 48 Professionalism—Dr Lennie Barblett 95
Leading change 50 Building a professional identity as an educational leader 95
Understanding the process of change 50 Building respectful relationships with knowledge of
Undertaking action research 52 power dimensions 98
Supporting the role: The approved provider’s perspective 57 Leading professional learning, language and thinking 99
The benefit of educational leadership to service operations 58 Inspiring and motivating others to transform pedagogy
and practice 101
Appointing an educational leader 60
Developing interdependence and team accountability 101
What about qualifications? 63
Leading and embedding ethical practice 102
Qualities of an educational leader 64
Acting as a change agent 103
Knowledge 65
Introduction
The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) is an independent
national authority committed to promoting and fostering continuous quality improvement
in approved education and care services, and publishing resources that support the
clildren's education and care sector in understanding the National Quality Framework.
ACECQA’s vision is for children in Australia to have the best start in life, and nearly 16,000
services across Australia are assessed and rated under the National Quality Standard,
delivering quality education and care to over a million children.
Educational leaders are highly valued and instrumental in establishing, maintaining and
continually improving quality education and care for Australia’s children.
This resource has been developed to help clarify what is expected of this important role
(Part One), show how it supports continuous improvement (Part Two), and provide other
ideas for personal development and reflection (Part Three).
At the end, there is information about the many authors who generously contributed to the
development of this resource for ACECQA.
This resource will continue to grow. Further information and more resources are freely
available to all educational leaders and educators at www.acecqa.gov.au.
Sharing valuable insights into the quality outcomes the educational leadership role is
delivering for children, and inspiring the educational leaders of tomorrow reinforces
the value of quality education and care.
— Gabrielle Sinclair,
Chief Executive Officer, ACECQA
Inspiring people working in children’s education and care to become educational leaders
is in our national interest. Building their confidence, skills and knowledge, and continuing
to grow creativity and innovation across the sector will embed a culture of continuous
quality improvement.
This commitment to developing and supporting teams to achieve the best outcomes for
children is the very heart of educational leadership.
The role’s focus is on outcomes and relationships, and the National Quality Standard
provides flexibility for educational leaders to be creative and innovative, to best
support quality outcomes for the children, families and educators at the service.
— Rhonda Livingstone,
National Educational Leader, ACECQA
Not only are educational leaders agents of change on the journey to exemplary education
and care provision, they also promote a sense of professionalism for the sector now and in
the future.
Pedagogical leaders can make learning visible to others and challenge assumptions
that working with young children is not babysitting (Waniganayake, Cheeseman,
Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2017, p. 118).
It is recognised that the educational leader is not the only driver of change, but change
for the better needs champions who lead practice and have the courage to imagine what
is possible.
Educational leadership, its role in outcomes for learners, and how it is best undertaken,
has long been the subject of research. While much of this research has been generated in
the primary and secondary school space, increasing numbers of researchers and policy-
makers are examining this role in the early childhood and outside school hours care
contexts. The findings of this collective research point to the role’s significant capacity to
support improvements in teaching, learning and children’s wellbeing, and therefore how
outcomes for children are realised.
8 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
An examination of some of the emergent literature highlights the following key points:
• Strong leadership is a key characteristic of effective early childhood settings, with
trained ‘curriculum leader’ teachers having the greatest impact on setting quality
and children’s educational outcomes (Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford
& Taggart, 2004).
• Analysis of the most effective of these settings identified key characteristics of
effective early years leadership practice (Siraj-Blatchford & Manni, 2007).
• Educational leaders require an understanding of children’s learning and how to
promote that learning. They also benefit from understanding how adults learn and
develop in the workplace (Ord et al., 2013).
• Educational leadership is best understood as a practice ‘concerned with the
actions and the processes of constructing or deconstructing knowledge according
to the context of the learning groups and individuals (ecology of the community),
and recognising the set of social axes’ (Male & Palaiologou, 2015). These 'social
axes’ include values, beliefs, culture and external influences such as mass media
and technologies.
These findings echo a growing understanding of the leadership styles and approaches that
support effective practice.
Jillian Rodd’s formative work in the 1990s described a distributed model that enabled
whole teams to take up leadership tasks in collaborative ways (Rodd, 1998). More recent
publications build on this model to imagine leadership as a transformational process that
engages hearts and minds to orientate teams towards a deep commitment to change for
the better (Waniganayake et al., 2017).
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 9
Resources
10 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
The role of the educational leader in continuous improvement
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign
them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of
the sea (Antoine de Saint-Exupery).
At its most aspirational, the role of an educational leader is a key enabling factor in the
delivery of quality teaching and learning experiences for children in education and care
services around the country. As the above quote suggests, asserting the role as that of
an advocate for work with children—an opportunity to harness the extraordinary joy
and enormous privilege that comes from being connected with children’s learning and
wellbeing—will help drive the commitment to continuous improvement.
For example, in a service where educators might be feeling overwhelmed by everyday
practice, or seem disconnected from each other and the idea of quality, the educational
leader can act as an enthusiastic reminder that we, like the children we work with, are
always seeking to reach our full potential and realise the enormity of our capability.
Educational leaders play a central role in supporting a culture of continuous improvement,
empowering their staff to strive towards practice that consistently delivers the best
outcomes in terms of children’s learning and wellbeing, and communication with families
and the community. As a champion for quality, the leader pursues excellence in all aspects
of the educational program and practice, and inspires others to do the same. A shared
commitment to continuous improvement by all educators is a mark of exemplary practice.
The educational leader must become a highly valued part of any children’s education and care
service that aims to uphold the rights and wellbeing of children. The role of the educational
leader, as described by the National Regulations (New South Wales Government, 2018) and the
National Quality Standard (NQS) (ACECQA, 2017), is of an effective leader, rather than a monitor
or compliance officer. The aim of the educational leader is to support educators with technical
practice, compliance and procedure; and lift their gaze to refocus their energy on understanding
the limitless potential, and upholding the rights and wellbeing of children.
The following case study and online material offer insight into the potential of an
educational leader to build service-wide support for continuous improvement and lead
processes that effect change.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 11
Case study
12 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
By taking these steps, we have created a culture of inquiry that has filtered not
only throughout our educator team, but also to our families and management
committee. The MOCCA leadership team and parent management committee value
the role of educational leadership, and meetings and discussions at this level also
include a pedagogical focus in addition to operational needs.
— Rowena Muir
Pedagogical Leader (Australian Capital Territory)
Resources
14 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Resources
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 15
Undertaking the role: The educational leader’s perspective
The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers (Ralph Nader).
The role of an educational leader is simultaneously exciting and challenging, yet full of
possibilities. The work includes supporting educators in their everyday work and on their
continual quality improvement journey—inspiring them to see the possibilities, try new
approaches and take professional, calculated risks.
Some leaders may find the task of encouraging staff to maintain a deep commitment
to this endeavour challenging, particularly if existing programs need significant change.
But a lot can be achieved when the learning, health and wellbeing of children are given
prominence, and leaders support a culture that expects high-quality educational programs
and practice.
In practice, the role of educational leadership combines supporting exciting shifts in
thinking, and overseeing often complex processes that explore the need for change.
Applying skill, sensitivity and a strength-based approach can help the educational leader
recognise and build on each educator’s strengths and interests.
Note: When considering undertaking the role of educational leader, ask the approved
provider for a clear and contextual role description that specifies the expectations and
parameters of the role, as described in the National Regulations and the NQS (see p. 13).
Also enquire about how the role will be supported.
16 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Being a leader
Great leaders are also leading learners. If leaders don’t learn, then the learning in the
organizations that they lead is not likely to flourish (Sahlberg, 2018, p. xi).
This section offers a series of ideas that seek to understand the expectations and
possibilities of the role from the perspective of the educational leader.
The Guide to the NQF (ACECQA, 2018, pp. 304–305) provides a helpful starting point when
considering the expectations and possibilities of the role.
The educational leader provides guidance on educators’ pedagogy and professional
practice, by supporting educators to build and nurture secure respectful relationships with
children and families, and assisting educators to articulate how and why they make decisions
about the curriculum/program.
Key aspects of the educational leader’s role in leading, developing and implementing the
program include:
• mentoring and supporting educators’ understanding of educational program and
practice, such as:
»» how theory supports best practice in all parts of the program
»» building relationships and interactions with children to assist their learning
through play and leisure-based programs
»» intentional teaching strategies and thoughtful, deliberate educator practices
that support children’s wellbeing, learning and development
»» routines and transitions
»» providing for continuity of learning when children transition to, from or within the service
»» developing documentation that is meaningful, relevant and promotes reflection
on educators’ pedagogy and practice
• drawing on a range of understandings about learning theories and styles, as well as
educators’ strengths, to develop educators’ professional skills and confidence
• encouraging and empowering educators to draw on their creativity, intuition,
knowledge of child development, as well as children’s knowledge, identity and
culture in their teaching and planning for learning
• liaising with other early childhood education and care professionals (such as therapists,
maternal and child health nurses, and early childhood intervention specialists)
• assisting educators to make connections in the community, including with diverse
cultures and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Elders or their representatives.
Note: A key strength of the NQF is that it recognises the importance of context, including
the articulation of leadership. Each setting, educational leader, educator and community
is different and requires specifically local responses. While the legislation and NQS are
not prescriptive about the role, the guidance in this Resource and others is meant to
suggest a range of strategies that educational leaders might find helpful.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 17
Thinking of yourself as a leader
The importance of leadership within education and care services is now well recognised
as a major contributing factor in the delivery of quality outcomes for children and families
(Waniganayake et al., 2017). So, becoming an educational leader is a significant step up
into a position of responsibility. Being selected for the role (and agreeing to undertake it) is
an important recognition of personal skills, knowledge and attributes.
In recent times, research has helped clarify the dimensions of the role and the way in
which organisations and individuals can use transformational approaches to maximise
outcomes. Despite the growing strength of this narrative, stepping into a leadership role
can be a challenging undertaking: relationships with colleagues change, expectations are
redefined, and capabilities stretched.
There are many resources designed to assist leaders in successfully navigating the
transition into a leadership role. In Effective leadership in the early years sector,
Siraj-Blatchford & Manni (2007, p. 12) highlight the following key strategies:
• ‘Identifying and articulating a collective vision
• Ensuring shared understandings, meanings and goals
• Effective communication
• Encouraging reflection
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Monitoring and assessing practice
• Distributed leadership
• Building a learning community and team culture
• Encouraging and facilitating parent and community partnerships
• Leading and managing: striking the balance’.
Educational leaders will benefit from wider reading about the place of leadership in the sector
and from consideration of what leadership means to them, personally and in the context of
their workplace. The references at the end of this section (p. 75) are a good starting point.
Reflective questions
• Who are the leaders that have inspired you? Why? What do they do? What don’t
they do?
• When did you first think of yourself as a leader?
• What sort of a leader would you like to be? How do you want others to think of you?
• Which of your current skills would help you lead others?
18 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Being a role model
Leadership begins with you … It is unlikely that you will be able to inspire, arouse,
excite and motivate others unless you can show who you are, what you stand for, and
what you can and cannot do (Goffee & Jones, 2006).
Becoming an educational leader is about assuming a clear and public identity as a leader
and role model to others. Educational leaders are expected to ‘talk the talk and walk
the walk’, as the saying goes. This doesn’t mean that they must be practice-perfect in all
matters relating to the program, but they will need to show a willingness to be reflective,
explore new ideas, value feedback and shift practices where required.
It is also helpful to regularly reflect on how quality practice is understood and how it
evolves. Ongoing reflective discussions with the approved provider will also help to
build a shared understanding of and support for the educational leader responsibilities,
particularly as a role model.
As a starting point for reflection, educational leaders might ask themselves how they
demonstrate or role-model the guiding principles of the NQF. For instance, as leaders and
educators, they might want to consider how they:
• uphold the rights and best interests of the child
• view children as successful, competent and capable learners
• ensure equity, inclusion and diversity underpins their work
• value Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
• ensure the role of families is respected and supported
• demonstrate best practice in the provision of education and care services.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 19
Researching Observing
Reflect/review
Planning Collaborating
Mentoring/
Reporting
supporting
Reflective questions
20 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Linking with networks
Professional networks are a powerful way to connect with others in similar roles, to
exchange ideas, share challenges and celebrate successes. Being the only educational
leader in an education and care service can be isolating, and this may sometimes make it
difficult to see the work in perspective. Comparing strategies and perspectives with other
educational leaders can help clarify expectations, extend knowledge and strengthen
educational leaders’ ability to advocate for changes or further action.
There are many networks around the country, including those established by associations,
peak bodies and organisations, local government, agencies and like-minded individuals.
Find out if there are any relevant professional networks operating in your local area. If there
are none, you may like to consider advocating for or starting one. Ways to build and run an
effective network include:
• meeting regularly by deciding on a schedule that suits all members of the network
• meeting at a service initially—and if the group grows too big, asking a local
government, school or community service to allow the use of their meeting rooms
• appointing a small group to organise the meetings, and rotating the responsibility
• collating an email list or using an online social media networking space
• making sure there is adequate time for talking and sharing ideas during meetings
• ensuring time is managed well if there are guest speakers, i.e. limiting their time to
make sure members get to share their ideas and challenges.
Case study
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 21
Case study
Leading others
Building relationships with colleagues
An essential part of becoming and being an educational leader is building respectful and
supportive relationships with the team. This includes getting to know the team members
personally and monitoring their progress in relation to the expectations of the education
and care program, and assessment and planning cycle.
Educational leaders who presume they know what educators want or need, or who make
decisions without consulting staff, will find it difficult to make improvements. Similarly, if
educational leaders place too much emphasis on everyone being on the ‘same page’, they
may find themselves spending too much time on interpersonal relationships instead of the
educational programs.
22 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Cultivating relationships is about establishing an effective working dynamic. The process
of building and nurturing relationships is discussed further in Part Two of this Resource.
But to summarise, an educational leader could implement the following strategies to build
respectful and trusting relationships, which have a clear purpose and direction:
• When first starting in the role, organise a meeting and take some time to clarify
the role. Invite the team/s to indicate what support they would like from the
educational leader; clarify what is within the job description, and your aspirations
for the role. Clearly articulate the matters that could be difficult to deliver, or those
that fall outside the expectations of the role.
• Make time to meet with every team member individually (educators and other staff
such as cooks and administrators) to discuss the vision for supporting children’s
learning and wellbeing in the service and how they can be supported in being a
part of that work.
• Schedule regular catch-up meetings with individuals and teams to talk through the
everyday practice that supports teaching, learning, wellbeing and, in particular, the
expectations of the planning process outlined in Quality Area 1.
• Communicate your availability for unscheduled meetings or for offering support
in the program to address specific challenges or difficulties (this may have
implications for staffing and will need to be clarified with the approved provider).
• Adopt a listening stance. Listen more than telling or reminding. Avoid becoming
the ‘pedagogical police’. Educators need support, suggestions and a listening ear
rather than a monitoring eye.
• Ask for feedback from the team about the support being offered. This might be
informal, through catch-ups with teams and individuals, or more formally in a
survey or review process.
• If issues arise in relation to educators’ wellbeing, and these are impacting the
educational program, encourage them to talk to the approved provider (or a
representative) to seek further assistance.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 23
Communicating with staff
Resources
24 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Early Childhood Resource Hub
www.ecrh.edu.au
The Early Childhood Resource Hub (ECRH) website features many resources developed
by sector experts that explore aspects of the approved learning frameworks and
support quality standards for children’s education and care services.
• Quality Area 7 (Governance and Leadership)
ECRH provides access to a range of resources as well as an overview of
Quality Area 7.
www.ecrh.edu.au/national-quality-standard/quality-area-7-leadership-
and-service-management#/
Every Child magazine: ʻWhat does leadership look like in early childhood settings?ʼ
In this Every Child article, Jenny Lewis and Jenny Hill provide an overview of the
Early Childhood Australia Leadership Capability Framework.
www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/every-child-magazine/
every-child-index/every-child-vol-18-4-2012/leadership-look-like-early-
childhood-settings/
ACECQA: Educational leadership and team building
This factsheet looks at how educational leaders can collaborate with staff and
establish clear goals for teaching and learning.
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-04/QA7_
EducationalLeadershipAndTeamBuilding_0.pdf
New Zealand Ministry of Education: Leadership in early childhood education
These leader resources aim to inspire leadership conversations and actions to
ensure that children benefit fully from early childhood education.
www.education.govt.nz/ministry-of-education/specific-initiatives/health-and-
safety/leadership/
TED Talks
TED Talks videos cover a wide range of topics, including many on the concept of
leading and leading others in engaging ways. You can search for talks or podcasts
that relate to a specific area of leadership, such as motivating people. Follow the
below link and start searching.
www.ted.com/talks
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 25
Meeting with the team
Engaging with educators and other service staff to discuss matters related to teaching,
learning and child wellbeing is an essential function of educational leader practice.
Meetings provide the opportunity to determine shared understandings, identify issues
and challenges, and agree on practice strategies that enhance quality and support
outcomes for children and their families. To make a meeting effective, purposeful and
more likely to lead to action and change, consider:
• scheduling the time in advance, if possible—spontaneous meetings might be
needed from time to time, but pre-planning assists in staff management
• having a clear purpose to make sure the meeting has direction
• having an agenda, a clear set of items to talk about—distribute the agenda in
advance and provide an opportunity for adding agenda items, if appropriate
• appointing a lead—the educational leader may be best placed to lead these
meetings, however, as the team becomes more confident, this role may
be shared
• setting a timeframe for the meeting and sticking to it
• taking notes/minutes and circulating these, so agreed actions are transparent
• sharing the notes/minutes with others who are unable to attend
• holding a walking, standing or café meeting to invigorate educators and staff.
While there are no set or required meetings that an educational leader needs to
hold, the following types of meetings may help better support educator practice. The
number, timing and structure of each meeting should respond to the setting and the
needs of the team. Examples include meetings with:
• the whole team (educators and other staff such as cooks and administrators)—
to discuss the approach to teaching, learning and children’s wellbeing
• individual educators—held in a mentoring capacity to support practice
changes or the implementation of new ideas
• small groups of educators, for example, those who work with particular age
groups or with responsibility for one aspect such as the before-school program
• external support agencies, pre-service training providers or other local
organisations—to progress partnerships and develop new practices or
approaches to the program
• the approved provider—to discuss issues that affect quality improvement or
that have operational implications, for example, educators may have identified
a difficulty using an app-based planning tool that needs further training; or
educators may have requested a review of excursion procedures.
26 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Reflective questions
Resources
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 27
Dealing with challenging people is not about winning or getting the upper hand; it is
about finding useful and shared approaches that enable both parties to move forward. For
leaders, this could sometimes require compromising and, at other times, standing firm on
agreed ways of practice. A helpful rule of thumb is to share the decision-making as much
as possible. A power ‘with’ rather than a power ‘over’ approach—in which leaders share
the decision-making and come to agreed ways forward—is always preferable and far more
inclusive. This approach might help find new, previously unthought-of solutions.
If a matter cannot be resolved in a timely fashion, escalating it to the approved provider or
their representative might be required. Typically, educational leaders are not responsible
for performance management—although some do undertake dual roles—and should
shift the process to the person responsible for that task at the service. Making it clear
to the people involved that the matter has been referred to another person will help
set boundaries. This will keep the educational leader space free from performance
management and operational- or compliance-related conflict.
There are many online resources and short courses that address how to work with
challenging people and develop better practices. Generally, the advice offered identifies
broad strategies like:
• maintaining a respectful approach; treating behaviour that is difficult or rude with
respect and courteousness
• separating the person from the problems or issue—in many cases, the issues may
be valid and need addressing
• listening before defending a particular way of doing things; trying to see things
from a different perspective
• setting out the facts; jointly looking at observable evidence that might impact decisions
• exploring possibilities together and being open to the idea or a way of doing
things differently.
(Adapted from www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm)
Resources
28 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Reflective questions
• Think of a time when you have experienced difficulty working with a
particular person.
• Looking back, what do you think they were trying to achieve?
• What got in the way of your communication?
• What were the enabling factors?
• What else could you have done?
• What could you have done differently?
Mentoring
Being a mentor to individual members of the educator team can be a key feature of
effective educational leadership. It is an extension of building supportive relationships with
teams and is based on trust and a shared goal of improving practice.
Besides offering mentoring to the educator team, educational leaders might consider
sourcing a mentor for themselves. These formal arrangements ensure that everyone is
offered time for critical self-reflection.
The benefits of mentoring in education and care settings are now well understood and
there are a growing number of resources that help to describe what the role looks like and
how it is supported in children’s education and care settings. Mentoring is discussed in
more detail in Part Two of this Resource.
Resources
The mentoring role
While many of the resources listed below originate from primary and secondary
school settings, they can be easily adapted to suit the early childhood, family day
care and outside school hours care contexts.
ACECQA: We Hear You—New educator survival guide
Newly graduated educators can face a daunting experience, navigating the complex
‘mini-world’ of a new workplace. Sally Burt writes about two key survival strategies for
new educators to support this journey into the profession: teamwork and mentoring.
https://wehearyou.acecqa.gov.au/2017/03/30/new-educator-survival-guide/
ACECQA: We Hear You—Leader as mentor
The We Hear You blog post explores how educational leaders drive quality practice
by working to lead, coach, mentor and inspire educators towards continuous
improvement and delivering quality outcomes for children and families.
https://wehearyou.acecqa.gov.au/2017/02/08/leader-as-mentor/
continued on next page ...
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 29
Queensland Department of Education: DETE mentoring handbook
This resource details the process of being a mentor or mentee, and explains how
to work with others to develop important skills, knowledge and understandings.
https://eprints.qut.edu.au/65583/4/65583.pdf
Victorian Education Department: Mentoring Capability Framework
The Victorian Education Department’s Mentoring Capability Framework supports
the learning and development of provisionally registered teachers, but the
information is also applicable to educational leaders at a broader level. It
describes the expectations and behaviours of mentors and mentees in successful
professional learning relationships.
www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/profdev/
mentoringcapabilityframework.pdf
AITSL: Resources for coaching
This set of resources from the Australian Institute for Teaching and School
Leadership (AITSL) introduces coaching and the common themes of successful
coaching programs.
www.aitsl.edu.au/lead-develop/develop-others/coach-others/coaching-resources
NSW Department of Education: Quality induction with Strong start,
Great teachers
This resource is designed to support teachers through effective induction.
Educational leaders and approved providers might find some useful ideas to
support the implementation of service- or organisational-specific induction.
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/
teacher-quality-and-accreditation/strong-start,-great-teachers
Observing practice
Observing each other’s practice and learning from one another is a useful
practice-improvement strategy. Educational leaders must consider building peer
observations into their practice repertoire, where they observe educators’ practice
and educators observe theirs. This is particularly useful when issues in program
delivery arise, or there are complexities in children’s participation in the service.
Peer observations should be supportive and positive, and kept separate from any
performance or management issues.
Constructive feedback is an important part of peer observation and time must be
allocated to this process. Feedback involves offering suggestions and recognising great
practice as well as constructive criticism. As such, it is recommended that educational
leaders discuss the process with their teams before it takes place, to ensure educators
are receptive and know what to expect. A helpful reference point for this discussion is the
ECA Code of Ethics (ECA, 2016), which upholds respectful and collaborative relationships
between professionals.
30 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Resources
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 31
Supporting professional learning
Well-planned, well-resourced professional learning is an essential part of quality and
continuous improvement. And educational leaders are uniquely placed to support as well
as shape the provision of professional learning at their service. This is because they have an
ongoing connection with the educators, the challenges their team faces and the new ideas
it would like to explore.
Educational leaders can maximise the benefits of professional learning by encouraging
and welcoming educators to share ideas and express opinions, and by modelling the skills
needed to engage in these conversations. When educators feel comfortable and supported
enough to debate and explore their practice, quality improves and outcomes are realised.
When designing professional learning opportunities, the educational leader could also
consider and apply the principles of adult learning (Knowles, 1984). These principles are:
• Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction.
• Experience provides the basis for the learning activities.
• Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to
their context.
• Adult learning is problem-centred rather than content-oriented.
Respecting the unique needs and interests of educators will ensure that these experiences
make a real impact.
Ideally, professional learning should be linked to the areas identified in the service’s Quality
Improvement Plan, and provide opportunities for reflection and collaboration. Professional
learning that addresses too many different issues or only explores familiar ideas will not
contribute to improvements and will be a waste of time and resources.
In collaboration with the approved provider and the educator team, educational leaders
play a key role in determining where and how the available professional learning resources
are utilised. So, they might want to consider:
• developing a professional learning plan that identifies needs and areas for
development, as well as ideas worth investigating—reviewing this plan annually
• using the individual and team meetings with educators to collect information
about specific challenges faced within the program by children or families, and
then identifying learning opportunities that directly address these issues
• planning at least one annual opportunity (possibly with the help of external
agencies or trainers) to work together as a team and discuss the service’s vision for
children’s learning, development and wellbeing, as well as ways in which these are
being maximised in the program
• identifying large-scale professional learning opportunities such as conferences that
might be inspiring and energising for educators, and allocating adequate resources
to facilitate participation
• planning all required training programs (such as first aid) in a way that they
complement the professional learning agenda
• providing educators the opportunity to identify their own professional learning
needs, and offering support for this learning.
32 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Communicating with families
Families are another important element to be considered in the work of educational
leaders. In the first instance, families should be informed of the educational leader’s
appointment, though in a manner that extends beyond a name on a wall or in a
handbook. Services might even want to consider meaningful ways to engage families in
the appointment of the educational leader. It will be reassuring for the families to know
who is responsible for guiding and ensuring the quality of their child’s learning experiences,
developing programs and practice at the service.
The educational leader can implement processes to regularly communicate with families
about the scope of their work and the various ways in which they support continuous
improvement. They can do this by:
• sharing the service’s vision for learning and wellbeing at information events
for families—this might include an invitation to provide feedback and ideas for
children’s learning
• dedicating a section in the newsletter, or another regular communication
mechanism, to share the successful strategies being implemented to strengthen
the learning and wellbeing of the children.
Resources
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 33
Leading practice
Leading practice is an essential part of being an educational leader. It includes supporting
educators in:
• implementing the relevant approved learning framework
• reflecting on their programs, practice and pedagogy
• implementing the assessment and planning cycle
• establishing systems
• participating in Communities of Practice
• understanding how Exceeding NQS themes (ACECQA, 2017) relate to everyday practice.
The approved learning frameworks support the work of the educational leader.
Referencing the frameworks in meaningful and contextual ways can build confidence and
capacity of the educator teams, and help families develop a greater understanding of
children’s learning and the purpose of children’s services. So, educational leaders might
want to consider:
• having copies of the relevant frameworks at every meeting, and being deliberate
and purposeful about linking ideas and strategies directly to the content
• exploring new ideas or finding solutions to practice issues, drawing on the
frameworks as a foundation or starting point for further analysis and research
• promoting and reflecting on the principles and practices of the frameworks as a
guide for refining and improving practice
• referencing the frameworks in ongoing communication with families, to
reassure them that the service’s educational programs and practice are based
on strong evidence and contemporary thinking in children’s education and care
service delivery
• offering induction and training opportunities to all new staff—explaining how the
service uses the frameworks and how these inform thinking and reflection
• encouraging educators to read and revisit the frameworks, and use them as a
starting point for further reading and research.
34 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Figures 1.2 and 1.3 showcase how the frameworks provide an easy reference for the
principles, practices and learning outcomes.
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Figure 1: Elements of the Framework for School Age Care
This figure is a diagram showing the relationship between outcomes, principles and practice which
centres on children’s learning. The three themes of Belonging, Being and Becoming are included,
thereby overlapping all of these elements.
Figure 1.2: Figure 1: Elements
Elements of theofEarly
the Early
YearsYears LearningFramework
Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009)
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10 BELONGING, BEING & BECOMING The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia
ING
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Physical Cultural competence
and social learning environments
Learning through play
I
BE
Figure 1.3: Elements of the Framework for School Age Care (DEEWR, 2011)
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 35
Case study
Resources
36 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
• Educators Belonging, Being and Becoming: Educators’ Guide to the Early
Years Learning Framework for Australia
www.acecqa.gov.au/media/22816
• The Early Years Learning Framework in Action: Educators’ stories and
models for practice
https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/eylf_in_action_-_
educators_stories_and_models_for_practice_0.pdf
• Developmental milestones and the Early Years Learning Framework and
the National Quality Standards
www.acecqa.gov.au/media/25681
• My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia
www.acecqa.gov.au/media/24641
• Educators My Time, Our Place: Educators’ Guide to the Framework for
School Age Care in Australia
www.acecqa.gov.au/media/24631
• Belonging, Being and Becoming: Remote Indigenous Professional
Development Package for the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia
https://www.ecrh.edu.au/resources/detail/index/remote-indigenous-
professional-development-package-for-the-early-years-learning-
framework-for-australia
Reflective questions
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 37
Fostering reflection
Another key responsibility of the educational leader is to nurture a culture of critical
reflection among the team (Quality Area 1.3.2: Critical reflection [ACECQA, 2018, p. 90]).
Critical reflection is also embedded in the Exceeding NQS themes, and it holds the
key to practices that respond to the diverse contexts and experiences of children and
their families.
While educators may be willing to explore opportunities to think more deeply about their
practice, they may be uncertain about how to choose content, what processes to apply and
how to make records. Educational leaders can offer tangible and practical support to assist
the team in developing the habit of critical reflection, and impart the skills to make the
process meaningful.
Strategies include:
• embedding critical reflection as ‘usual practice’ by providing regular opportunities
and an open, collegial professional environment in which educators can raise
questions about practice
• setting up a regular time to hold reflective practice meetings or discussions—these
should be separate from staff meetings, where operational matters are discussed,
and the emphasis should be on regularity of the opportunity to be reflective
• sourcing matters for reflective discussion from observations, family feedback,
informal or formal catch-up meetings with team members, and children’s
interactions with educators
• ensuring that meetings extend to the agreed time and conclude with a plan of
action, with staff members being assigned tasks requiring follow-ups by specific
due dates
• using a range of tools (see the resource box on p. 40) to assist in the thinking and
reflecting process.
The practice of refection is discussed further in Part Two of this Resource.
38 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Case study
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 39
Resources
40 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Supporting the assessment and planning cycle
A central responsibility of the educational leader is to help educators understand,
implement and share the assessment and planning cycle. This process underpins the
quality of the decisions made by educators and helps ensure that children’s education
and care services enrich and enable children’s learning and wellbeing. Figure 1.4 (derived
from the figure used in the frameworks and the NQS [ACECQA, 2018, p. 125]) describes the
planning cycle.
THE
Reflect/review
Analyse learning
ASSESSMENT
AND PLANNING
CYCLE
Act/do
Plan
The planning cycle is often a source of concern for educators, who misinterpret it as a focus
on paperwork and recording data rather than spending time with children. Educational
leaders can play a part in reassuring educators that the planning cycle actually supports
curriculum decision-making in meaningful ways. Taking time to explore the assessment
and planning cycle with educators will help them understand the benefits of the process
and help to alleviate undue stress.
For educational leaders, it’s important to be mindful that their role in leading the
development and implementation of the educational program is primarily to support
educators in the implementation of the planning cycle. Educational leaders are not
expected to assume the role of compliance officer or monitor educators’ work. A more
accurate approach would be to guide, mentor and encourage educators to understand
the expectations of the planning cycle, and develop their capabilities.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 41
The Guide to the National Quality Framework (ACECQA, 2018, p. 96) suggests that
‘With guidance from the educational leader, educators:
• use an approved learning framework to underpin their everyday practice. The
framework guides interactions with children and families and provides the basis for
educators’ pedagogical decision-making, including the experiences that are planned
for children and the teaching and learning that occurs
• develop the educational program based on their knowledge of each child so that the
interactions, experiences, routines and events that each child engages in are relevant
to them, respectful of their background and recognise and build on their current
strengths, abilities and interests
• ensure that the interactions, experiences, routines and events included in the
educational program maximise opportunities for children’s learning’.
In this and many other references in the NQS, the educational leader is identified as a
guide or mentor rather than a monitor or compliance officer, with sole responsibility for
the planning process. Communicating this to all those involved in the daily operations of a
children’s service is crucial to avoid misunderstandings.
A useful strategy to promote shared understanding of expectations and the planning
process is to lead a regular planning meeting or professional learning conversation about
this area of practice.
42 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Case study
A key aspect of the role is to make sure all educators are able to articulate the
cycle of planning
My role as Educational Leader at Pitt Town Early Learning Centre (part of Affinity
Education Group) is integral to the success of the business. The role incorporates five
key focus areas, including:
• role modelling best practice with educators in all areas across the centre—
this involves modelling successful two-way communication with families and
educators; demonstrating stimulating and engaging experiences, where children’s
learning is scaffolded; and consistently modelling best practice in terms of hygiene
and children’s safety
• ensuring all educators are supported in their study and that they are managing
their work/study load—this may range from Certificate III to a degree in
early childhood
• spending time in every room, each week, to ensure programs are up-to-date
and to check how the teams are tracking with the planning cycle, including child
observations and follow-ups—this involves holding frequent conversations to
make sure all educators are able to articulate the cycle of planning
• keeping educators up-to-date with current research articles, book summaries
and any new ideas that the centre could incorporate—also through sharing new
findings, new meal ideas or successful events via our internal website, which
incorporates over 150 centres nationally
• supporting the wellbeing of all individuals, as a priority, and striving to ensure
that all team members are happy in their workplace and have a healthy work/life
balance—this includes sharing articles on educator wellbeing and information
about local picnic and walking locations, to encourage outdoor activity—a happy
and healthy staff creates a happy and healthy workplace.
In my role, I certainly do not profess to know everything, but I am committed to
sourcing and following up on information as required. I am open to change and am
constantly reflecting on how things could be performed better, ensuring the centre is
always advancing in a positive direction.
— Meg Mathews
Early Childhood Teacher and Educational Leader (New South Wales)
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 43
Resources
These resources can help educational leaders understand the expectations and
possibilities of the planning cycle.
Child Australia: Effective curriculum planning and documentation methods in
education and care services
This ‘How To’ resource will provide ideas and guidance to educators on
developing curriculum and documentation practices.
https://www.ecrh.edu.au/docs/default-source/resources/ipsp/effective-
curriculum-planning-and-documentation-methods-in-education-and-
care-services
ACECQA: Documenting programs for school age services
This information sheet describes documentation requirements for all school age
services; continuing documentation requirements for school age care services
in the ACT, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia; as well
as documentation requirements that apply to school age care services in the
Northern Territory, Queensland and NSW.
www.acecqa.gov.au/media/24656
ACECQA video: Educational leaders supporting the cycle of planning
Joce Nuttall, Professor at Australian Catholic University and ACECQA Board
member, considers the way educational leaders support the cycle of planning and
take the longer view when thinking about and evaluating programs for children.
https://youtu.be/QkfJOjSQ9gI
ACECQA video: Documentation and the cycle of planning in outside school
hours care
Dr Jennifer Cartmel and Professor Jennifer Sumsion discuss My Time, Our
Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia, and the intention behind
documentation as part of the cycle of planning.
https://youtu.be/wKOI6poCZGw
ECA Learning Hub video: Planning and documentation—Part 1 of 3
This ECA ‘Talking About Practice’ video is designed to support discussion and
reflection on the planning cycle and associated documentation.
https://youtu.be/XRkPaewfMm0
continued on next page ...
44 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
VCAA Resources
The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is an independent
statutory body reporting to the Victorian Minister for Education. Its website
contains several resources focused on planning effectively for children’s learning.
www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/earlyyears/index.aspx#
www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/earlyyears/focus_on_birthtothree.aspx
www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/earlyyears/assesspractice.aspx
QCAA Resources
The Queensland Curriculum Assessment Authority (QCAA) provides a range of
educational services to Queensland schools and the wider community. These
resources can assist in planning for children’s learning.
www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/kindergarten
www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/kindergarten/samples-templates
Reflective questions
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 45
Establishing systems
It is essential to establish service-wide
systems that will allow the educational
leader to know how the education program
is being delivered and what strategies are
being used to support improvements.
It is a good idea to use standardised
processes to keep track of the many
conversations and plans being made
with individual educators, teams and the
approved provider. While there are no
formal requirements, it is useful to have
records of discussions and decisions that
can be referred to during the assessment
and rating process, or when asked to
reflect on previous work or account for
particular strategies.
Suggestions for effective record-keeping systems include:
• establishing an electronic file for each team within the service where notes of
meetings and any other important resources about the program can be kept
• establishing a shared electronic folder where colleagues can access information
and resources collected by the educational leader and educators, such as journal
articles or newsletters
• creating a specific educational leader email address and encouraging educators
to email concerns, questions or achievements—this establishes a record of
communication between educators and the educational leader
• keeping a journal/notebook to record observations or discussions
• making a meeting template for the educational leader to keep track of designated
and set action items.
Reflective questions
46 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Community of Practice
A Community of Practice is a useful model for an educational leader to consider. This
approach is about drawing together:
… a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn
how to do it better as they interact regularly. This definition reflects the fundamentally
social nature of human learning. It is very broad. It applies to a street gang, whose
members learn how to survive in a hostile world, as well as a group of engineers who
learn how to design better devices or a group of civil servants who seek to improve
service to citizens (Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2011).
The Bastow Institute (part of the Victorian Education Department) encourages networks
and system leaders to adopt a Communities of Practice approach to share knowledge,
experience and resources. The approach involves ‘educational leaders and professionals
working collaboratively with the goal of developing a collective responsibility for driving
improvement using the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO)’ (DET, 2017).
Resources
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 47
Identifying and leading practice that exceeds the NQS
Leading practice includes considering how the Exceeding NQS themes (ACECQA, 2018, p.
331) are reflected in the service’s programs, practices and policies. These themes were
introduced in 2018, in response to requests from the sector to provide additional guidance
on practice that exceeds the NQS.
While it is important to recognise that educational leaders are not solely responsible for the
demonstration of Exceeding NQS themes, they do play a role in building an understanding
of the expectations of the Exceeding NQS benchmark. This includes understanding how the
themes relate to everyday practice, supporting educators to identify practice that reflects
the themes and planning for continual improvements.
The three Exceeding NQS themes are:
• Theme 1: Practice is embedded in service operations
• Theme 2: Practice is informed by critical reflection
• Theme 3: Practice is shaped by meaningful engagement with families and/or
the community.
The three Exceeding NQS themes are applied at the NQS rating level for standards (Table 1.1).
Table 1.1: Summary of approach to determining NQS for standards (ACECQA, 2017)
Working Towards NQS Meeting NQS Exceeding NQS
One or more elements of the All elements of the standard are All elements of the standard are
standard are not met. met. met.
Service practice does not reflect Service practice reflects all three
all three Exceeding themes, for Exceeding themes:
example: is embedded in
ü Practice
û Practice is embedded in
service operations
service operations
ü Practice is informed by
ü Practice is informed by critical reflection
critical reflection
ü Practice is shaped by
ü Practice is shaped by
meaningful engagement
meaningful engagement
with families and/or
with families and/or community
community
48 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
• choose one of the Exceeding NQS themes and invite educators to think of work
examples that demonstrate this approach—for instance, family day care educators
might work together to identify shared practice approaches for taking children out
into the community, or collecting children from school, or preparing for meal times
• discuss and demonstrate how the service’s leadership team supports collaboration
with educators, to effectively lead the development of the curriculum and set high
expectations for teaching and learning
• encourage educators to discuss and demonstrate how they:
»» feel supported to learn and grow in their professional practice
»» work with the educational leader to consistently deliver an educational
program that sets high expectations for each child’s learning.
Resources
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 49
Leading change
If you’re any good at all, you know you can be better (Lindsay Buckingham).
A likely part of the educational leader’s role is to lead change. This change process is
articulated as ‘continuous improvement’ in the NQS.
Understanding the process of change
There are many resources available to help professionals understand and lead change. One of
the most famous and well-used is John Kotter’s (2018) eight-step process for leading change.
These steps (Table 1.2) can be implemented by educational leaders to inspire reflective
questions about existing practices and to support the process of change where it is required.
Table 1.2: The eight-step process for leading change (adapted from Kotter, 2018) and
related questions that may help in its implementation
Form a guiding coalition: Building Who in the team is already on board with
momentum for change requires the change?
strong leadership.
Develop a vision and strategy: A drive How can the service philosophy be
for change needs a clear vision. utilised to drive a culture of change?
Enable action and remove obstacles: What strategies will work in the setting?
Take practical action to put supportive What are the obstacles?
structures in place and empower and
encourage smooth transition.
Hold the gains and build on change: How do we record what we have
Continuous improvement and done and build on it? How is the
seeing each success [and failure] as Quality Improvement Plan used to
an opportunity. support improvement?
Anchor changes in the culture: Become How do we articulate this new culture
embedded in the ‘new way we do things to others?
around here’.
50 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Case study
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 51
Resources
Note: Action research is best undertaken with others over a period of time. This allows ideas to
be tested and refined, as educators learn more about themselves and the impact of their work.
52 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
REFLECT
Reflecting on our practice
and any ideas for new practices
and what they mean.
PLAN
Based on our observations and
reflections and the analysis of
what they mean, plan key
actions—what needs to be
done and who needs to do it.
ACT
Implement the plans.
OBSERVE
Record what happened,
what we notice and identify
further ideas that we
want to explore.
Figure 1.5: The action research process is made up of four key stages (adapted from
Kemmis & McTaggart, 1988, as cited in Dick, 2000)
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 53
Case study
54 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
However, this trust will falter if they do not believe in you, the vision of the service, or
your own trust and belief in this vision. You need to practice what you preach. If your
vision and philosophy speak of sustainability, then the team needs to see you taking
an active part in this process. What do you do on a daily basis to promote this? To
strive for this? Our vision and philosophy at FOOSHC is cemented in playwork and it
is my love of, belief in, engagement with and advocacy for playwork that continue to
inspire the team to want to live and breathe it as much as I do.
You cannot expect your team to go above and beyond if you are hiding in the office. I
learnt long ago that, to inspire, I needed to be out in the rain, covered in mud, pushing
the boundaries, lobbying and advocating to have fires and being able to climb trees.
I needed to play and create time and space for the team to play, to remember what it
feels like, in order to facilitate the time and space for children to do the same.
Possibly my greatest success though has come from realising that, in order to inspire
others, you need to refuel your own tank. Over the past five years in this role, I have
attended countless professional development sessions—some that align with what
I stand for and some that do not (where one often ends up learning the most from). I
have seized every available opportunity to advocate and lobby for the role and what
FOOSHC stands for; using each as a teachable moment for FOOSHC stakeholders and
empowering our team to do the same. I have sought out mentors who have challenged
and inspired me, and have myself acted as a mentor to other services. I have also
embarked on three self-funded study tours to the USA and the UK, to completely immerse
myself in playwork, develop my own practice and push myself well out of my comfort
zone. All this has ensured, more than I can ever put into words, that I do not drown in
the everyday life of the work that we do. And, most importantly, this, above all else, is
what has inspired those I work with to want to improve their practice.
— Kylie Keane
Educational leader (Australian Capital Territory)
(With contributions from, and in consultation with,
Catherine Penhale, Alyssa Roggero, Patrick Brennan, Jay Calder,
Neave O’ Dwyer, Nick Graeber-Browne and Ali Sewter)
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 55
Resources
56 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Supporting the role: The approved provider’s perspective
In children’s education and care services,
when appointing an educational leader,
consideration needs to be given to
Quality Area 7 of the NQS—in particular,
Element 7.2.2 which requires the
educational leader be supported and lead
the development and implementation of
the educational program and assessment
and planning cycle.
Underpinning this element, Regulation
118 of the National Regulations (New
South Wales Government, 2018) requires
that the approved provider must
‘designate, in writing, a suitably qualified
and experienced educator, coordinator or
other individual as educational leader at
the service to lead the development and
implementation of educational programs
in the service’. In addition, Regulation
148 requires that ‘the staff record
must include the name of the person
designated as the educational leader in
accordance with Regulation 118’.
It is important to note that neither the
NQS nor the regulatory requirements are prescriptive of the qualifications, experience, skills
or role description of the educational leader. This recognises that every service and every
team of educators is different. The flexibility built into these provisions allows approved
providers to choose the best person in the service to take on this role. The chosen person
also needs to be willing and able to take on this role.
Appointing an educational leader also demonstrates the approved provider’s
commitment to optimising quality outcomes for children. Cheeseman (2012) identifies
that ideally the educational leader has education and care qualifications. Further, when
choosing an educational leader, Cheeseman (2012) suggests that ‘consideration should
be given to an educator’s:
• knowledge of theories, learning and development—someone who has an interest in
reading widely and sharing information with other educators in bite-sized chunks
• knowledge of curriculum approaches and the strengths and weaknesses of each
approach in particular settings or with particular children
• access to current research about curriculum and a desire to guide others in reflecting
on their practice
• knowledge of individual children and learning styles so that approaches can be
differentiated to meet complex needs of children from a range of backgrounds and abilities
• personal qualities and a willingness to listen as well as coach, mentor and reflect
alongside their team’.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 57
The Guide to the National Quality Framework (ACECQA, 2018, p. 304) details the key areas
that the approved providers should expect the educational leader to focus on:
An effective educational program includes realistic goals which have a clear purpose in line
with the service’s philosophy (see Element 7.1.1). The educational program and practice
reflect the principles, practice and outcomes of an approved learning framework (see
Element 1.1.1).
When the approved provider offers appropriate levels of support to the educational leader, the
whole service benefits. It empowers the educational leader to foster a positive culture, ensuring
the consistent delivery of quality educational programs and practice. The following section
explores what is expected from approved providers regarding supporting educational leaders.
58 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Case study
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 59
Resources
60 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
3. Develop a comprehensive interview process that might include a representative
from the educator team. Consider the following questions:
»» Why do you want to be an educational leader?
»» How would you lead the development and implementation of the
education program?
»» How would you lead the development and implementation of the assessment
and planning cycle?
»» How would you describe your own pedagogy/pedagogical influences?
»» How do you critically reflect?
»» Can you tell us how you led reflective practice discussions with your colleagues,
and what strategies you used to help people engage with this part of practice?
»» What support would you require to fulfil the role?
»» Continuous improvement is an expectation of this service under the NQS.
Can you tell us about a process of improvement that you have led? What
happened? What were the challenges and how did you overcome them?
»» How do you see the role of educational leader unfolding? What is your vision
for the way the role works in a service?
»» If you are selected for this role, how would you ensure that you keep practice
expectation and quality improvement up-to-date? What resources do you rely
on/refer to? What processes do you use? How do you share them with others?
»» Can you tell us about a pedagogical issue that you have had to deal with (for
example, using stencils) and how you managed it?
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 61
»» Communicating with the team is an essential part of the role—can you tell us
about your communication skills? What communication strategies have you
used, and how did you know they were effective?
»» We are keen to see the mentoring role in the service progress—can you tell
us about your experience in mentoring others? How would you go about
convincing your colleagues to engage in this process, if they have never been a
part of it before?
»» What do you think are the most important challenges for educators in
delivering quality education?
»» At times, planning and documentation cause anxiety for our educators. What
is your experience with this part of quality improvement and how have you
supported educators in feeling more confident about planning?
»» How do you/would you work with educators to ensure the cycle of planning
is implemented?
»» What is your experience in working with educators who may have different
strengths? How have you used these in building a team?
»» The educational leader may, from time to time, have a challenging conversation
with the team about practice—can you tell us about a time when you have had a
conversation like this? What did you learn about yourself from this experience?
»» The educational leader role is a lot about supporting change—can you tell us
how you have managed change with teams? How do you feel about change?
What strategies would you use to help people change and improve?
»» Ongoing professional learning is important for quality—can you tell us about
your commitment to professional learning? How have you supported others in
their professional learning? What do you believe is the role of the educational
leader in professional learning?
»» How do you see this role in relation to families? How would you go about
partnering and collaborating with families?
»» What systems and processes have you established to support educators? How
did they work? What was the impact? What made them successful?
4. Organise an induction process that prepares the educational leader not only for
working in the service but also for helping them understand the current approaches
to quality and continuous improvement. Effective induction processes for an
educational leader might include:
»» a discussion about the vision and mission of the organisation or company,
such as major achievements and plans for the future
»» a discussion about the existing quality improvement process—what has
worked well, and the current rating and assessment status
»» a discussion about the teams and how they have responded to the
expectations of quality improvement
»» an opportunity to identify shared goals and expectations of the role.
62 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
What about qualifications?
Qualifications, experience, well-developed knowledge, skills and attributes are all
important factors when selecting a suitable educational leader. While the NQS and
National Regulations are not prescriptive about the qualifications that educational leaders
must hold, educational leaders need to demonstrate that they can undertake the role
effectively.
As outlined previously, education and care qualifications; knowledge of theories, learning
and development; and knowledge of curriculum approaches are essential for success in
this role.
Assessment and rating data indicates a correlation between the educational leader
element and NQS Quality Area 1, that is, services that meet the requirements for
an educational leader, generally do better in the elements and standards related to
educational programs and practices.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 63
Case study
64 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Knowledge
Using and sharing knowledge is an essential element of the educational leader’s role.
(This dimension of the role will be described in more detail in Part Two of this Resource.)
Ideally, educational leaders should demonstrate:
• an understanding of the expectations of the sector and, specifically, the National
Regulations, NQF, NQS, approved learning frameworks, child development, theory
and philosophy
• contemporary understanding of evidence-based best practice approaches to
teaching and learning
• a strong interest and demonstrated practice in acquiring knowledge (for example,
reading widely and taking up opportunities to learn more about working with
children and families)
• a good knowledge of the children’s education and care sector, the setting they will
be working in, and a willingness to learn
• a capacity to share with others the knowledge they acquire
• a commitment to upholding professional standards such as the ECA Code of Ethics
(ECA, 2016).
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 65
Skills
Educational leaders will need a range of skills to effectively undertake the role. As part of
the job requirements, an approved provider must seek, or hope to develop, skills such as:
• educational program planning
• application of the assessment and planning cycle, as applied to each child
(jurisdiction-specific) and the program as a whole
• excellent communication skills (both written and oral) and the capacity to convey
complex ideas in accessible ways
• offering inspiration and motivation to the team, to encourage exemplary practice
and an excitement for change
• delegating responsibility and key tasks to others, as a means of empowerment and
capacity building
• the ability to come up with creative and innovative solutions, and work with others
to try new ideas and explore alternative ways of practice
• the ability to give and receive feedback, and use it to support growth
and improvement
• time management skills and the capacity to prioritise multiple expectations
• taking responsibility for their work and the educational effectiveness of the program
• leading change and supporting others to shift practice
• mentoring and coaching others.
66 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Attributes
Many attributes contribute to the effective practice of educational leadership. They
are similar to those required in leaders generally, and make engagement with teams
considerably easier. Attributes or characteristics that an educational leader is expected to
portray include:
• respectfulness—acting with empathy; mindful of the needs and right of others
• honesty and integrity—always being truthful and following through on
agreed actions
• confidence—demonstrating a willingness to speak up and advocate for best practice
• courage—being prepared to address difficult issues
• enthusiasm—being positive, open-minded and willing to try new approaches
• commitment—showing a level of responsibility to the role and those in the team
• decisiveness—making clear and transparent decisions
• empowerment—sharing the power and decision-making with others
• generocity—being courteous with colleagues and families in the service
• cooperation—showing a commitment to collaboration with all members of the
team, especially those who find it difficult to participate.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 67
Table 1.3: Support strategies for approved providers
Level of experience
and confidence of an Strategies
educational leader
68 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Other strategies include:
• holding regular meetings about service operation (see meeting agenda template
on p. 145 of this Resource)
• allocating set hours for the role in relation to the needs of the service, for example,
the number of educators in the service
• providing a budget and enabling the educational leader to work and meet with
staff; for example, a relief staff budget to enable educators to be backfilled
• providing a professional learning budget for the educational leader—supporting
their participation in local networks, and other formal educational leader training
and support opportunities
• providing access to contemporary educational journals and other subscriptions to
support professional learning (see resources on p. 71)
• allocating a supplementary equipment budget to allow for the purchase of
additional items to support continuous improvement projects
• covering membership fees of professional organisations—these allow educational
leaders to access up-to-date information and resources, and stay connected with
other leaders
• funding membership fees of local community organisations that support
education and innovations, such as environment and sustainability groups,
reconciliation groups and other community initiatives.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 69
Case study
Build a relationship based on respect and understanding of each
other’s responsibilities
The outside school hours care (OSHC) team at Wheelers Hill Primary School often
connects with busy working families that don’t have regular contact with the school
community. There is also a strong connection between the school and the OSHC
program, as we share information about the children who attend the program, and
work on how children’s learning and social skills can be supported.
The relationship between Sharyn Veale, our OSHC co-ordinator/educational leader,
and myself (as the school principal) is built on respect and understanding of each
other’s responsibilities. We both understand the big picture of running a school and
the many roles and responsibilities required to manage an OSHC program. This
enables us to have open conversations about the direction of our OSHC program
and how it supports the school community.
We consider Sharyn to be part of the school education team. She attends regular staff
meetings, professional development (PD) training on social capacity or whole-school
approaches, and staff wellbeing training. The OSHC voice is an important part of
seeing many children in different environments and can often fill in the blanks about
a child in need or a family in crisis. By including the OSHC educational leader in these
meetings, we affirm that the school and the team values Sharyn’s opinions and the
work she does. Children’s wellbeing is a combined approach and having the OSHC
educational leader as a member of our School Improvement Team ensures we are
all on the same page in supporting children’s growth and wellbeing. The educational
leader is also part of individual meetings held with professionals and families of
children who are struggling or are dealing with trauma or other difficult issues.
Having open communication has allowed for individual mentoring on situations,
or feedback as situations happen. We hold regular informal chats and organise
check-in meetings about how the program is going, to identify current issues that
need addressing. As the educational leader, Sharyn is also prepared to see issues
and discuss possible solutions. This helps in developing outcomes that are both
beneficial to the program as well as the families and children attending. We also
make the time to develop learning goals within the Professional Development
Program together and hold mid-cycle chats about its progress and what support is
needed for achieving the planned goals.
The OSHC budget provides for PD training within the program and externally. We
encourage Sharyn to attend conferences and training that supports the growth
of the program and her individual development. We also look at training sessions
to support individual goals for the year and for attending network meetings or
participating in community organisations, which support OSHC in providing quality
care for all children within work hours.
OSHC is part of our school’s whole approach to working with families and children’s
learning and wellbeing.
— Michael Ramsey
Principal (Victoria)
70 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Resources
Academic journals
Subscribing to academic journals that showcase contemporary pedagogy and
practice will help support educational leaders and, in turn, educators to extend
their professional knowledge and develop new strategies. This will further
enhance children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
Early Childhood Australia: Australasian Journal of Early Childhood
The Australasian Journal of Early Childhood (AJEC) is Australasia’s foremost
scholarly journal and the world’s longest-running major journal within the early
childhood sector. Published quarterly, AJEC offers evidence-based articles that
are designed to impart new information and encourage the critical exchange of
ideas among early childhood practitioners, academics and students.
www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/australasian-
journal-early-childhood/
SAGE Publishing: Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood (CIEC) is a peer-reviewed international
research journal. It provides a forum for researchers and professionals who
are exploring new and alternative perspectives in their work with young
children (from birth to eight years of age) and their families. The journal covers
interdisciplinary, cutting-edge work which may include the following areas:
poststructuralist, postmodern and postcolonial approaches; queer theory;
sociology of childhood; alternative viewpoints of child development. It also
looks at issues such as language and identity, the discourse of difference,
new information technologies, stories and voices, curriculum, culture and
pedagogy.
https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/journal/contemporary-issues-
early-childhood
Common Threads: Journal of Playwork Practice
Playwork is an approach to working with children that aims to support and
facilitate play. The Journal of Playwork Practice is used by professionals
working with children in a variety of international settings, from parks to
prisons and deserts to development projects. The journal aims to advance
playwork research and practice through the publication and dissemination of
scholarship and literature relevant to the practice.
http://www.commonthreads.org.uk/jpp.html
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 71
Time allocation
There is no set time prescribed for the educational leader role in the National Regulations
or the NQS. It is up to the approved provider to determine and ensure that adequate time
is allocated to fulfil the expectations of the role effectively. So, it will require a contextual
approach, as each service is unique.
While it is difficult to indicate a preferred model of hours and times for the role, the following
parameters might help approved providers in appropriately allocating time, based on:
• service size—depending on size, services may require less or more educational
leader hours and related resources to effectively support the number of educators
and educational programs in their practice
»» a smaller service might need to combine leadership roles, for example,
educational leader and assistant manager—this is a good option when resources
are limited; however, care should be taken to ensure that the management roles
do not consume the educational roles, as mentoring and management may
bring in a conflict of interest for both educational leaders and educators
»» larger services might consider redefining the role to allow for specialisations,
such as working with children aged birth to three years, or the oldest children in
the school age care program, or in terms of the outside space
• staff size—services with a number of part-time educators might need to consider
allocating educational leader hours across a week and with some flexibility to
ensure all educators benefit from support
• service type—for example, family day care services might consider fixing a certain
number of educators per educational leader to ensure that support is offered equally.
Note: If roles are combined (for example, the nominated supervisor and educational leader)
approved providers need to be mindful that adequate resources and support are available
to ensure that the educational leader role is effectively implemented and supported.
Case study
72 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
Resources
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 73
What will be considered in the assessment and rating process?
The Guide to the National Quality Framework (ACECQA, 2018, p. 306) provides examples of
what assessors may observe, discuss or sight in the assessment and rating process in regard
to the educational leader role. For example, they may observe the educational leader working
with educators to build capacity and understanding about pedagogy and practice, including
ways in which educators assess, reflect on and plan for children’s learning.
In addition, the assessor may discuss, for example:
• how the service supports the educational leader to have opportunities for
discussions with educators, provide mentoring, lead reflective practice, and realise
the intent of their role
• how the educational leader assists educators in promoting children’s learning and
development and, when necessary, facilitating discussions with families
• what strategies and processes the educational leader uses to lead the
development of effective programs within the service, and to ensure the planning
cycle is implemented effectively.
To support the information collected, the assessor may also sight evidence of:
• designation of the educational leader in the staff record
• documentation of the educational leader providing feedback and guidance to
educators about the assessment and planning cycle
• reflective practice discussions that critically examine current practice and that lead
to quality improvement.
74 Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements ACECQA
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
ACECQA. (2018). Guide to the National Quality Framework (October 2018). Sydney, NSW:
ACECQA. Retrieved from https://www.acecqa.gov.au/media/23811.
ACECQA. (2017). Leadership and management in education and care services. Occasional
Paper 5. Retrieved from www.acecqa.gov.au/media/25871.
Bown, K., & Sumsion, J. (2016). Generating visionary policy for early childhood education
and care: Politicians’ and early childhood sector advocate/activists’ perspectives.
Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 17(2), 192–209.
Cheeseman, S. (2012). The educational leader. Early Childhood Australia NQS PLP
e-Newsletter No. 33. Retrieved from www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/wp-
content/uploads/2012/05/NQS_PLP_E-Newsletter_No33.pdf.
Clark, A., & Moss, P. (2015). Listening to young children: The mosaic approach (2nd ed.).
Philadelphia, PA: National Children’s Bureau.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2009).
Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2011). My Time,
Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia. Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth
of Australia.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 75
Department of Education and Training (DET). (2016). Victorian Early Years Learning and
Development Framework. Melbourne, Vic.: State of Victoria.
Department of Education and Training (DET). (2017). Framework for Improving Student
Outcomes (FISO). Melbourne, Vic.: Bastow Institute/Victoria State Government. Retrieved
11 October, 2018, from www.bastow.vic.edu.au/courses/fiso.
DeVita, C. M., Colvin, R. L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Haycock, K. (2007). Educational
leadership: A bridge to school reform. New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation.
Dick, B. (2000). A beginner’s guide to action research. Retrieved 11 October, 2018, from
www.aral.com.au/resources/guide.html.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA). (2016). Code of Ethics. Canberra, ACT: ECA.
Goffee, R., & Jones, G. (2006). Why should anyone be led by you? What it takes to be an
authentic leader. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Kemmis, S., & McTaggart, R. (Eds.). (1988). The action research planner (3rd ed.). Melbourne,
Vic.: Deakin University.
Knowles, M. (1984). The adult learner: A neglected species (3rd ed.). Houston, TX:
Gulf Publishing.
Kotter, J. (2018). The 8-step process for leading change. Retrieved 18 June, 2018, from
www.kotterinc.com/8-steps-process-for-leading-change/.
Male, T., & Palaiologou, I. (2015). Pedagogical leadership in the 21st century: Evidence from
the field. Educational Management, Administration & Leadership, 43(2), 214–231.
New South Wales Government. (2018). Education and Care Services National Regulations.
Current version for 1 February 2018. Retrieved 18 June, 2018, from www.legislation.nsw.
gov.au/#/view/regulation/2011/653/whole#/chap4/part4.4/div2/reg.120.
Nolan, A., Cartmel, J., & Macfarlane, K. (2014). Professional partnerships in children’s services:
Working together for children. Canberra, ACT: Early Childhood Australia.
Rodd, J. (1998). Leadership in early childhood: The pathway to professionalism. Sydney,
NSW: Open University Press.
Rodd, J. (2013). Leadership in early childhood: The pathway to professionalism (4th ed.).
Sydney, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Ord, K., Mane, J., Smorti, S., Carroll-Lind, J., Robinson, L., Armstrong-Read, A., … Jalal, J.
(2013). Developing pedagogical leadership in early childhood education. Wellington, NZ:
Te Tari Puna Ora o Aotearoa/NZ Childcare Association.
O’Connell, M., Fox, S., Hinz, B., & Cole, H. (2016). Quality early education for all: Fostering,
entrepreneurial, resilient and capable leaders. Mitchell Institute policy paper No. 01/2016.
Melbourne, Vic.: Mitchell Institute. Available from www.mitchellinstitute.org.au.
Sahlberg, P. (2018). FinnishED leadership: Four big, inexpensive ideas to transform education.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Sims, M., Waniganayake, M., & Hadley, F. (2017). Educational leadership: An evolving role in
Australian early childhood settings. Educational Management, Administration & Leadership,
46(6), 960–979.
Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Manni, L. (2007). Effective leadership in the early years sector: The ELEYS
study. London, UK: Institute of Education, University of London.
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Stremmel, A. J. (2012). Reshaping the landscape of early childhood teaching through
teacher research. In G. Perry, B. Henderson & D. R. Meier (Eds.) Our inquiry, our practice:
Undertaking, supporting, and learning from early childhood teacher research(ers)
(pp. 107–116). Washington, DC: NAEYC.
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Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) Project: Findings from pre-school to end of key stage 1.
Nottingham, UK: Department for Education and Skills.
Waniganayake, M., Cheeseman, S., Fenech, M., Hadley, F., & Shepherd, W. (2017).
Leadership: Contexts and complexities in early childhood education. Sydney, NSW: Oxford
University Press.
Wenger, E., McDermott, R., & Snyder, W. (Eds.). (2002). Cultivating communities of practice: A
guide to managing knowledge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Wenger-Trayner, E., & Wenger-Trayner, B. (2011). What is a community of practice? Retrieved 18
June, 2018, from http://wenger-trayner.com/resources/what-is-a-community-of-practice/.
For a full reference list for the NQS Quality Areas, see the ACECQA website:
www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/about/guide/NQS-reference-list.
ACECQA Part One: The role of an educational leader: Expectations and requirements 77
Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
PART TWO
A Model for understanding
and exploring educational
leadership
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 79
PART TWO: A MODEL FOR UNDERSTANDING AND EXPLORING
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
80 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
KNOWLEDGE PROFESSIONALISM
EFFECTIVE
EDUCATIONAL
LEADERSHIP
RELATIONSHIPS REFLECTION
Knowledge
This dimension recognises the educational leader as being knowledgeable about
children’s learning, wellbeing and the quality practices that promote outcomes.
In addition, educational leaders demonstrate a strong commitment to ongoing
learning, and actively pursue new ideas and contemporary understandings
related to the children and families in their service.
They demonstrate this commitment by sharing their knowledge—with colleagues
as well as the community of children’s education and care services—in order to
understand how theories shape practice and how the lived experience of educators
influences research.
The knowledge that leaders need is broad and contextual: knowledge of pedagogy,
curriculum, assessment processes as well as the theories and practices that
support effective teaching and learning within specific program settings. It is
also essential to know how these ideas play out in specific settings and contexts,
what factors influence the delivery of quality educational programs, and how
educators learn.
With an understanding of how important it is to be a learner, the educational
leader is a knowledge broker and knowledge generator, who commits to building a
knowledgeable community of practice.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 81
Reflective questions
• What do educational leaders need to know?
• What specific knowledge do I need in my service?
• How do I build my knowledge?
• What do I already know?
• What do I need to know?
• How can new knowledge best be communicated to the team I work with?
Professionalism
This dimension recognises that educational leaders demonstrate professional and ethical
practice in their interactions with others, and use their influence to establish what the Early
Years Learning Framework (EYLF) (DEEWR, 2009, p. 13) and the Framework for School Age
Care (DEEWR, 2011, p. 12) refer to as a ‘lively culture of professional inquiry’.
Acting as a professional, and articulating why these behaviours are important,
helps others understand the scope of ethical responsibilities that shape this
sector’s work with children, families, colleagues and the community. In this
way, educational leaders challenge the prevailing image of educators as mere
technicians, and remould their identity as educators engaged in the complex task
of enhancing children’s learning and wellbeing.
The process of setting the tone for professionalism begins with educational leaders
thinking of themselves as professionals with ethical responsibilities to which they
hold themselves accountable. These commitments have been outlined in the Early
Childhood Australia (ECA) Code of Ethics (ECA, 2016) and apply to all childhood
professionals who work in children’s education and care services across Australia.
Professionalism is also about advocating for the place of effective educational
programs and practice in the delivery of children’s education and care. From
time to time, it might mean taking courageous action and having the capacity
to speak up for children’s right to quality education. This skill is enhanced by the
development of the other dimensions in this Model.
Reflective questions
• What does it mean to be professional and ethical as an educational leader?
• What do educational leaders need to know to be professional?
• How can I demonstrate my professionalism to others?
82 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Relationships
This dimension recognises the role of the educational leader as being intensely
relational. Much of what is prescribed and promoted as fundamental to the role,
and to bringing ideas to fruition, relies on effective and collaborative relationships.
These relationships are sophisticated, dynamic and, at their best, are built on
respect, dialogue and an emphasis on collaborative thinking. They are much more
than friendships and go beyond simple agreement. Connections of this kind work to
promote a shared vision of practice and endure the ebbs and flows of service delivery.
Educational leaders commit to nurturing relationships not because it is easier,
although this is invariably the case, but because practice in children’s education and
care services grows from, and is shaped by, effective relationships.
It is often the case that when educational leaders assume the role, they notice a shift
in their relationships with others, especially with colleagues. As they move from peer
to leader, they balance being part of the team while also offering advice and support,
and driving a vision for quality.
Reflective questions
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 83
Reflection
This dimension recognises the educational leader as being a reflective professional
who takes time—alone and with others—to consider the impact of the sector’s
collective work with children, families, colleagues and the wider community.
The art of reflection is ingrained in the educational leader’s daily work, and is
demonstrated by an inquiring attitude to practice and a communication style that
is focused on asking questions rather than presenting answers.
The EYLF specifically identifies this capability as ‘an ongoing cycle of review
through which current practices are examined, outcomes reviewed and new
ideas generated’ and that ‘in such a climate, issues relating to curriculum quality,
equity and children’s wellbeing can be raised and debated’ (DEEWR, 2009, p. 13).
Educational leaders cultivate this culture by demonstrating reflective practice in
their informal conversations with others, and in more formal reflection processes.
A commitment to reflective thinking and interpretive decision-making is not always
easy. This process inevitably challenges the taken-for-granted practices embedded
in a service and, as such, relies on the capabilities of the other dimensions in this
Model—in particular, the capacity for building trusting relationships and having the
knowledge to support change.
Reflective questions
The next section explores the Model’s dimensions from the perspective of four leading
academics. They address the dimensions from their own unique points of view, linking the
ideas to their own research and experience in the field.
They represent the diversity of perspectives that shape our understanding of the role of
leading educational programs and practice in service settings across Australia. Through
these insights, readers are encouraged to make a deeper connection with, and reflect
on, contemporary research on the role, the effectiveness and lived experience of the
educational leader, as well as the emerging research evidence.
84 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
REFERENCES
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2009).
Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2011). My Time,
Our Place: Framework for School Age Care in Australia. Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth
of Australia.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA). (2016). Code of Ethics. Canberra, ACT: ECA.
Stamopoulos, E. (2012). Reframing early childhood leadership. Australasian Journal of
Early Childhood, 37(2), 42–48.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 85
KNOWLEDGE
What is knowledge?
The term ‘knowledge’ can be understood in different ways depending upon the context.
For example, knowledge might be thought to consist of a collection of ‘facts’ or ‘truths’
that we learn from another source. This type of knowledge can appear to be fixed or
certain. When this is the case, learning or teaching knowledge may appear to be simply the
transmission of what is known.
Deep learning, however, requires the assimilation of knowledge (Campbell & McNamara, as
cited in Colmer et al., 2014) and therefore involves more than accumulating or memorising
‘facts’. An alternative way to think about knowledge is to understand it as ‘personally
constructed, evolving and evidence-based’ (Brownlee et al., 2010). That is, we come to
‘know’ through processes of thinking and reflecting upon information, evidence, our own
learning and that of others.
This view of knowledge recognises that what we know can change over time and according
to context. For example, new understandings might come through research, or through
exposure to new perspectives, or because changes in society and culture affect what we
think is important or necessary. Educators who view knowledge as personally constructed
and evidence-based tend to be better equipped to reflect on the nature of their own and
others’ learning, and engage in transformative teaching practices (Brownlee et al., 2010).
86 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
The importance of knowledge lies in its ability to help us move beyond belief and opinion
toward understanding. By seeking out knowledge, we can test our ideas and gut reactions
against diverse sources of information and evidence. This is essential to improving practice
and problem-solving.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 87
and explain or defend our actions and intent. It also enables us to enter into dialogue with
those whose views may be different and, in doing so, discover intelligent or thoughtful
responses to even the most challenging of circumstances.
Knowledge areas
There are a number of ways to think about the areas of knowledge needed by educational
leaders. Rouse and Spradbury (2016), for instance, state that educators need a knowledge
of child development to understand children as learners, and an understanding of the
pedagogies that promote and support children’s learning and development. Nicholson and
Kroll (2015) argue that educators need to be supported to deepen their understandings
and widen their perspectives. This enables them to analyse and interpret situations in
a way that creates a more diverse range of choices in responding to, or planning for, the
complexities of the work.
For the purpose of this discussion, the areas of knowledge required are identified as
pedagogical, theoretical and contextual (Figure 2.2 on p. 89).
Pedagogical knowledge: Curriculum tends to be oriented to content and outcomes.
The concept of pedagogy is much broader and relates to the processes and art of
teaching. It captures not only what is taught but how it is taught. It is based on an
understanding of children as learners and is responsive to the contexts in which teaching
takes place (Heikka & Waniganayake, 2011). Pedagogy encompasses, and is dependent
upon, educators’ interactions and relationships with people, including children, families
and other educators. A robust pedagogy is grounded in the service and educators’
philosophical stance of the setting and its educators’ knowledge about such things as the
image of the child, the nature of childhood and the purpose of education (McCrea, 2015).
Pedagogy is developed and informed by ongoing reflection upon its impact. Educators
and educational leaders gather various types of information to reflect upon and evaluate
their pedagogy. This information may include observation of children—individually or
in groups—and pedagogical documentation. The challenge for educational leaders is to
ensure that such information gathering is meaningful and purposeful. Observations and
documentation are time-consuming and should not be regarded as an end-product in
themselves. Their value derives from how they inform our understanding of children—
their interests, capacities, theorising, perspectives and challenges—and the pedagogical
work itself.
Theoretical knowledge: The conscious application of theoretical knowledge enables
educational leaders to guide and collaborate with educators in developing the early
childhood program. Rather than educators drawing on a grab-bag of strategies in their
work, explicitly using theory as a reference point can help build cohesion within teams and
across the service. In some types of programs, a central theoretical approach is the clear
and obvious driver of practice (for example, Montessori and Steiner schools). Typically,
programs in Australia may be informed by a range of theories. The EYLF identifies that
the work of early childhood educators in Australia may be informed by developmental
theories, socio-cultural theories, socio-behaviourist theories, critical theories and post-
structural theories (DEEWR, 2009, p. 11). Theories are a tool to help us develop our
understanding. By being conscious of the theories they are drawing on to inform their
work, educational leaders and educators can recognise their strengths and limitations, and
seek alternative ways of understanding when needed.
88 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Contextual knowledge: Contextual knowledge requires educators to understand the
important features of the context in which they work—the community, its strengths and
challenges, as well as knowledge of each child and their family. Importantly, contextual
knowledge also involves being aware of the overarching aspirations of the service, that
may be expressed in its philosophy, vision and stated values.
Most writers on educational leadership stress the importance of context. Male and Palaiologou
(2015) argue that leadership depends upon a contextual interpretation, understanding and
application of knowledge, ideas and action. They describe pedagogical leadership as an activity
and process negotiated between knowledge, learners, personal contexts and community.
Chan (2017) uses the term ‘contextual intelligence’ to describe the ability to step back and
view the organisation and the problems encountered within it holistically. In turn, this
enables knowledge to be adapted to the reality of the immediate context.
KNOWLEDGE
Pedagogy
Information
Theory Evidence
Contextual Understanding
intelligence
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 89
GETTING PRACTICAL
An educational leader reading this may now be thinking that there is just too much to know—
how can one person know all these things? Rather than being overwhelmed, remember that
the role of the educational leader is a facilitative one. The educational leader is not the expert
in everything but a facilitator of knowledge-building within the team. This involves supporting
a culture of reflective practice and encouraging the abilities and growth of others.
90 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Ensure resources are credible. With so much information available online, it is important
that the information we draw upon is credible. When seeking out resources, look for signs
that establish their credibility, such as:
• Are they produced by a reputable professional organisation, professional agency
or government body?
• Are journal articles research-based and peer reviewed?
• Is the author an expert in that field?
• Does the author refer to research or other experts in the field?
• How old is the resource? Does it discuss information that may need to be updated?
• Are websites produced by a reputable organisation?
• Are they regularly updated?
• What is the purpose of the writing—to inform you, or to sell you something?
Become familiar with the range of information available. National bodies, member
organisations, representative bodies, and professional support agencies are all potential
sources of information and support.
For example, there is access to a wide range of evidence-based materials specially
developed to support the sector from bodies such as:
• The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
www.acecqa.gov.au.
• State and territory regulatory authorities https://www.acecqa.gov.au/help/
contact-your-regulatory-authority.
There will be times when it is necessary to seek out information outside the field of
education and care. For example, the websites of the Centre for Community Child Health
(www.rch.org.au/ccch/) and Raising Children Network (raisingchildren.net.au) provide
evidence-based information on a range of issues concerned with children’s health and development.
Organisations that represent particular sections of the care and education sector, such as ECA,
Family Day Care Australia (FDCA), and the National Out of School Hours Services Association
(NOSHSA), often provide their members with access to information and professional support.
A comprehensive list of potential support can be found on this page of the ACECQA
website: www.acecqa.gov.au/help/links.
In addition, find out what is available through and in your local community—both within
and outside the service. Some ideas include:
• Use your local library.
• Educators undertaking further study can access materials through their university
or TAFE libraries to share with the team.
• Families can be sources of information and support.
• Participate in your local inter-agency and networks.
Identify the information you always want to have on hand to help the team make decisions
and make sure these are always accessible. The following are recommended core materials
that you can add to:
• the service’s philosophy/vision
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 91
• the service’s policies
• the NQS
• the approved learning frameworks that apply to your work
• ECA Code of Ethics.
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Table 2.2: Reflective questions to explore what affects your work, as an educational leader
and as an educational team
Theoretical knowledge What does our service aspire to achieve for children, their
families and community?
What do we understand about each child and his/her family?
What information is used to inform decisions about what is
taught and how it is taught?
What do we know about our community?
Is our community knowledge up to date?
Contextual knowledge What does our service aspire to achieve for children, their
families and community?
What do we understand about each child and his/her family?
What information is used to inform decisions about what is
taught and how it is taught?
What do we know about our community?
Is our community knowledge up to date?
In summary
As educational leader, you can build knowledge by:
• valuing the body of professional knowledge you bring to your work, and becoming
familiar with and recognising the expertise of others in your team
• compiling a list of key reference points for reflection and problem-solving
• viewing difficult situations as holding the potential to deepen your learning and
skills and that of the team
• asking questions and encouraging others to do the same
• building a repository of resources and having credible references on hand that
are accessible to the team. These can inform your work and that of others, and
become a reference point for problem-solving and improving practice.
Acknowledgement
My thanks to Leanne Gibbs and the educators of Mitchell Early Learning Centre who
provided me with invaluable feedback.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 93
REFERENCES
Boe, M., & Hognestad, K. (2017). Directing and facilitating distributed pedagogical
leadership: Best practices in early childhood education. International Journal of Leadership
in Education, 20(2), 133–148.
Brownlee, J., Nailon, D., & Tickle, E. (2010). Constructing leadership in child care: Epistemological
beliefs and transformational leadership. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 35(3), 95–104.
Carroll-Lind, J., Smorti, S., Ord, K., & Robinson, L. (2016). Building pedagogical leadership
knowledge in early childhood education. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 41(4), 28–35.
Cartmel, J., Macfarlane, K., & Nolan, A. (2013). Looking to the future: Producing
transdisciplinary professionals for leadership in early childhood settings. Early Years:
Journal of International Research & Development, 33(4), 398–412.
Chan, C. W. (2017). Leading today’s kindergartens: Practices of strategic leadership in Hong Kong’s
early childhood education. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46(4), 679–691.
Colmer, K., Waniganayake, M., & Field, L. (2014). Leading professional learning in early
childhood centres: Who are the educational leaders? Australasian Journal of Early
Childhood, 39(4), 103–113.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2009).
Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia.
Canberra, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia.
Hadley, F., Waniganayake, M., & Shepherd, W. (2015). Contemporary practice in
professional learning and development of early childhood educators in Australia:
Reflections on what works and why. Professional Development in Education, 41(2), 187–202.
Heikka, J., & Waniganayake, M. (2011). Pedagogical leadership from a distributed
perspective within the context of early childhood education. International Journal of
Leadership in Education, 14(4), 499–512.
Kah Yan Loo, J., & Agbenyega, J. (2015). A critical analysis of the Australian ECEC
policy reform: An opportunity for transforming educators into pedagogical leaders?
Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 40(2), 127–131.
Male, T., & Palaiologou, I. (2015). Pedagogical leadership in the 21st century: Evidence from
the field. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 43(2), 214–231.
McCrea, N. (2015). Leading and managing early childhood settings. Melbourne, Vic.:
Cambridge University Press.
Murray, J., & McDowall Clark, R. (2013). Reframing leadership as a participative pedagogy:
The working theories of early years professionals. Early Years: Journal of International
Research & Development, 33(3), 289–301.
Nicholson, J. M., & Kroll, L. (2015). Developing leadership for early childhood professionals
through oral enquiry: Strengthening equity through making particulars visible in dilemmas
of practice. Early Child Development and Care, 185(1), 17–43.
Rouse, E., & Spradbury, G. (2016). The role of the educational leader in long day care: How
do they perceive their role? Early Child Development & Care, 186(3), 497–508.
Stamopoulos, E. (2012). Reframing early childhood leadership. Australasian Journal of Early
Childhood, 37(2), 42–48.
94 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
PROFESSIONALISM
Dr Lennie Barblett
Edith Cowan University
Educational leaders display professionalism in all aspects of their work and assist others
to do the same. Educators in children’s education and care services demonstrate their
professionalism by:
• having specialised knowledge about childhood, and all aspects of quality
education and care programs for children
• having good communication skills and articulating their philosophy and
theoretical perspectives of how children grow and learn effectively
• forming effective relationships with children, families, colleagues and
community members
• increasing their knowledge through ongoing professional learning and reflecting
on practice with others
• acting as change agents to advocate for socially just legislation and policies
that affect children, families and the profession, and for high-quality children’s
education and care for all
• working to ensure high standards of practice, as they know that their actions
reflect on the whole profession
• committing to work within an ethical and moral framework usually set out in a
professional code of ethics, and acting with honesty and integrity
• displaying a positive attitude and work ethic, and conducting themselves in a
professional manner—they are polite, attentive, dress appropriately and conduct
themselves as a good representative of the profession (adapted from Barblett,
Hydon & Kennedy, 2017; Feeney, 2012).
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 95
They also suggest that many variables can affect movement back and forth in these spaces,
such as key life events, contextual issues, personal agency, the people who you work with,
commitment and expertise.
Look through the four spaces in Table 2.3 and ask yourself the questions. Are they questions
that you have considered in establishing your professional identity as an educational leader?
Table 2.3: Spaces for developing a professional identity and related reflective questions
1. Exploration Exploring the roles and What is this identity and what
responsibilities of an does it mean for me? What are
educational leader the roles and responsibilities
of being an educational
leader? Do my values,
beliefs and styles fit with my
perceptions of this identity?
What are my colleagues’
expectations of this identity?
Much of the literature paints a picture of some educational leaders that perhaps do not
think of themselves as leaders and who have not established their professional identity as
educational leaders. Of the many different styles of leadership, distributed leadership has
been found to be most effective in educational settings. This style of leadership does not
set the educational leader at the top of a hierarchy. Instead, the leader is also a team player
and the power of the position is shared or distributed.
Distributed leadership (Figure 2.3 on p. 96) for the educational leader means that they
share power; they don’t sit themselves at the top of the team but form an integral part of it.
96 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
They use their professional capabilities in the following four main areas to distribute
leadership and glue the team together:
1. Culture—they lead in building a positive professional organisational culture
where participatory learning is key.
2. Connection—they assist teams to connect to each other in respectful ways and
connect to new learning and thinking with positive attitudes.
3. Collective responsibility—they help everyone understand that continuous
improvement and provision of quality programs is everyone’s responsibility.
4. Commitment—they model and inspire others to commit to professional
values, ethics and commitments, and to accomplish the goals of the
organisation.
Embracing the position and finding out more about how to lead others, how to lead their
learning and transforming pedagogy and practice is important.
EDUCATOR
CULTURE
EDUCATOR EDUCATOR
C O MM I T M E N T
CONNEC TI ON
EDUCATIONAL
LEADER
CO
LLE
CTIV IT Y
E R E S P O N SIBIL
EDUCATOR EDUCATOR
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 97
Identifying as an educational leader requires a fine-tuning of professional responsibilities
and an understanding of leadership that transforms and motivates team members. The
role of an educational leader includes:
• supporting quality improvement
• strengthening educators’ knowledge and practice
• assisting others in their curriculum decision-making to develop, implement
and assess effective programs for amplifying children’s learning, development
and wellbeing.
It is important to get this right, as pedagogical leadership was found to have the most
significant impact on learning outcomes for children than any other form of leadership
(Robinson, Hopea & Lloyd, 2009). Therefore, a deeper exploration of the professional roles
of an educational leader is needed to assist with building culture, commitment, collective
responsibility and connection.
98 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Educational leaders often have a responsibility for the team and a responsibility to the
team, as they will be team members themselves (Jones & Pound, 2008). They put the
interests of the team before their own and this modelling acts as a guide and a motivator
for others to do the same. When a positive team culture is established, an intellectual and
emotional connection is built between members and the educational leader, and everyone
becomes equally responsible for the achievement of common goals.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 99
Educational leaders engage in ‘leaderful action’ (Dalli & Thornton 2013, p. 310) that includes:
• being responsible
• taking responsibility
• having responsibility
• sharing responsibility.
To do this, they take their role seriously in continuing their own learning, leading the
learning of others, collaboratively supporting educators to develop and implement
effective educational programs, and mentoring others to build a culture of inquiry to
inform better practice. They show team members how to value professional learning and
show a commitment to continuous improvement. In so doing, the educational leader
creates a ‘safe’ environment where questions about curriculum quality and new ways of
working can be raised, discussed and contested to improve programs and practices.
Leading communities of practice—in which the team works together to improve practices
because they share a common vision, interest or professional expertise—is one of the
most effective ways to shape professional identity for both the educational leader and
educators (Wenger, 1998). Educational leaders assist the community of practice to develop
a service-wide shared knowledge base, and support the capacity of the group to find out
more by identifying gaps and silences, and challenging accepted ways of doing things.
Nurturing curiosity (what if?), open-mindedness (how else could it be?) and resilience
(so if it didn’t work that way, how else could it work?) are ways this can be achieved.
Educational leaders understand that making mistakes in learning is part and parcel of the
learning process, so they encourage educators to make well-considered plans for change.
Educational leaders can also assist educators with the professional use of language, as the
way in which they describe their work has an impact on professional identity. Describing
professional learning as ‘training’ and people working ‘on the floor’, rather than at or in
the service, harks back to thinking about education and care as an ‘industry’ rather than a
profession or sector. To raise the professional standing of those who work with children in
the community requires educational leaders to articulate their professional identity with
‘greater clarity and conviction’ (Barblett et al., 2017, p. 71).
100 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Inspiring and motivating others to transform pedagogy and practice
Educational leaders build their professional identity and display the professional
dispositions that characterise successful leaders: they are caring, fair, honest and
responsible. They show self-confidence and lead by example as they inspire, motivate,
affirm and, at times, challenge or extend the practice and pedagogy of others (ACECQA
2017). They understand that educators will follow when a good case for change is made
and a collaborative plan of small steps to achieve the goal is put in place—including
strategies to identify and measure success.
To be inspiring and motivating, educational leaders:
• encourage others to share ideas, experiences and opinions
• listen carefully and communicate in ways that others understand
• inspire others to follow a collaboratively described vision and goal
• support others to work collaboratively
• remain positive and frequently praise others
• empower others as they are shown and asked to demonstrate their professional
identity and ethical practice
• lead others in thoughtful and varied ways to improve their practices (adapted from
Stamopoulos & Barblett, 2018).
Oates (see Johnston, Nahmad-Williams, Oates & Wood, 2018) notes the importance of
practitioners engaging in consultations and debates if they are to engage with their own
professional identity.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 101
Leading and embedding ethical practice
A code of ethics describes a profession’s collective values and aspirations, and raises
expectations that those identifying as professionals will act according to it. Everyone who
works with children makes ethical decisions, and a demonstrated commitment to a code
of ethics informs the professional identity of an educational leader. The Early Childhood
Australia Code of Ethics (ECA, 2016) was developed by the profession and is built on the
belief that children are citizens with civil, cultural, linguistic, social and economic rights
from birth. Educational leaders use the ECA Code of Ethics to:
• raise consciousness of what is expected of educators and their responsibilities to
children, families, communities and the profession
• improve the professional identity of those who work with children
• assist colleagues in making wiser and more informed decisions in their practice,
leadership and advocacy
• support colleagues to commit to the values of the profession, leading to a broader
community understanding of the complexity of children’s education and care
• remind themselves, as well as others, that some relationships have ‘power over’
others but ethical practice is everyone’s responsibility and building relationships
that show ‘power with’ is required (adapted from Barblett et al., 2017).
Educational leaders demonstrate and model ethical behaviour and decision-making.
They are courageous and act with honesty; they assist educators to work in ways that are
inclusive, respect the rights of children, and promote children’s learning, development,
health and wellbeing. They speak out and take action against unethical behaviours and
assist others to embed ethical practices in all that they do.
Educational leaders take it as their professional responsibility to ensure that educators use
the Code of Ethics to inform their work practices and professional interactions. One way to
do this is to embed the thinking of the 5-V model, which can help educational leaders to
guide the ethical thinking and actions of others in the following ways:
• Values—ethical educational leaders understand and commit to the profession’s
core principles and commitments. They have aligned these with their own values
that influence their choices in their personal and professional lives, and influence
others to do the same.
• Vision—ethical educational leaders frame their actions within a picture of
‘what ought to be’ in quality education and care, in ways that others can both
understand and follow.
• Voice—ethical educational leaders articulate the service’s vision to others in ways
that inspire and support them into action and pursuit of this vision.
• Virtue—ethical educational leaders strive to do what is right and good. They are
courageous in supporting ethical practice in children’s education and care settings
and beyond the workplace.
• Validate—ethical educational leaders increase the ethical know-how of everyone
in the service. They use the ECA Code of Ethics to revise the service philosophy and
policies, at staff meetings, for recruitment, induction and for difficult conversations
with colleagues (Barblett et al., 2017).
(This model was adapted from the Centre for Ethical Leadership www.ethicalleadership.
org/concepts-and-philosophies and The Workplace Coach www.theworkplacecoach.
com/the-importance-of-ethical-leadership)
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Acting as a change agent
Children’s education and care has an ever-changing face as more is known about how children
develop and learn and about the practices that best amplify this. Change can be external (for
example, a change in law or regulation) or internal (for example, a new policy on documentation).
Educational leaders have a positive attitude to change and understand their role in promoting
the same in others. They know that change is part of being a children’s education and care
professional, because it allows the transformation of thinking that leads to improved practice.
Personal agency is an attribute of effective educational leaders as they work to motivate, inspire
and lead others to make positive change. Managing effective change involves collaboration;
teams must work together to investigate and research what and how the change might take
place. They discuss and negotiate how this change should take shape, who will complete
the agreed tasks and when, and they plan ways to measure the success of the change.
Educational leaders understand that implementing change requires time and careful planning,
and will encourage individuals and the team to celebrate achievements along the way.
Educational leaders act as change agents to ensure their team delivers high-quality
programs that are culturally responsive and socially just, and guide educators in using
their expertise and knowledge to advocate for children and change things that negatively
impact families. This is done by looking outside the service and working with others to
support positive change to laws, regulations, policies and public thinking in the best
interests of children, families and the profession.
Educational leaders take it as their professional responsibility to attend and comment on such
things as changes to laws, regulations and curriculum when asked by the profession. They
advocate for evidence-based practice in all areas of children’s education and care, and promote
the growth of the profession’s knowledge base by assisting in research and investigation.
GETTING PRACTICAL
Activity: Dispositions
Dispositions are a good way to describe your professional identity as an educational leader.
For example, it is important for a leader to have the dispositions of honesty, respect for all
and fairness. List some other dispositions that you, as an educational leader in children’s
education and care, consider important to demonstrate to others.
Reflective questions
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 103
Activity: Educational leader monument
Design a monument that captures you as an educational leader. The monument may
include words, phrases, symbols and any other design elements you like to visually
communicate who you are, what you stand for, and how you would like to be known. You
want someone viewing this to recognise your professional characteristics, your values,
and the traits and capabilities you believe are important in a professional and ethical
educational leader. Remember you are a designer with an eye on the future.
Reflective questions
• In designing the monument, did you concentrate more on the now or the future?
• Are there certain characteristics or capabilities that are repeated? How do these fit
with the beliefs and expectations you have for yourself as an educational leader?
• Do you think the educators in your team would use the same descriptors as you?
What makes you think that?
REFERENCES
Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). (2017). The role of the
educational leader (Information sheet). Retrieved from www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/
files/2018-05/QA7_TheRoleOfTheEducationalLeader.pdf.
Barblett, L., Hydon, C., & Kennedy, A. (2017). Ethics in Action: A practical guide to
implementing the ECA Code of Ethics. Canberra, ACT: Early Childhood Australia.
Dalli, C., & Thornton, K. (2013). Professionalism and leadership. In D. Pendergast & S. Garvis
(Eds.), Teaching early years: Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment (pp. 303–316). Crows
Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA). (2016). Code of Ethics. Canberra, ACT: ECA.
Feeney, S. (2012). Professionalism in early childhood education: Doing our best for young
children. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Hargreaves, A. (1998). The emotions of teaching and educational change. In A. Hargreaves,
A. Lieberman, M. Fullan & D. Hopkins (Eds.), International handbook of educational change
(pp. 558–575). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Johnston, J., Nahmad-Williams, L., Oates, R., & Wood, V. (2018). Early childhood studies:
Principles and practice (2nd ed.). London, UK: Routledge.
Jones, C., & Pound, L. (2008). Leadership and management in the early years. Maidenhead,
UK: Open University Press.
Morrison, G. S. (2011). Fundamentals of early childhood education (6th ed.). Boston,
MA: Pearson.
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Robinson, V., Hopea, M., & Lloyd, C. (2009). School leadership and student outcomes:
Identifying what works and why. Best evidence synthesis iteration [BES]. Wellington, NZ:
Ministry of Education.
Seemiller, C., & Preist, K. L. (2015). The hidden ‘who’ in leadership education:
Conceptualizing leadership educator professional identity development. Journal of
Leadership Education, 14(3), 132–151.
Stamopoulos, E., & Barblett, L. (2018). Early childhood leadership in action: Evidence-based
approaches for effective practice. Sydney, NSW: Allen and Unwin.
Stoll, L. (2011). Leading professional learning communities. In J. Robertson & H. Timperley
(Eds.), Leadership and learning (pp. 103–117). London, UK: SAGE Publishing.
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. New York, NY:
Cambridge University Press.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 105
RELATIONSHIPS
Building relational trust with the educator team and those who
support the delivery of the program
Trust in leadership is noted as a key concept in a number of leadership theories, and its
importance is emphasised across multiple disciplines (Dirks & Ferrin, 2002). Relational
trust has been described as being built on ‘movements of the human heart such as
empathy, commitment, compassion, patience, and the capacity to forgive’ (Palmer, 2017).
The existence of relational trust fosters collaboration and promotes willingness among
staff to grow professionally (Cranston, 2011). This highlights the important role that
educational leaders play in establishing relational trust as a precondition for the growth of
a professional learning community (Stamopoulos, 2012).
Relationships that are open and trusting have been shown to enhance the development
of personal and professional collaborative work skills (Kochan & Trimble, 2000), and
can build a sense of comfort and safety that enables the sharing of ideas, experiences
and knowledge. By providing the condition of comfort, participants can confront their
dilemmas (Nolan & Molla, 2018) in a supportive relationship. Educational leaders need to
acknowledge that when colleagues begin challenging their long-held beliefs and ways of
working, they can feel that their own identity as an educator is threatened (Thompson,
2003). This is why building relational trust is important; it allows educators to feel they can
openly share without being judged.
‘A strong community [of practice] fosters interactions and relationships based on mutual
respect and trust. It encourages a willingness to share ideas, expose one’s ignorance,
ask difficult questions, and listen carefully’ (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002, p. 29).
A respectful and trusting relationship is established through the use of non-judgemental
communication and by ensuring confidentiality (Nolan & Molla, 2017), where educators feel
a sense of comfort to freely and reflectively critique practice.
106 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
learning opportunities (Nolan & Molla, 2016), support collegial interaction (Elliott, 2004),
and influence practice change, thereby enhancing outcomes for children (Davis & Higdon,
2008; Nolan & Beahan, 2013).
Effective mentoring can assist educators to feel a sense of belonging, and an
acknowledgement of the value that each party brings to the mentoring relationship.
This can support everyone involved to experience professional growth (Nolan & Morrissey,
2016). The mentoring relationship is crucial to the success of the process (Elliott,
2004), as mentoring is a social practice (Nolan & Molla, 2017). It is now recognised that
educators can be more effective when they are supported by colleagues in a community
of practice, moving mentoring from an expert–novice positioning to a more reciprocal
and collaborative relationship (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002). These professional
relationships influence educators’ access to knowledge, information, expectations,
obligations and trust, thereby highlighting the importance of networks and reciprocity
amongst educators (Nolan, 2017). This also highlights the desire for mentoring to become
an integral part of the professional culture in education and care settings, positioning it as
inquiry into practice rather than the ‘hierarchical dispensations of wisdom’ (Hargreaves &
Fullan, 2000, p. 55).
Collegiality (trust and respectfulness) and collaboration are important ingredients in a
mentoring relationship, as they make it possible for participants involved to establish a
learning environment in which to safely and collaboratively explore their assumptions
and beliefs about their pedagogic work (Nolan & Molla, 2016). ‘Hierarchical structures of
expertise’, with mentors positioned as authority figures rather than as colleagues who offer
professional support and guidance in the workplace, can inhibit collaborative learning
and interdependence among educators (Kelly & Cherkowski, 2015, p. 5, noting the work of
Sergiovanni, 1994).
While mentors can be seen as transformational change agents who bring clarity, voice,
compassion, attitude and direction to their colleagues (Moir, Barlin, Gless, & Miles, 2009),
to be effective, the mentoring relationship needs to be reciprocal, reflective, respectful and
responsive (Nolan, 2017).
• Reciprocal relates to establishing an equal professional relationship amongst
all involved, by positioning participants as having knowledge while still being
learners.
• Reflective collegial discussions about practice are a feature of effective
professional development.
• The recognition of existing skills, knowledge and experience of participants speaks
to the importance of respect in an adult learning setting (Nolan & Molla, 2016).
• To ensure it is meaningful, a mentoring relationship should be seen as fluid and
able to adapt as individual situations change over time. This is what makes the
relationship responsive.
What is clear from the research is that mentoring is a skill that needs to be developed,
practised and supported (Stanulis & Russell, 2000). Educational leaders who are capable
and competent in their professional work will demonstrate some of the characteristics of
effective mentors. These include being a good listener, applying analysis skills, reflecting
then taking consequent action, and working to support others to reach their potential and
achieve success in life (The Coalition of Childhood Umbrella Organisations, 2010).
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 107
Collaborating with educators to cultivate a lively culture of
professional inquiry that drives continuous improvement
The role of the educational leader is to empower colleagues to enhance their knowledge,
skills and abilities, to confidently and effectively contribute to the children’s education and
care sector regardless of their workplace (The Coalition of Childhood Umbrella Organisations,
2010). One important aspect of ‘intentional leadership’ is collaborating with others to ‘achieve
collective goals’ (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012, p. 13). Working
collaboratively, rather than individually, harnesses the group’s collective thinking, experience
and creativity to address the problems of practice (Nuttall, 2013; Preskill & Brookfield, 2009).
Collegial discussions provide opportunities to consider alternative perspectives and ways
of working (Waite & Gatrell, 2004), removing the possibilities of self-deception (Fisher, 2003)
that can be fostered when critical reflection is conducted alone (Brockbank & McGill, 1998).
Allowing for and embracing different perspectives supports individuals and services to
co-evolve, promoting a broader view of teamwork and leadership (Hard, Press & Gibson,
2013; Whalley, 2006). Teamwork is viewed as a ‘pre-requisite’ to learning and professional
development, ‘rather than as a consequence of development’ (Nuttall, 2013 original emphasis).
In order to position structural tensions as ‘a source of productive dialogue, not as a source
of stress or insecurity’ (Nuttall, 2013), educational leaders can focus on tasks rather than
on the individual, to open up the space for sharing of ideas. A meaningful collaborative
relationship, grounded in mutual respect and recognition, enables educators to commit
to deeper engagement in their deliberations on practice (Nolan & Molla, 2017). Engaging
in ‘professional conversation’ (Irvine and Price, 2014) promotes constructive dialogue and
mutual exploration that supports continuous improvement of services.
It has been shown that working collegially (for example, by forming peer networks) plays
a key role in building professionalism (OECD, 2016). Through collaboration, educational
leaders can engage colleagues in guided critical reflection to help them deepen their self-
knowledge, challenge their pedagogic assumptions, and consider new possibilities (Nolan,
2008). Effective collegial relationships aim to create an environment where all participants
feel empowered as they discuss their own practice, and, in the process, gain insight into
their roles and responsibilities as professionals (Nolan, Morrissey, & Dumenden, 2012).
108 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Working with professionals from other disciplines calls for leadership that enables
transdisciplinary practices (Cartmel, Macfarlane & Nolan, 2013). This means considering
multiple perspectives, including adapting and creating new practice; building sustained,
respectful relationships; engaging in critical thinking and reflection; and sustaining a strong
professional identity (Cartmel, Macfarlane & Nolan, 2013). To be able to consider multiple
perspectives, educational leaders require inter-professional literacy, critical literacy and the
ability to think otherwise.
• Inter-professional literacy (Press, Sumsion & Wong, 2010) is an awareness and
understanding of the knowledge bases of professionals from other disciplines. It is
the ability to work within one’s own understanding of practice while being willing
to learn from others.
• Critical literacy (Sumsion, 2006) is reading and critiquing information, policy and
social discourse in order to advocate for the profession.
• The ability to think otherwise (Foucault, 1984; Macfarlane, 2006) involves
consideration of the polar opposite to your own ideas and practices, allowing the
critiquing of your own practice in an authentic way.
An effective leader will be able to imagine how things might be otherwise and create
new possibilities. They will be able to suspend judgement when working with other
professionals and community members who hold different beliefs and understandings
to reflect in more informed ways, questioning their own biases (Lather, 1996) and
promoting tolerance.
Working with other professionals and community members brings with it opportunities
and challenges. Educational leaders need to be aware of these challenges so they can
dispel reservations and build the capacity of all educators and professionals involved
(Nolan, Cartmel & Macfarlane, 2014).
GETTING PRACTICAL
Reflective question
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 109
Thought needs to be given to how the key aspects associated with trust—empathy,
commitment, compassion, patience and the capacity to forgive—are demonstrated,
supported and experienced by staff. Leaders act as role models, so it is important that they
consistently demonstrate these aspects in their work with others, as we know that trust
fosters collaboration and professional growth. This means engaging in non-judgemental
conversations with colleagues in the everyday work of the service. It also means acting in
ethical ways and ensuring confidentiality. As the ECA Code of Ethics states, professionals
are in a unique position of trust and influence in their relationships—not just with children
and families, but also with colleagues and the community. The core principles on which
the code draws require a commitment to respect, and maintain the rights and dignity of
children, families, colleagues and communities, which means all staff, including leaders are
professionally accountable (ECA, 2016).
Educational leaders and approved providers might like to consider their own emotional
intelligence, and the role it plays in influencing their actions and the actions of others.
Research shows that interacting in ways that convey genuine and mutual respect builds
trust; however, acting in these ways calls for a certain level of emotional intelligence. In
a work setting, this means being perceptive about your own emotions and the emotions
of others, and ensuring these are managed respectfully and professionally. Being aware
of your own emotions will help you understand their impact on the experiences of
your colleagues.
Reflective questions
Mentoring educators
While mentoring has been shown to improve practice, educational leaders must be mindful
of establishing reciprocal and collaborative relationships with educators, rather than one
where the leader is positioned as the expert. This means taking a non-hierarchical view of
mentoring, and acknowledging the value of each party’s contribution while recognising
them as learners. Incorporating a learning culture where the focus is on inquiring into
practice helps establish mentoring as part of a service’s culture. It is helpful to think of
mentoring as building networks between colleagues, so they can support each other in
their reflections on practice.
The four Rs of mentoring (as described on p. 107) need to be considered for effective
mentoring to take place.
110 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
These are:
• Reciprocal—an equal professional relationship in which all members are
positioned as having knowledge but, at the same time, are considered lifelong
learners. It acknowledges that we can learn from each other.
• Reflective—collegial discussions about practice are a feature of effective
professional development.
• Respectful—the knowledge, skills and abilities that everyone brings to the
relationship are acknowledged and this is based on professional support and
professional learning.
• Responsive—the mentoring relationship can adapt to changing situations to
ensure that it remains meaningful for those involved.
Reflective question
Being an effective mentor requires the development and refinement of certain skills. These
include being an active and reflective listener, and having open and honest communication
with colleagues.
Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual
understanding. Often, when people talk to each other, they don’t listen attentively. They may
be distracted; half-listening, half-thinking about something else; or busy formulating a
response to what is being said. They assume that they have fully heard what the other person
has said, but this is not always the case. Engaging in active listening involves:
• acknowledging to the other person that they have been heard
• taking note of both the verbal and non-verbal communication
• using verbal, facial and non-verbal communication to respond, such as nodding or
attentive positioning
• clarifying, questioning and repeating what is being heard, as well as the messages
that are communicated emotionally.
Conversations need to be structured in a way that empowers others to become more
reflective about their practice. We know that thoughtful and deliberative professional
conversations can change educational practice. Reflective conversations are respectful and
promote a sense of mutual inquiry and collective knowledge.
In order to model an open-minded attitude to colleagues, educational leaders should
temporarily suspend their beliefs and value judgements. Encouraging honest and
constructive feedback ensures that mentoring becomes an educative process rather than a
judgemental one. The focus is on supporting and working with others and taking action to
ensure the right outcomes are achieved.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 111
Reflective questions
112 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Reflective questions
• How do we, as educational leaders and approved providers, guide the reflective
dialogue of colleagues?
• Do we devote time and space to share and explore different views in a reflective,
collegial discussion? How supportive are we of perspectives different from our own?
• Are our professional conversations grounded in mutual respect and recognition
of our colleagues?
Building partnerships
When establishing effective partnerships, educational leaders need to be mindful of the
following principles:
• Partners share mission, values, goals and measurable outcomes for the partnership.
• Authentic mutual trust, respect and commitment characterise the relationship.
• The relationship builds on strengths and assets, but also addresses areas
needing improvement.
• Power is balanced among partners.
• Clear, open and accessible communication occurs among partners that prioritise
listening, common language and constant clarification of terms.
• All partners jointly establish roles, norms and processes in a manner that reflects
input and agreement of all members.
• Interaction occurs among all partners to improve the partnership and its outcomes.
• Partners share credit for accomplishments.
• Partnerships evolve and thus require time to develop.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 113
Characteristics of effective collaborative partnerships include having clearly agreed
and defined functions, tasks with agreed boundaries, well-organised and established
communication, well-developed local relationships, common goals, common language,
respect for the different skills and knowledge of partners, and overcoming ignorance and
prejudice about each other. Working in partnership is not easy, so leaders and approved
providers will need to consider how they can support their staff in these relationships,
noting that building effective partnerships takes time.
Reflective questions
Practical action could include a number of activities that become part of the broader
service systems, such as changing the culture to support collaboration. This can be
achieved by focusing on building and nurturing relationships to facilitate collaborative
work with other professionals, rather than simply emphasising completion of a task. Other
activities that support effective relationships could include:
• encouraging shared decision-making
• encouraging shared accountability and reporting frameworks that reflect shared
effort and responsibility
• setting goals that indicate collaborative work
• recognising and celebrating successful professional partnerships.
Over time, these collaborative behaviours will become the ‘norm’ and part of everyone’s
position descriptions.
114 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
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ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 117
REFLECTION
Dr Jennifer Cartmel
Dr Marilyn Casley
Griffith University
Reflection features in the Australian approved learning frameworks (Early Years
Learning Framework [DEEWR, 2009] and My Time, Our Place [DEEWR, 2011]) as guiding
principles and practices in children’s education and care. To be effective in supporting
children’s learning, development and wellbeing, and to support families and their
colleagues, educational leaders require a deep understanding of the features of the
reflective process. It is an important skill that educational leaders need to undertake for
themselves and support in others.
This type of reflection is needed to work effectively in their role and, when working
with children, introduces the notion of power and how it is used in thinking and
decision-making (Nicolson, Kuhl, Maniates, Lin & Bonetti, 2018). To be reflective is to
understand the impact that power has on the principles and practices upheld in the
approved frameworks, such as building secure respectful relationships and collaborative
decision-making processes.
Critical self-reflection suggests the introduction of considerations of power in looking
back at one’s thinking and decision-making processes. Educational leaders use reflective
practice to engage in the type of critical questioning of leadership practice that ‘can
expand choices about how to think and to act against knowledge and actions that
oppress or discriminate’ (MacNaughton, 2005, p. 11). This type of reflection provides a
self-audit that allows one to challenge the assumptions that lead to taken-for-granted or
poor-quality practice, and instead strive for the practice that is in the best interests of all
children and families.
Reflection includes the ability to think backwards and forwards. Principles and practices
are considered and reconsidered from more than one perspective. This is an important
strategy to help transform daily practices through ‘thinking otherwise’ or thinking from a
place of possibility (Macfarlane, Nolan & Cartmel, 2014).
Critical thinking and reflection are important and high-level skills, and an essential
component of quality practice.
If leaders are to be effective in supporting children’s learning, development and wellbeing,
and in supporting families and their colleagues, they need to have a deep understanding
of the features of the reflective process. The use of critical thinking and reflection allows
educational leaders to move beyond the boundaries of the early childhood education
and care discipline and take their knowledge base to new spaces for learning. Engaging in
discussions with colleagues and professionals from other disciplines helps to consider new
ideas and ways of thinking and doing from more than one perspective (Cartmel, Macfarlane
& Nolan, 2013; Nicholson et al., 2018). This allows educational leaders to consider aspects
of their own leadership practice and further expand thinking and questioning about
practice. This, in turn, will influence the way in which relationships are established with all
stakeholders including children, families, colleagues and other professionals involved in
children’s education and care.
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Reflection and critical thinking help educational leaders to support the transformational
changes in practice that are responsive to the needs of children and families. It is important
to practice reflection as an individual by thinking about the way you do things and why.
However, it is also important for educational leaders to be reflective when engaging in
conversations with colleagues in the workplace and professional community (Casley &
Cartmel, 2009). The skill of reflection involves both listening and talking with others, as it is
through listening to others that we deepen our own knowledge and understandings. The
skill of reflection has the potential to strengthen and build confidence at an individual and
team level.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 119
Generative listening
Listening is not just important in leadership, it is essential. Most of us learn to be reflective
listeners, where we learn to listen to another person’s point of view. However, the ability
to listen and to hear the views of others is not always enough to improve practice or affect
change. Generative listening, on the other hand, is the deepest kind of listening. Generative
listening is the ability to listen to oneself, listen to others and listen to what emerges from
a group (Scharmer, 2009, 2018). Generative listening requires a high level of reflexivity
and openness to hearing what other people have to say. It involves giving meaning to the
message and value to those who are being listened to, which requires a deep awareness
and suspension of judgment and habitual ways of thinking (Rinaldi, 2001; Scharmer, 2009,
2018). Listening from this perspective involves hearing, interpreting and co-constructing
meaning through shared dialogue.
Generative listening requires listening with open hearts and minds and an open will,
so that we no longer look at something only from the outside, or only empathise with
someone. Generative listening takes us to a space where a deeper understanding of our
lived experiences exists, and future possibilities can emerge (Scharmer, 2009, 2018). You
know you are in generative listening as you go through a change and are no longer where
you began, but have connected as a group with a deeper source of knowing. This opens the
way for new ways of being, knowing and doing.
The ability to shift from simply reacting to a situation, to thinking about what could be
different about the circumstances is critical to effective leadership. As we face rapidly
changing environments, educational leaders will need to rely less on past patterns of
thinking and learn instead to pay attention to the emerging opportunities for themselves
and their team, organisation and community (Scharmer & Kaufer, 2013). Shifting from past
to future thinking is not an easy journey, as we are easily trapped and tricked into going
back to what we know and trust. To make this shift, leaders need to start with themselves.
This can only happen by learning to suspend judgment, which is about listening to oneself.
Suspending judgment requires:
• a willingness to not impose your own pre-established frameworks and policies
onto what you are seeing and hearing (Senge et al., 2005)
• patience, without which one can easily revert to past ways of thinking rather than
allowing new ideas to emerge.
This only happens through shared dialogue with others in a safe space that allows for
building trusting relationships. Hence, listening to others is about creating a safe space and
building the necessary relationships to be able to think into the future.
Powerful questions
Asking questions is a powerful trigger in the reflective process. Asking the right kind of
questions is a skill equal to undertaking the appropriate kind of listening processes.
Often we focus on having the ‘right’ answer, rather than the ‘right’ question. Effective
questions challenge our current operating assumptions and may be the key to creating
more positive outcomes. Questions open the door to discovery, particularly when they are
based on genuine inquiry into a situation or others’ perspectives. Learning to be genuinely
curious is the key to asking powerful questions.
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Consider the processes of listening and talking. When an individual is engaged in
generative dialogue, they are opening their thinking to what is emerging within the
conversation. When an individual ends a conversation, they no longer have the same
thoughts as they did at the beginning of the conversation because they have been thinking
about their own ideas and linking them with the ideas of others. This opens up the
possibility to ‘think otherwise’ (Foucault, 1984) and, therefore, have a new perspective on
their own thinking.
Scharmer (2009) takes this concept a step further, stating that a person will be
fundamentally changed at the end of the conversation, as the dialogue of the conversation
has changed their thinking and perspectives.
What makes a question powerful?
There are definitions for ‘open’ and ‘closed’ questions; however, it is important to
understand the characteristics of an effective statement of inquiry in order to be able to
construct a powerful question. The following statements help to define what a powerful
question is:
• A powerful question can catch people from where their thinking is and meet them
where there is most energy (to go deeper) and relevance for them to make a change.
• A powerful question is simple, clear and penetrating (i.e. it challenges one to reflect
and find the knowledge or wisdom that’s already there).
• A powerful question involves people’s values, feelings, hopes and ideals.
The question needs to be larger than them so they can connect with, and
contribute to, it at a deeper level.
• A powerful question will shift from a problem or fix-it focus to a possibility focus.
• A powerful question can help others to shape their questions, as they know their
situation better.
Thus a powerful question:
• generates curiosity
• stimulates reflective conversation
• is thought-provoking
• surfaces underlying assumptions
• invites creativity and new possibilities
• generates energy and forward movement
• channels attention and focuses on inquiry
• touches a deeper meaning
• evokes more questions (Vogt, Brown & Issacs, 2003).
Generative listening and powerful questions are features of processes that support reflection.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 121
Models of reflection
Educational leaders need to facilitate the cycles of reflection that underpin educators’ ability
to create knowledge and act together out of their individual and common experiences.
‘Real work’ is often seen as detailed analysis and immediate decision-making, whereas
‘knowledge work’ takes time. Knowledge work includes engaging in meaningful conversation
and critical thinking. Knowledge-making is what helps the team to understand each other’s
diverse perspectives, and it’s what enables the team to come together.
Working as a team to support children’s growth and learning requires that staff broadens
its ability to solve complex problems, and there needs to be a continual process of coming
together to discuss what is happening. One of the most important mechanisms for
holding a safe space for deeper learning is based on ‘awareness-based leadership’, where
generative listening processes are seen as part of the culture of an organisation. When this
happens, the educational leader is well positioned to facilitate a conversation (Cartmel,
Macfarlane, Casley & Smith, 2015; Stanfield, 2000) to support the staff in using reflection
and critical thinking.
GETTING PRACTICAL
Reflective point
A group of emerging and experienced educators joined together for some conversations
about their practice. One of them said, ‘A variety of practitioners have come into the sector.
They’ve come from a variety of backgrounds, a variety of pedagogical knowledge and
understanding … it is important to have community scholarship because there’s a lot of
fragmentation, so if we can bring that together in some way … We are all working for the
same thing and we all want to improve the scholarship of the field and improve practice in
the field’.
This educator was stating how important it was for each member of the group to share
their tacit knowledge in order to expand their collective knowledge and understandings.
However, they could not rely on their tacit knowledge alone to make themselves think
about things differently. They needed to also share their ideas about what they had
researched and read, and how, through critical reflection, they could link existing ideas and
understandings with new knowledge in a very supportive way.
Reflection can be an intentional practice facilitated by the educational leader. It is critical
that a service prioritises time for the staff team or small groups or individuals to engage
in the process. (In school age child care, the children may also be involved in reflective
conversations with the staff team [Casley & Cartmel, 2010; Cartmel, Casley & Smith, 2017].)
Uninterrupted time should be set aside each week, fortnight or month for facilitated
reflective conversations to occur.
The process of reflection is linked to ‘being curious’ (Jones, 1998). The notion of being
curious helps individuals to listen with an ‘open heart, open mind, open will’ (Scharmer,
2009). Reflection and curiosity are important for critical thinking, which leads to problem-
solving and decision-making that are embedded in the principles and practices of working
with children and families.
122 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
A useful way for educational leaders to support educators or other professionals, by
leading critical reflection, is to use a guided conversation process such as the highly
effective ‘Circles of Change’ model of reflection (Cartmel et al., 2015). This four-step action-
learning model is fundamental to the process of critical reflection. In order for participants
to become confident and skilled at using this model to inform their reflective practice, it is
recommended that educational leaders guide them through at least four 30- to 60-minute
sessions. These four sessions would include presenting some information about how the
reflective process works—and, in particular, importance of generative listening—to help
each staff member focus on their capacity to engage in reflective thinking.
In using the ‘Circles of Change’ model to guide educators through reflective practice, the
educational leader may assist them to focus on an aspect of practice, an issue of concern,
or a topic of interest that is relevant to their work. Educational leaders can help educators
and other stakeholders to engage in the guided conversation process to utilise reflection
by involving everyone in the communicative activities. This involves asking powerful
questions and using generative listening.
Using this model of reflection leads to understandings and actions that can change and
improve practices to achieve a higher quality of education and care in children’s services.
Table 2.4 on p. 124 presents an outline of the four steps that comprise the ‘Circles of
Change’ model, along with some questions to stimulate thinking and engagement in
the process.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 123
Table 2.4: The four steps in the ‘Circles of Change’ and related reflective questions
Question to ask:
• How would you describe the situation?
Questions to ask:
• What are the different aspects of the situation?
• What are the demands and pressures?
• What is it like being in this situation?
Questions to ask:
• What values do you want to hold in thinking about the situation?
• What are your options in responding to this situation?
• Which options would you want to explore further?
Questions to ask:
• What would the impact of your thinking/reflection be on the situation?
• What will you do next?
124 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Scope
The ‘scope’ of a question needs to take into account the stakeholders or the context being
discussed. The scope of inquiry can be progressively broadened as the questions are structured.
However, the inquiry needs to remain within the realistic boundaries of your role and the situation
in which you are working. You may want to make this explicit prior to or during the inquiry.
Reflective questions:
126 Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership ACECQA
Stanfield, B. (2000) The art of focused conversation. Gabriola Island, Canada: New
Society Publishers.
Vogt, E., Brown, J., & Issacs, D. (2003). The art of powerful questions. Mill Valley, CA: Whole
Systems Associates.
ACECQA Part Two: A Model for understanding and exploring educational leadership 127
PART THREE
Where to next?
PART THREE: WHERE TO NEXT?
Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose
and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace,
the slaves of the ordinary (Cecil Beaton).
This Resource has sought to do what Gunillla Dahlberg describes as ‘walk[ing] on two
legs’ (Dahlberg, 2013, p. 87). On the first leg, the Resource formally describes the role of the
educational leader in terms of what is required and expected in the National Regulations.
These expectations give the educational leader a place to start and some parameters, but
they are not the only way of understanding the role. So, on the second leg, this Resource
shows educational leaders the possibility of imagining and re-imagining the role in many
different ways. The case studies are a good example of what is possible.
The policies and legislation have only given us a starting point for understanding the
role. The real measure of the depth of this leadership role will be created by the leaders
themselves and those who enable their work to flourish.
So where to from here? As the research deepens and the lived experiences of educational
leadership in children’s education and care are documented, it is anticipated and indeed
expected that new insights will emerge.
There are many possible pathways for educational leaders to engage in deeper exploration
of quality in children’s learning, development and wellbeing. Inspiration can be found in
the pages of this Resource, from governments, universities, organisations, agencies, local
networks and the plethora of other sources available online. The following are a few ideas
to get you started.
Resources
There are many stories of practitioner inquiry or research available, and a number
of publications detail the process. These are helpful places to start investigating:
Department for Education and Child Development (South Australia):
Teachers as researchers
This document provides an example of teacher research undertaken by a South
Australian school teacher. It also provides a link to a web-series that discusses the
importance of teacher research. Though this example is based in a secondary school
setting, it might prove helpful in understanding and applying the research process.
www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net691/f/teachers-as-researchers-
learning-design-based-experiments.pdf
NAEYC: Teacher Research Resources
These resources provide children’s education and care professionals with tools
to learn more about the teacher research process. They also explore examples of
teachers conducting research in their own setting.
www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/vop/about-teacher-research
Read broadly
When great changes occur in any sector’s way of working, they are preceded by much
thinking and writing by academics and policy-makers, who have closely observed the
lived experience of everyday practitioners. This is most certainly the case for the children’s
education and care sector in Australia. Educational leaders looking to deepen their
understanding of the ideas and research informing the National Quality Framework,
including the approved frameworks and the National Quality Standard (NQS), might
consider reading from the extensive quality area reference lists on the ACECQA website.
From there the possibilities are endless. Most publications have reference lists that are a
rich source of further information.
REFERENCE
Dahlberg, G. (2013). A dialogue with the co-author of ‘The vision of a meeting place’.
In P. Moss (Ed.), Early childhood and compulsory education: Reconceptualising the
relationship (pp. 72–90). London, UK: Routledge.
Catharine Hydon
Qualifications: Diploma Teaching (Early Childhood); Master of Education
(Early Childhood Education)
Catharine Hydon is the Director at Hydon Consulting. Over the past 10 years, she has
worked as an independent education consultant for a range of organisations and
governments to support the articulation of quality and inspire change. Catharine has
extensive experience in the early childhood sector, having led a range of services and
projects for children and their families.
Catharine has a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, specialising in early childhood
practice, policy and governance, the delivery of integrated services and the exploration of
innovative programs to engage vulnerable children and their families. She draws on this study
and her ongoing practice research to consider how theory connects with and informs practice.
Catharine is a long-time member of Early Childhood Australia (ECA), currently serving as
Co-chair of the Reconciliation Advisory Group. She is a regular contributor to ECA publications,
including co-authoring the recently published Ethics in Action implementation guide. She
is also a member of the Respectful Relationship Expert Advisory Group for the Victorian
Department of Education and the EY-10 Curriculum and Assessment Committee for the VCAA.
Catharine is a dynamic speaker and collaborative facilitator and is skilled at engaging
professionals in reflective dialogue and creative conversations.
Andrea Nolan
Qualifications: Doctor of Philosophy; Master of Education; Bachelor of Education (IECD)
Jennifer Cartmel is a faculty member in the School of Human Services and Social Work
at Griffith University. Jennifer has worked in a wide range of children’s services. Besides
teaching practitioners, she has taught in preschools and primary schools, including the
hospital school. She has also worked in outside school hours and vacation care programs.
Her research interests include the many facets of outside school hours care services, and
the role of practicum in undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Jennifer has presented at local, national and international conferences. Her doctoral
thesis was titled ‘Outside School Hours Care and Schools’. In 2007, she was presented with
a national Carrick Award for Higher Education Teaching for Outstanding Contribution to
Student Learning for the innovative strategy, Circles of Change. This strategy enhanced the
field education experience for practitioners undertaking practica in children’s education
and care services and human service organisations.
Marilyn Casley
Qualifications: Doctoral Degree; Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education);
Bachelor of Education
Marilyn Casley is a Lecturer in the School of Human Services and Social Work, Griffith
University. Marilyn has more than 30 years of experience working across children’s and
human services. She has completed a doctoral study on how conversations shape an
adult’s ability to understand a child’s perspective. Her broader research interests include
workforce development, with a particular focus on pedagogical leadership and integrated
practice in children’s and human services.
Lennie Barblett
Qualifications: Doctoral Degree; Bachelor of Education; Bachelor of Arts
Lennie Barblett is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean, Early Childhood,
at Edith Cowan University’s School of Education. Lennie has extensive experience
in early childhood education and care, working as an early childhood teacher
in both preschool and early primary education before returning to university to
complete further studies.
She is a long-time member of Early Childhood Australia and has served on the ECA
National Board besides serving as a state branch president. She co-wrote the ECA Code
of Ethics in 2016. Together with Catharine Hydon and Anne Kennedy, Lennie also co-
wrote the ECA Code of Ethics implementation guide, Ethics in Action.
Lennie is a Board member of the Western Australia School Curriculum and Standards
Authority, and lead writer of the West Australian Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines.
She has vast experience as a keynote speaker/presenter and has travelled accross
Australia as a facilitator with the Professional Learning Program on the Early Years
Learning Framework.
Frances Press
Qualifications: Doctoral Degree (Sociology); Master of Arts (Women’s Studies); Bachelor of Arts
Frances Press’s teaching and research interests cover the areas of early childhood policy,
the sociology of early childhood, and the leadership of early childhood programs. She has
worked extensively with academic, government and non-government bodies on issues
related to child and family policy. Frances has a particular interest in examining policy and
practice from the stance of children’s rights. Besides undergraduate and postgraduate
teaching and research, she has strong links with the early childhood field. She is frequently
called upon to provide professional support, particularly to leaders and managers of early
childhood programs.
This glossary is a collection of definitions drawn from multiple sources including the four
papers in section three. Other definitions are sourced from the Guide to the NQF Glossary
https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-01/Guide-to-the-NQF-7-Glossary.pdf
ACECQA Other: Sample
Other:
Templates
Glossary 141
SAMPLE
TEMPLATES
for educational leaders
ACECQA
MEETING AGENDA
Educational leadership meeting
Date: Chair:
Note-taker:
Apologies:
Agenda items
Attendees:
Apologies:
Sample issue:
Position Requirements/accountability
Description To oversee, lead and develop quality reflective practices for delivering the
summary approved learning framework/s and the National Quality Standard to a
high standard.
Qualifications Must be suitably qualified and have experience in leading the development
and training and implementation of the educational program (or curriculum) in the service.
The candidate must have a thorough understanding of the approved learning
framework/s to be able to guide and inspire educators in their planning and
reflection, and to mentor colleagues in their implementation practices.
Acknowledgement:
I have read and fully understand the requirements and responsibilities for the position of educational
leader, and agree that I am willing and able to fulfil this role.
While it is agreed that these will be your duties at the time of employment, management reserves the
right to adjust this role’s accountability to suit operational requirements.
References:
Rodd, J. (1998). Leadership in early childhood: The pathway to professionalism. Sydney, NSW: Open University Press.
Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Manni, L. (2007). Effective leadership in the early years sector: The ELEYS study. London, UK: Institute of
Education, University of London.
The educational leader is Your qualifications, background and experience offer you a baseline
responsible for oversight for starting in the role. This element does not mean that you will be
of the curriculum and required to do everything—far from it—what the team members will
planning consistent with the want in the educational leader is a guide; their support system.
requirements of the National In you, they will see someone who is working hard to gain thorough
Quality Framework (NQF), knowledge of the curriculum requirements.
the service philosophy,
policies and procedures.
The educational leader’s From the outset, it is essential that educational leaders be clear on
accountability is both their role and their reporting structure.
contractual and through As an educational leader, you will have an outline of the agreed key
the NQF (if you are a organisational priorities for your role. Your manager will be aware of
teacher, then in some any plans that you develop, will be clear on the expected progress
states it includes the and on how you have to report back to them.
teaching legislation).
You will have a process where you can report any concerns, or request
any learning or resourcing needs you may have identified.
Implementing the You will understand the philosophy and how it links to practice. You
philosophy, and relevant will develop strategies for leading, guiding and supporting educators
policies and procedures. in implementing the philosophy, and relevant policies and programs.
Your strategies, when working with educators and the service
community, will include:
• knowledge development—using multiple approaches to support
educators as they take up new knowledge and skills
• reflection—using targeted questions to promote deep thinking;
leading learning about reflective practice; and measuring the
effectiveness of reflection, as you go
• evidence of practice—finding answers to questions like: ‘What does
that look like each day? Where can I see this? What evidence can I
gather on progress? How does practice relate to the philosophy?’
Supporting partnerships You will share your understanding of the importance of relationships,
with the children, ethical and inclusive communication, and looking at children in the
their families and the context of the family. This includes:
communities you • developing strategies for leading, guiding and supporting
engage with. educators in gaining the knowledge and skills that they need
• guiding educators to develop and maintain professional and
ethical standards when dealing with children, families and the
community, through:
• learning—using multiple strategies to support educators as
they take up new knowledge and skills on what is required of
them
• reflection—using targeted questions to push reflection
and reflective practice; and measuring the effectiveness of
reflection, as you go
• evidence of practice—finding answers to questions like:
‘What does that look like each day? Where can I see this?
What evidence can I gather on progress? How does practice
relate to the philosophy?’
Mentoring, guiding and Another key responsibility of the educational leader is developing
supporting educators. mentoring plans and processes, and mapping how they will be used
in the service. The educators’ plans will typically include:
• setting goals and priorities
• the knowledge you want to grow
• identifying what success will look like and how progress will
be measured
• individual personalised plans with steps.
Tailoring your actions, The educational leader must get to know each educator’s knowledge
acknowledging that base, and identify needs using observations, discussions, research
educators possess and evidence.
varying knowledge levels, In the role, you will be required to work with the educators and your
capabilities and respond to manager, if needed, to plan for those needs, in consultation with the
different learning styles. director/supervisor or manager. Using the principles of adult learning,
you will have to create learning opportunities, where required.
Facilitating the The educational leader has to work with the manager and educators
implementation to identify issues for the service, and utilise evidence and research to
of evidence- and support practices.
research-based practices. You will need to put this in practice by using trials, pilots and action
research as tools for exploration of new solutions for old issues, or for
ways of exploring new learning. You can also keep a foundation set of
authoritative sites handy to ensure consistently high standards in a
consistent language. These include:
• Early Childhood Resource Hub (ECRH)
• Raising Children Network
• Educational Leaders Association (Facebook).
Working with educators Educational leaders are expected to share a pathway towards
towards continuous growing a shared practice. This will be possible through:
improvement in their • refreshing the team and individual understanding of the policy and
professional practice. procedure requirements for self-assessment and QIP development
• developing a shared understanding of why self-assessment and
quality improvement are needed
• developing a tailored approach for the service
• discussions and learning sessions with the service team
• desktop reviews and clearing of current QIP.
7.1.2 Management Systems are in place to manage risk and enable the effective management and
systems operation of a quality service.
7.1.3 Roles and Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, and understood, and support
responsibilities effective decision-making and operation of the service.
Reference
(ACECQA, 2018, p.53). National Quality Standard Assessment and Rating Instrument. Sydney, NSW: ACECQA.
Retrieved from https://www.acecqa.gov.au/media/25301.