EDF5308 - Leading schools 2 - 2019

In this unit, students develop their understanding of the centrality of leadership as a way to improve teaching and learning in a school. They engage with a range of evidence to guide their vision and strategy for a school and develop skills in communicating this to a range of school, system and community stakeholders. Students learn to lead, design and manage the quality of teaching and learning to strengthen their students' achievement. Students rely on analysis of evidence and data to set up a supportive environment to build staff capacity. They identify processes for collaboration and accountability and how to prioritise resource allocation to support school priorities. Students engage in critical reflection on cases of school practice and on their own leadership development in order to optimise their readiness for school leadership.

Upon successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. understand the nature of school leadership in the Victorian context, and leadership as a socially and institutionally constructed phenomenon
2. identify the ways in which leaders learn about leadership and construct their short-term and long-term career trajectories
3. engage with recent trends in education and leadership theory and practice, as these apply in the Victorian and wider national and global contexts
4. develop conceptual and theoretical understanding in examining the leadership of teaching and learning, within practice and relevant contexts
5. apply growing conceptual and theoretical understanding in examining leadership within schools and in initiatives to engage schools with the wider community
6. develop skills related to the design, generation and interpretation of evidence on which they can base their practice
7. develop skills related to managing schools and managing resources to support the leading of learning and teaching.

Workshop reflection logs (4000 words equivalent, 50%)

Digital leadership portfolio (4000 words equivalent, 50%)

Minimum total expected workload equals 288 hours per semester comprising:

1. Contact hours for on-campus students:
   • Intensives: 6 days
2. Additional requirements (all students):
   • Online activities (synchronous and asynchronous) up to the remaining expected workload hours.

See also Unit timetable information

Principal preparation