Pedagogical leadership in Early Childhood Education (N/A Spring 2025)

About the course

Pedagogical Leadership in Early Childhood Education is a one-semester course at bachelorlevel, mainly aimed for exchange students from NLA’s partner institutions. Language of instruction is English.

Through practical work, such as Improvisation, Microteaching, and other methods of drama pedagogy, the students will learn how to lead children and staff in developmental processes. The course will emphasize the pedagogical leader’s social responsibility and her/his responsibility for participating in professional discussions.

Through teaching practice in kindergarten, the students will learn how quality and competence within Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) is developed.

What do you learn?

• Microteaching, video-recall process emphasizing the development of leadership
• Development of leadership through application of improvisation and drama education
• Management of professional processes, focusing on critical thinking and competence development through professional debates and discussions
• ECEC´s commission from society and central values of ECEC, including critical assessment of pedagogical trends and movements in Norwayand internationally.
• Pedagogical resources in ECEC

Course structure

Study and teaching methods in this course will be lectures, seminars, group work, video recordings, counselling, practice observations and self-tuition.

The course contains the following disciplines:

• Pedagogy (20 ECTS)
• Drama (7 ECTS)
• Social Science (3 ECTS)

The course is divided into 2 parts of 15 ECTS:

PART 1 (15 ECTS): Pedagogy (8 ECTS), Drama (ECTS)

PART 2 (15 ECTS): Pedagogy (12 ECTS) and Social Science (3 ECTS).

Part 2 includes 10 days of practice with 100 % attendance. There are separate assessment criteria for practice, taken from the learning outcome descriptors. 

International students may choose only to complete part 1 (15 ECTS). International students will not be eligible to apply for part 2 (15 ECTS) unless part 1 has been completed. 

Students enrolled in the Early Childhood Teacher Education bachelor program will be required to complete both parts (1+2: 30ECTS). 

Information for international students

• The orientation program for international students will be arranged prior to the semester (2-4 days).
• International students are normally guaranteed accommodation through the student welfare organisation Sammen, provided that the accommodation is applied within the given deadline.
• Read more information for international exchange students here.