Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership

The Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership comprises two of the core subjects in the Master of Instructional Leadership. It provides a strong research evidence base for understanding student and teacher learning and how instructional leadership can create the conditions for this to occur. This course aligns with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership National Professional Standard for Principals.

This course will not meet the requirements for initial teacher registration in Australia.

Students who complete the Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership should be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of the educational leadership literature in general, and instructional leadership literature in particular.
• Demonstrate understanding of current research on learning including the impacts of various teaching strategies and approaches.
• Demonstrate understanding of current leadership research and the implications this has for teacher quality and student learning and achievement.
• Critically reflect on their professional strengths and weaknesses and their approach to leading and working with others.
• Understand current research and approaches to teachers’ professional learning.
• Demonstrate understanding of the features of and approaches to successful innovation and change in educational settings, teaching and learning.
• Demonstrate understanding of effective approaches to engaging and working with diverse groups and the community.

Students will complete two compulsory subjects.

NOTE: The two compulsory are core subjects in the Master of Instructional Leadership (100 points). Those who complete the Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership will be eligible for entry to the Master of Instructional Leadership and will need to complete the remaining 75 points.

Compulsory subjects

An applicant may be eligible for entry into the Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership, if the applicant has:

• an appropriate honours degree in Education; or
• a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma in the field of Education; or
• an appropriate four-year degree, or equivalent, and at least two years of documented relevant professional experience

It is anticipated from market research that employers will choose to sponsor candidates in this course. In the event of excessive demand for other available places, preference will be given to applicants with superior academic qualifications/performance and/or professional experience.

The Melbourne Graduate School of Education welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University and Graduate School policy to take reasonable steps to enable the participation of students with disabilities, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student’s participation in the Graduate School’s programs.
The core participation requirements for study in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education are:

In all courses

1. The ability to comprehend complex information related to education and the disciplines in which the student is teaching.
2. The ability to communicate clearly and independently in assessment tasks a knowledge of the content, principles and practices relating to education and other relevant disciplines.
3. Behavioural and social attributes that enable a student to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.

Students who feel a disability will prevent them from meeting the above academic requirements are encouraged to contact Disability Liaison.

The two compulsory subjects in this Professional Certificate are core subjects in the Master of Instructional Leadership (100 points). Those who complete the Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership will be eligible for entry to the Master of Instructional Leadership and will need to complete the remaining 75 points.

The Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership will enable graduates to achieve the following University of Melbourne Graduate Attributes:

• Academically excellent: graduates will develop in-depth research and evidence-based knowledge of learning, teaching, professional learning, educational leadership, educational culture and climate. They will demonstrate a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication. Graduates will be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning and be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies.
• Knowledgeable across disciplines: graduates will examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines, particularly those with relevance to their education setting. They will expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences and have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems. As a result of completing the Instructional Leadership they will have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment.
• Leaders in communities: Graduates of the Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership will be prepared to assume leadership in educational and wider community contexts. They will be able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces and have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations. They will mentor future generations of learners and leaders and be able to engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs.
• Attuned to cultural diversity: Graduates of the Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership will be working within organisations characterised by cultural and other forms of diversity. This is reflected in such overarching documents as the Australian Charter for the Teaching Profession, the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young People and the various national professional teaching standards and curriculum documents. Graduates will value different cultures and be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work. They will have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community and respect indigenous knowledge, cultures and values.
• Active global citizens: As aspiring or practicing educational leaders, graduates of the Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership will accept social and civic responsibilities and attempt to inculcate these in those with which they work. They will be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment and have a broad global understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equity and ethics. They will recognise that education is the best means we have of opening the doors of opportunity for people and of ameliorating the effects of inequity and disadvantage.

In addition to learning specific skills associated with the Professional Certificate in Instructional Leadership, graduates will develop the following generic skills which will be valuable for life:

• Problem solving skills, including engaging with, researching and identifying strategies to solve unfamiliar problems.
• Analytical skills and the ability to construct and express logical arguments.
• Collaborative and teamwork skills through working with fellow students and with work-based colleagues through investigations and problem solving.
• To learn to critically investigate, modify and adapt new ideas and approaches.
• Plan effective work schedules and meet deadlines.
• Verbal and communication skills.
• Interpersonal skills including staff supervision and development.
• Change management skills.
• Use of evidence and data.