Master of Instructional Leadership

The Master of Instructional Leadership aims to equip aspiring and practising educational leaders from all fields of education with the knowledge, understandings and skills to build and sustain effective teaching and individual student learning and development in schools and other educational settings. The Master of Instructional Leadership has a strong emphasis on the use of research and evidence in school leaders’ professional practice. The 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 Master of 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 a critical and informed understanding of the construction of schools and school systems, and how these influence instructional leadership practice and development of outstanding student outcomes (broadly conceived).
• Demonstrate understanding of current leadership research and the implications this has for teacher quality and student learning and achievement.
• Identify and analyse modern modes of assessment.
• Distinguish been formative ad summative assessment data and purposes.
• Link assessment to instructional decision making at student, class, cohort and school level
• 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.
• Apply foundational research skills to address a research question
• Undertake research independently.
• Demonstrate a capacity to communicate research results clearly, comprehensively and persuasively.
• Analyse the inter-disciplinary nature of leadership and the contributions to it of psychology, sociology, education, management, politics, and cultural anthropology.

Students will complete seven core subjects and one elective.

The following core subjects will be undertaken in the second year of enrolment:

• EDUC90729 Conducting Educational Research
• EDUC90752 Researching Leadership Practice
• EDUC90750 Leading Schools Through Leading Self

Core subjects

Elective subjects

A 12.5 point subject chosen from the Master of Education with permission of the Master of Instructional Leadership course coordinator.

An applicant may be eligible for entry into the Master of 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

In the event of excessive demand for available places, preference in the various entry categories (Commonwealth Supported Place, Australian Fee Paying, Overseas Fee Paying) 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.

Graduates from this program are eligible to apply for entry to the Doctor of Education program or a PhD after completion of a 50-point Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Research, provided they meet the entry requirements and subject to achievement of an H2A GPA. Please note also that graduates of an undergraduate Honours degree may already be eligible for doctoral studies, subject to the same entry and achievement requirements.

The Master of 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 Master of Instructional Leadership they will have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment.
• Leaders in communities: Graduates of the Master of 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 Master of 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 Master of 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 Master of 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.