Leadership: Part 3 - Everyone knows

Knowledge is a basket full of rich experiences that are multiple and varied. Leaders, team members and the children and families they work with all contribute to it. Their different experiences are parts of a puzzle that form a picture of understanding. Often, as practitioners we are adept at accessing these through observation, casual conversations, prearranged meetings.

But what of the knowledge held by the team? This does not mean the level or extent of their qualifications, or if they have been working in early childhood education and care (ECEC) for one or 30 years. We are interested in what they know in a far broader sense. What are their values and beliefs? Why do they work in ECEC? What it is that really makes Cheryl so good at communicating with the children? Why does Paula have that ‘sixth sense’, gleaned from years of experience and an active desire to understand, on child protection issues? There are many aspects to consider about the knowledge of the team, but there are two that we particularly wish to explore. The first is the learning community, a concept which was informed by psychological and socio-cultural theories and gained popularity in the 1990s.