ABSTRACT
This chapter defines pedagogy, curriculum and praxis, describes the importance of early childhood pedagogical leadership and articulates a range of influences on early childhood pedagogy. The chapter describes aspects of effective early childhood pedagogy, applies a range of strategies to strengthen pedagogical learning and explores tensions for the contemporary pedagogical leader. Early childhood pedagogical leaders are responsible for leading learning. In some respects all early childhood educators are pedagogical leaders, as they make decisions about learning and teaching in the development and enactment of the early childhood curriculum. The term pedagogy is a relatively new term in early childhood services; it came about with the introduction of the Early Years Learning Framework in 2009 and has since become part of the vocabulary of early childhood educators. The word ‘pedagogue’ has its roots in the Greek language and describes ‘leading’ the child.
