Rhona Stallard

Rhona Stallard is a Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Marino Institute of Education, with a PhD in early childhood education focusing on playful pedagogies, professional identity, and policy contexts. Her research explores pandemic impacts on early childhood practices, slow relational pedagogy, and arts-based practices for young children. She teaches modules in the B.Sc. ECE program, including EC8203, EC8204, EC8404, EC8406, and EC8408. She has contributed to Erasmus+ projects, arts-based initiatives, and ethics committees. Notable awards include the T-Rex Teaching & Learning Innovation Award for integrating online collaborative learning in teacher education.

• Educations:
• PhD in Early Childhood Education (focus: professional pedagogy and policy).

Her research interests center on holistic child development, quality assessment in early education, and pedagogical leadership. She has evaluated early childhood services and participated in international conferences on early childhood education. Recent work includes analyzing stakeholder perspectives in ECEC and pandemic-related well-being challenges.

• Awards:
• T-Rex Teaching & Learning Innovation Award (2019).

Her grants include funding for integrating T-Rex in teaching (€1,200) and a €5,000 bursary for designing baby cards for early years education.