Dr Mona Sakr is Senior Lecturer in Education and Early Childhood at Middlesex University. As a researcher in Early Years (EY) provision, she has published extensively on creative, digital and playful pedagogies. Mona’s current research is an exploration of pedagogical, organisational and community leadership in EY and how leadership can be more effectively developed through innovative practice-based and digitally mediated professional development.
Mona works with practitioners and organisations in early childhood education in order to develop pedagogical, organisational and community leadership. She is currently working with the London Early Years Foundation to produce a model of Social Leadership in early childhood education.
Mona is Staff Governor at Middlesex University. She is on the management committee of the Centre for Education Research and Scholarship (CERS). In this capacity, she has chaired the Education Ethics Committee, and is currently head of the CERS web transformation project.
Mona is also Trustee of the Reach Foundation, with a particular focus on the work of their innovative children’s hub.
Dr Mona Sakr’s research interests include:
- Children’s play, creativity and digital engagement
- Digital technologies in higher education
- Art and design pedagogies
- Pedagogical leadership in early childhood education
- Social leadership, courageous leadership
In this interview, Mona explains social leadership in early childhood education, based on a model of leadership developed in conjunction with LEYF (London Early Years Foundation) CEO June O’Sullivan MBE.
She discusses the six elements of social leadership specific to early years leaders:
- Leading with purpose
- Driving a social pedagogy
- Creating a culture of collaborative innovation
- Investing in the leadership of others
- Facilitating powerful conversations
- Sowing the seeds of sustainability
Links:
Sakr, M. (2021) Social Leadership. Part 1 – Be the Change. Nursery World. https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/features/article/social-leadership-part-1-be-the-change
https://amzn.to/3nh2AT3 Social Leadership in Early Childhood Education: An Introduction
https://amzn.to/3G5Y7Lo International perspectives on EY pedagogical leadership.
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Episode Includes
- Episode Certificate
