Staff Profiles


Dr Roger Wood

Ph.D., B.Ed. (Hons.), C.Biol., F.R.S.B., F.L.S., F.Z.S., Mem.M.B.A., F.R.S.S.A., F.R.A.S., F.R.A.I., F.H.E.A

Senior Lecturer in Science, Biodiversity and Conservation Education

School of Education

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr Roger Wood

Phone number:

Email: dwood@brookes.ac.uk

Location: Harcourt Hill Campus

Prior to his move to the Oxford Brookes University in October 2018, Dr. Roger Wood was a Senior Lecturer in Primary Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University and a Research Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. Dr. Wood was a primary school teacher and headteacher for 23 years.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Roger_Wood2

Dr. Wood held various teaching posts, was Head of Science Department at two schools, and enjoyed 13 years of senior leadership roles (including a Deputy Headship and two Headships) within independent and maintained schools.

Dr. Wood is a Chartered Biologist. In recognition of his work in science education and conservation, Roger has been elected to current and prior Fellowships with the Royal Society of Biology,, the Royal Astronomical Society, the Linnean Society of London, the Zoological Society of London, the Royal Scottish Society of Arts, the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Anthropological Institute.

Dr. Wood has previously been a member of the Council of the Zoological Society of London and is a current Trustee (and former Acting Vice-Chairman) with the chimpanzee conservation charity, the Jane Goodall Institute UK - https://janegoodall.org.uk/team-and-trustees/

Dr. Wood is the Project Director and Founder of the Trusting Nature Rewilding Alliance and is the Project Director for the Cornwall Biodiversity and Science KERN Projects. In addition, he is the Project Officer and commitee member with the Cornwall Science Community - https://cornwallsciencecommunity.org/about-the-bsa/the-committee/ , and is a member of the Royal Society of Biology Devon and Cornwall Committee.

Dr. Wood is an External Examiner of Primary PGCE programmes at a number of universities.

 

CURRENT RESEARCH

Educational Research and Scholarship

1. Cornwall Biodiversity and Science KERN Projects

I am currently engaged with the evolution of the Cornwall Biodiversity and Science KERN Projects (as Project Director). KERN is the abbreviation for Knowledge Expansion, Research and Networking. This encompasses collaborative partnerships with numerous academic colleagues, environmental groups and climate change organizations in Cornwall, leading to impact-rich projects, activities and events in two key areas:

a. Cornwall Biodiversity Project: Enhancing Children, Young People, Families and Communities’ Active Engagement with Biodiversity, Ocean and Climate Action projects and events in Cornwall, through practical, relevant and interesting inquirybased activities. This is closely linked to and informs the second project:

b. Cornwall-based Science, Biodiversity and Climate Action network and website for children, young people and their families. I am organizing and, in some cases, leading the science activities, together with partnership development, and related research and knowledge expansion opportunities. In November 2022, I shall be leading a Sea Grass Workshop for children at the Cornwall Community Flood Forum conference (in association with the University of Exeter, the University of Portsmouth and the Cornwall Science Community). Both projects will enable environmental, scientific and conservation organizations and groups in Cornwall to work collaboratively across a range of interlinked, cross-disciplinary subprojects.

This includes ELOC (Engaging Learning Outside Classrooms) - Enhancing Children’s Engagement with Science Education and Outdoor Learning (including Nature, Conservation and Sustainability)

• The influence of Inquiry-Based Learning approaches upon children’s engagement with Science

• Enhancing trainee ITE teachers’ confidence and enthusiasm for Science Education through inquiry-based learning approaches

• Enhancing children’s engagement with nature and conservation through InquiryBased Learning and informal education (including outdoor learning).

• Creative approaches to Outdoor Education and Learning – the impact of teacher characteristics and professional confidence upon approaches within outdoor education (including Forest and Beach School); creative and playful approaches to learning, engagement and understanding; individuals’ perceived benefits of outdoor adventures.

Biological and scientific research

2. TRUSTING NATURE Rewilding Alliance (Project Director and Founder) a. Blue carbon and climate change mitigation, through regeneration and monitoring of sea grass, kelp forests and saltmarsh (in collaboration with the University of Exeter and the University of Portsmouth)

3. Primate and Lemur Conservation Education (in collaboration with colleagues at Oxford Brookes University)

Other research and scholarship

4. Philosophical approaches to enhancing confidence-informed social motivation within human knowledge and endeavour: developing extensions to philosophical hermeneutics (Gadamer) and hermeneutic phenomenology (Heidegger) through the novel theory of the Philosophy of Confidence-Informed Social Motivation (PCISM).