Dr Margaret Wood

Teaching

I have experience of teaching on undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development programmes at UK universities and overseas. I have been an assessor for colleagues applying for Fellow and Senior Fellow HEA/Advance HE recognition at York St John University and Manchester Metropolitan University. I have a strong record of doctoral theses supervisions, including doctoral supervisions through to completion. I have examined doctoral theses at York St John University, the University of Brighton, the University of Derby, Leeds Beckett University and the University of Nottingham, as well as internationally at the University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology.

Research

My research and publications critique the centralizing tendencies of much current education policy and its relation to community and democracy in local, national, and global contexts. This theme is explored in its national and international dimensions for instance in my work in relation to the discourse of ‘teaching excellence’ in higher education policy and cosmopolitan perspectives on academic leadership with significance for policy and practice.

My work is underpinned by a commitment to social justice and a focus throughout my publications is the evisceration of local democratic structures of governance, a critique of the centralized appropriation of power and the impact of this on local democracy and teacher autonomy in the school sector. The theme of student voice(s) and agency has also been prominent in my research and publications relating to co-creation, pedagogical partnerships and democratic and inclusive approaches to the development of academic practice in higher education.

I have disseminated my work widely through published outputs and also through numerous presentations at international conferences and symposia.

Publications

Books

Wood, M. and Su, F. (2022) Pursuing Teaching Excellence in Higher Education. Towards an Inclusive Perspective. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

Su, F. and Wood, M. (Eds) (2017) Cosmopolitan Perspectives on Academic Leadership in Higher Education. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

Hoy, C. Bayne-Jardine, C. & Wood, M. (2000) Improving Quality in Education. London: Falmer Press.

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Walker, E., Pennington, A., Wood, M. and Su, F. (2023) Lived experiences of educators and leaders in multi-academy trusts in England: The colonisation of schools, the erosion of community engagement and the need for alternative futures. Research in Education, https://doi.org/10.1177/00345237231196779

Pennington, A. Su, F. and Wood, M. (2023): ‘Untangling the entangled knot’: a critical and genealogical examination of Multi-Academy Trusts’ (MATs) ideologies, power and governance in England. International Studies in Sociology of Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/09620214.2023.2230980

Wood, M., Belluigi, D. Z., Su, F. and Seidl, E. (2023) Navigating old and new terrains of academic practice in higher education: indelible and invisible marks left from the Covid-19 lockdown. London Review of Education, 21: 1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.21.1.19

Wood, M., Su, F. and Pennington, A. (2023) ‘You just need to work harder’: misalignments between the rhetoric of social mobility and education for social justice.Power and Education https://doi.org/10.1177/17577438231163047

Su, F., Wood, M. and Tribe, R. (2023) ‘Dare to be silent’: re-conceptualising silence as a positive pedagogical approach in schools. Research in Education https://doi.org/10.1177/00345237231152604

Su, F. and Wood, M. (2023) Relational pedagogy in higher education: what might it look like in practice and how do we develop it?International Journal for Academic Development, https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2023.2164859

Wood^,  M., Pennington, A. and Su, F. (2022) ‘Back to the Future’: thinking with Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) and Alec Clegg (1909-1986) on the promise of education. Oxford Review of Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2022.2052828

Dransfield, M., Wood, M. and Su, F. (2022) Following the yellow brick road? Developing inspiring learning and teaching in the pursuit of teaching excellence in higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0309877X.2022.2029833

Su, F., Wood, M., Alerby, E., Da Re, L. and Felisatti, E. (2021) ‘'When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle's lost and won': exploring the value and appropriation of silence and quietude in academia’. European Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2021.1930566

Wood, M., Pennington, A. and Su, F. (2020) ‘The Past No Longer Casts Light Upon the Future; Our Minds Advance in Darkness’: the impact and legacy of Sir Alec Clegg’s educational ideas and practices in the West Riding of Yorkshire (1945-1974). British Journal of Educational Studies, 69 (3) 307-326, DOI:10.1080/00071005.2020.1799935

Su, F. and Wood, M. (2019) Reinterpreting teaching excellence. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, 21 (2) 78-82.

Wood, M. and Su, F.  (2019) Parents as ‘stakeholders’ and their conceptions of teaching excellence in English higher education. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, 21 (2) 99-111.

Wood, M., Pennington, A. and Su, F. (2018) Pre-figurative practice and the educational leadership of Sir Alec Clegg in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England (1945-1974). Journal of Educational Administration and History, 50 (4) 299-315.

Wood, M. and Su, F. (2017) What makes an excellent lecturer? Academics' perspectives on the discourse of 'teaching excellence' in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 22 (4) 451-467.

Su, F. and Wood, M. (2016) Towards an ‘ordinary’ cosmopolitanism in everyday academic practice in higher education. Journal of Educational History and Administration, 39 (1), 1-15.

Wood, M. & Tribe, R. (2016) ‘In a silent way: student perceptions of silence in community’. Pastoral Care in Education, 34 (3) 144-155.

Wood, M. and Su, F. (2014) A mission possible: towards a shared dialogic space for professional learning in UK higher education. European Journal of Higher Education, 4(4), 363-372.

Su, F. and Wood, M. (2012) What makes a good university lecturer? Students' perceptions of teaching excellence. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 4(2), 142-155.

Wood, M. (2011) 'Closer to the ground': pupil 'voice' and the development of knowledge about schools. The Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 2 (1) 1-15.

Dell, C and Wood, M. (2010) Internationalization and the Global Dimension in the Curriculum. Educational Futures 2 (2) 56-71.

Holderness, B. Bold, C. Henry, D. & Wood, M. (2008) Extending boundaries: young people as action researchers. Journal of Education, 43, 57-78.

Hoy, C. & Wood, M. (1993) ‘Taking Charge of Change: the ultimate challenge for the school’. Educational Change and Development, 14(1) 27-33.

Publications continued

Book Chapters

Wood, M. (2019) ‘The Use of Dialogue in Professional Learning in Higher Education’ In: Peters, M.A. & Heraud, R. (Eds) The Encyclopaedia of Educational Innovation, London: Springer.

Wood, M. (2009) ‘Young People as Researchers’ In: Fiedler, J. & Posch, C. (eds) Yes, they can! Children researching their lives. Baltmansweiler, Schneider Verlag Hohengehren.

Wood, M. (2008) ‘Listening to Pupils’ Voices’ In: Warren, S. (Ed.) Education Studies. London: Continuum

Wood, M. (1998) ‘Partners in Pursuit of Quality: LEA support for School Improvement after Inspection’, In: Earley, P. (Ed) School Improvement after Inspection, London: Paul Chapman.

Conference Papers

I have presented papers at overseas conferences in the Republic of Ireland, Canada, Bahrain and Austria as well as conferences in the UK.

2019

International Centre for Historical Research in Education (ICHRE) and History of Education Society Conference, Institute of Education, University College London, 8th – 10th November 2019, Wood, M., Pennington, A. and Su, F. The legacy of the educational philosophy of Sir Alec Clegg and the administration of schooling by the West Riding County Council (1945-1974).

2018

The Philosophy of Higher Education Conference, University of Middlesex 10th-12th September 2018, Wood, M. & Su, F. A study of parents as 'stakeholders' in higher education, and their impact on student being and becoming in the future university.

2017

The Society for Research in Higher Education Annual Conference (SRHE), Newport, Wales, December 2017, Wood, M. & Su, F. Pursuing teaching excellence in higher education: Towards a multi-stakeholder perspective.

2016

The Society for Research in Higher Education Annual Conference (SRHE), Newport, Wales, December 2016, Wood, M. & Su, F. Teaching Excellence in Higher Education.

2014

The Society for Research in Higher Education Annual Conference (SRHE), Newport, Wales, December 2014: 1) Wood, M. & Su, F. Re-conceptualising ‘Spaciality’ in Professional Learning in English Faith-Based Universities. 2) Su, F. & Wood, M. Towards a Shared Dialogic Space for Professional Learning in Higher Education.

Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE) in Dublin, October 2014, Wood, M. Student Leadership of the Classroom Learning Community: connecting with undergraduate students’ understandings.

2013

Higher Education Academy Students as Partners in Undergraduate Research conference at the University of Sheffield, October 2013, Wood, M. & Abbinnett, M. Repositioning, roles and relationships: participatory pedagogic research into undergraduate students' experiences of learning in groups.

Higher Education Institutional Research (HEIR) conference on ‘Progressive Partnerships: Engaging Stakeholders in Institutional Research’ at Birmingham City University, July 2013, Wood, M. Developing the authentic engagement of students in collaborative pedagogical research.

University of Brighton, Ethics and Student Engagement: Exploring Practices in Higher Education Conference at the University of Brighton, July 2013 Wood, M. & Su, F. Mission possible: Creating a shared space for an authentic student engagement in higher education.

2012

British Education Studies Association (BESA) 8th Annual Conference, The University of Hull, June 2012, Wood, M., What makes good group work? Investigating undergraduate students’ perceptions of their experiences of learning in groups.

Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE), Dublin, April 2012, Rouse, S. & Wood, M. The impact of the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice on the practice of newly- appointed academic staff in higher education.

2011

Engaging Voices Participation and the Student Experience Symposium, Sheffield Hallam University, October 2011, Wood, M., Making sense of learning: undergraduate students’ perceptions of their learning experiences in higher education.

International Conference and Exhibition on Knowledge-Based Business, Industry and Education (KBIE), Bahrain, January 2011: Leach, T. and Wood, M. Knowledge Creation and Organisational Learning.

2010

Education and Employers Taskforce Conference, University of Warwick, October 2010, Wood, M., Understanding the Learning-Working Nexus in Higher Education.

Canada International Conference on Education (CICE), Toronto, May 2010, Wood, M., Developing a Community of Enquiry Approach to Learning in Higher Education.

6th International Conference on the Social and Moral Fabric of the School, York St John University, 25th -27th March 2010, Wood, M., Reconceptualising ‘Impact’ in Academic Practitioner Research.

2008

British Education Studies Association Conference, Liverpool Hope University, June 2008, Dell, C. & Wood, M., Internationalisation and the Global Dimension in the Curriculum.

2007

York St John Enquiry-Based Learning Conference, St William’s College, York, May 2007, Wood, M., Enquiry-based learning: postgraduate experiences.

2nd International Conference on Research ‘with’ and ‘by’ Children, Hermann Gmeiner Academy, Innsbruck, Austria. December 2007, Wood, M., Young People as Researchers.

1998

Eleventh International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement: Reaching out to all learners, University of Manchester, January 1998 Wood, M., Traveller Families and Schools.

Professional Activity

Professional memberships and affiliations

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts (FRSA), a Recognised Research Supervisor for doctoral researchers by the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) and a Recognised Professional Practitioner in Advising by the UK Advising and Tutoring Association (UKAT RPA). I am also a member of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and a member of the editorial board for the journal Research in Education and the International Journal of Educational Methodology, and I have co-edited a Special Issue of the International Journal of Comparative Education and Development (2019).

I have reviewed book proposals and manuscript submissions for publishers including Bloomsbury, David Fulton, Pearson, and Sage. I review articles for a number of academic journals including the  International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, Educational Review, the European Journal of Higher Education, Studies in Higher Education, Power and Education, and Pastoral Care in Education.