Mrs Anita Wood

About me:

Anita Wood is a senior lecturer in education at the University of Exeter.  She works in the fields of Teacher Education, Education for Sustainable Development,  Reading for Pleasure and Multilingualism.  Anita leads large education modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level and provides mentoring for teachers and pre-service teachers. 

Anita's recent work focuses on promoting sustainable development and multilingualism in teaching. She leads impactful initiatives such as the "Schools Across the Ocean" programme, which connects school communities internationally to enhance climate and ocean literacy. This programme uses transdisciplinary approaches to empower children and teachers to address climate challenges collaboratively.

Anita's work  uses the transformative power of education to tackle climate issues, especially in regions where climate change is not part of the curriculum. Her projects provide students with a sense of agency and the tools to engage meaningfully with environmental challenges. For instance, "We Are the Ocean," a bilingual poetry anthology developed under her guidance, highlights children's perspectives on ocean conservation, blending their creative and scientific insights. This work has been showcased at global platforms like COP28 and COP29, underscoring its significance in climate education and advocacy. The Schools Across the Ocean partnership is supported by high profile funders such as The British Council,  The British Embassy,  Emirates Literature Foundation and links with other HE institutions such as the University of Khorfakkan in UAE and the University of Khasar in Azerbaijan. 

Anita has taught in primary schools from reception to year six and this work early in her career forms the foundation of her work providing training for pre-service teachers and CPD for for in-service teachers.  She currently leads the "Learning for Teaching" undergraduate programme at the University of Exeter and the Curriculum Studies modules taken by all primary teacher trainees.  These are large and complex modules which involve large teams and a commitment to curriculum inovation and pastoral support for students. 

Anita continues to work in the field of multilingualism with colleague Gabriela Meier on the M-SOC project and provides consultancy in endangered language revitalisation in primary schools via the Guernsey Language Commission. 

Anita supports reading and social justice programmes,  recently developing a pilot Reading for Pleasure Primary School Placement for undergraduate students in Exeter and she works as part of a reading for pleasure school outreach team in areas of deprivation in Mid-Devon. 

Qualifications:

BA(ed) in English and Drama with Primary Education (First class); University of Exeter

MA in Literacy Learning and Literacy Difficulties (with distinction) Institute of Education, University of London

NPQLTD National Professional Qualification in Leading Teacher Development

NPQ Forest School Leader