Dr. Kevin Wood

Dr. Kevin Wood gratefully resides on traditional Siksikaitsitapii territory. He was given the Blackfoot name Miistsis: Spirit of Growth in Wood. Dr. Wood completed his PhD in Formal and Distributive Leadership at the University of Lethbridge. He is currently an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education. 25 years in K-12 public education as a teacher and leader led to a deep appreciation for the learning life. Dr. Wood is passionate about worthy learning and the disposition required to lead collaborative inquiry and learning (as verb) communities.

Teaching Interests

Kevin unabashedly loves to teach! Spending 15 years as a public-school vice principal and principal only deepened his appreciation for the role. He instructs in both Graduate and Undergraduate programs. In his classes, Kevin focuses intently on the processes, mindsets, and cultures that nurture and inhibit learning. He aims to support his students’ acquisition of knowledge while also deepening the understanding of what if means to live as a learner. Kevin teaches graduate students in their second year of Educational Leadership studies focusing on learning leadership. Students who enter their first year of teacher education join Kevin for the Being a Teacher workshop. During PSII he experiences the great joy it is to learn alongside students studying drama education.

Research Interests

Kevin’s research inquires into the nature of learning leadership, or simply how leaders nurture the conditions that allow for openness, growth, and development. He asks questions such as what is the nature of the leader who fosters a joyful learning community and in what ways do leaders understand learning as a condition of leading? He is interested in how a hegemonic mindset defines standards, creates blinders, and outlines success. Kevin loves to turn to metaphor to deepen understanding and appreciates the wisdom inherently present in nature.