Charlotte Woods BA (Hons) MEd (Distintion)
Lecturer in Education
Main research interests: Recent funded projects have involved evaluative research of adult learning in a variety of contexts: a study of the socialisation of new members of academic staff at the University of Manchester; three projects, funded by the National College of School Leadership, to inform developments of the College's innovative, blended-learning programme of training for School Business Managers; three studies, funded by the University of Manchester's Curriculum Innovation Fund, to investigate novel approaches to teaching and learning.
Main teaching interests:
I have a strong interest in the potential synergies between teaching and research. This is reflected in the undergraduate programme of which I am Director: the BA Language, Literacy and Communication. This is a new degree, and one in which enquiry-based approaches to learning feature heavily. I regularly conduct research into my own and others' pedagogic practice in HE, with current specific foci being inter-disciplinarity and group processes. My MEd teaching has included courses in psychology and in educational management for English Language Teaching professionals. I am an active member of University's Teaching Research Development Network and sit on its steering group.
International experience: I was employed by the British Council for 10 years as a teacher and educational manager in Italy, Portugal and Morocco before joining the University. Since then, in addition to presenting at international conferences, I have undertaken consultancy work for the British Council in distance teacher education in Russia.
Selected recent publications:
Woods, C. et al (2004) 'Piloting Interdisciplinarity in the Undergraduate Curriculum' in Snapshots of Innovation (pp9-12) University of Manchester and UMIST. ISBN 1-903640-11-3
Conference papers
BERA, 2004 Manchester 'Interdisciplinarity in the undergraduate curriculum: a pilot study'
ILT, 2004 Hatfield 'Interdisciplinarity in the undergraduate curriculum: reflections on an inter-departmental teaching experience'
AERA, 2003 Chicago 'Distributed leadership at school site level: early evidence of the impact of the training of UK School business managers'
ICSEI, 2003 Sydney (with M Brown) 'Distributed leadership at school site level: the role of the school business manager in school improvement'
BERA, 2002, Exeter (with M Brown) 'An evaluation of NCSL's Pilot Certificate Programme in School Business Management'
BERA, 2001 Leeds 'On being new in an old university: a case study of the induction and socialisation of academic staff'