Wood, Kevin

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https://hdl.handle.net/10133/7174

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    A manner of hermeneutics
    (University of Calgary, 2025) Wood, Kevin
    This article explores the interrelated notions of being, openness, and experience to engage a manner of hermeneutics as more than method, rather, as a way of being. A disposition to be present and attentiveness to learning is foundational for those who take up a hermeneutic stance. Through illustrative examples of hermeneutic pondering, the writing evokes a sensibility that positions hermeneutics as attuned to the nature of being, rather than bound to procedural method. It invites interpretation as a search for the essence of phenomena worthy of attention, while also recognizing that meaning may dissipate when concepts are abstracted from the situated immediacy of the present moment.
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    Perceptions of leading as learners. Phase one: discovery
    (Simon Fraser University, 2025) Wood, Kevin
    Ten school-based leaders engaged in an experimental professional learning community to understand when, during their daily practice, they placed learning (as an action) at the forefront of their leadership. This article presents the findings from the first phase (discovery) of a four-phase, two-year appreciative inquiry study. At their schools, the participants attempted to act as learners and nurture the learning process as a method of leadership. These findings suggest that when leaders are open, they are constructing leadership, they are supportive of others, and their efforts build community. One major insight encountered during the study was discovering how the technocratic organization of schooling can inhibit a leader being a learner. The aim of the study was to deepen the understanding of how school leaders approach dispositions of learning.
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    The zombification of the principalship: the learning mindset in a system guided by achievement
    (Sage, 2025) Wood, Kevin
    School leaders are expected to plan and execute change and growth to address the ongoing social and pedagogical transformation required in schools. The purpose of this article is to initiate a robust conversation and broaden the discourse about instructional leadership. Attention is placed on the challenge that principals face to remain open-minded and focused on learning (as an action) while providing leadership within the context of a dynamic system pieced together from standards and constructs. Policymakers, educational leaders, and leadership training educators might broaden their concept of leadership by viewing the topic through the lens of zombification. This conceptual inquiry contemplated whether leaders cultivate the learning (again, as an action) community simply by knowing what to do or whether they must actively facilitate a lively enactment of learning. The article contends that the leader of learning must have specific knowledge, attitudes, and attributes to understand the theoretical considerations properly and translate the act of leading learning into a practical reality. The metaphor of zombification is utilized to describe how a principal might lose sight of learning and instead focus on meeting and achieving standards and system outcomes.