Missouri-based educational consultant Willy Wood acts as a writer, speaker, advisor, and teacher while also performing the duties of president at Open Mind Technologies, Inc. A regular guest at domestic and international brain and education conferences, Wood educates academic professionals about effective teaching techniques. Using state-of-the-art research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience, he analyzes the biological components of learning and develops classroom methods that utilize the latest information in the field. Furthermore, under the pseudonym W.W. Wood, Willy Wood recently put some of his ideas into print with “The Rock and Roll Classroom.” This book explores the ways in which music can both control and energize classrooms. He is also the publisher of the website
www.rocknrollclassroom.com, which extends the content found in the book.
Prior to launching Open Mind Technologies, Willy Wood earned a bachelor of science in English, physical education, and history from Southeast Missouri State University, as well as a Master of Arts in English from the same institution. For over a decade, he taught English, literature, and writing for Missouri schools. Subsequently, he became the Communication Arts Consultant for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. While with the agency, Wood created the Curriculum Frameworks for Communication Arts and implemented the state’s first intensive Kindergarten to third grade professional development model for literacy instruction.