Rosie Wilson
founding director and creative lead
Rosie brings creative flair, deep questioning, pedagogical breadth, compassion and mindfulness to the Lifeworlds team. She leads on our critical thinking, providing a philosophical grounding to our practice and internal processes. Rosie has also been instrumental in developing our nature connectedness, media literacy and Animated Learning strands of activity and collaboration. Rosie's strengths lie in her open-mindedness, her ability to create and hold spaces for social learning, and a 'couldn't we at least' attitude. She is best known for offering positive spaces for reflection, combined with inspiration, energy and sparkle.
Rosie's career began in secondary (English, Media and Citizenship) and primary teaching, but she also brings experience in adult and community learning, as well as educational writing and resource development.
She holds a Masters in Learning and Teaching specialising in sustainability education, early childhood speech, and values education in primary settings. Rosie is also a qualified Level 2 P4C (Philosophy for Children and Communities) trainer with Thoughtful (formerly SAPERE), and a registered Mindfulness Teacher.
Rosie has authored numerous resources and books for children and educators, focussing on challenging and controversial issues. Her work is inspired by her interests in people, places, culture, society, and nature. She has lived and worked in Japan, and her work with Lifeworlds has taken her to India, China, Qatar and Saudi Arabia as well as within Europe.
Alongside Lifeworlds, Rosie teaches in a secondary college where she integrates critical thinking, oracy and P4C into her practice as an English teacher. Rosie also volunteers as a trustee for the national charity for philosophical enquiry, Thoughtful.
For her wellbeing Rosie enjoys walking, gardening, yoga, reading, and time in nature.
Rob Bowden
founding director and emergence lead
Rob brings experience of facilitation, participatory approaches, systems thinking, appreciative inquiry, partnership building and social entrepreneurship to Lifeworlds. He leads our day to day running, supporting our practitioners, maintaining partner relations and sensing and scoping our ongoing emergence. Rob's strengths lie in his deeply critical mind, his big picture thinking, and a 'can-do' attitude. He is best known for creating bespoke learning journeys and relational spaces for transformational change.
Before Lifeworlds Rob taught in three UK universities, authored over 100 non-fiction children's books and travelled the world as a documentary photographer of social and environmental issues. His work has taken him to Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East, and his roles have included organisational development, policy research, resource production, strategic planning, facilitation, and direct work with learners of all ages.
Rob's education is grounded in human geography, development and environment and he holds a PhD in Human Geography, Policy and Development. Rob is a continual learner and has enriched his formal qualifications with courses including values and frames, neuroscience and change, and most recently in Triple WellBeing.
Outside of Lifeworlds, Rob holds a part-time Post Doctoral Research Associate in the School of Environment, Education and Development at Manchester University as co-lead for the Next Generation for Change project with One World Together. He is also a Visiting Scholar with the Centre for Global Development at Northumbria University and a non-executive director with The Miracle Inn CIC that provides a space to reimagine environmental education and challenge hyper-individualism.
For his wellbeing Rob enjoys carpentry, nature connection, walking, canoeing, music, gardening, and cooking.
Jackie Zammit
core practitioner
Jackie has been part of our core practitioner team almost since the beginning. She has extensive experience managing learning projects with teachers and young people and specialises in outdoor education, public understanding of science, global learning, and peace education. Jackie is one of our literacy specialists and has a particular passion for literature that helps to broaden perspectives and engage with real-world issues. Jackie is also a geography specialist and Geographical Association consultant.
Alongside her work with Lifeworlds Jackie has worked in various educational roles, including with Peacemakers in Birmingham where she was a freelance peace educator and co-editor of Learning for Peace, published by Lifeworlds in 2016. She also worked as a regional advisor on the Global Learning Programme-England and with the British Council for whom she produced training materials on international school linking. More recently she has developed educational content for Seckou Keita Music and worked to train and support young peer mentors in maths in the North East.
Jan Hedge
core practitioner
Jan is a core practitioner with Lifeworlds and a former primary school teacher. She brings extensive experience in literacy and maths and a caring and questioning disposition to all that she does. Jan has supported maths mastery work in the Sheffield area through Lifeworlds and worked directly with us on our global learning, values, literacy, outdoor learning and P4C (Philosophy for Children) strands of activity. Jan is also a trained listener and one of our registered mindfulness teachers.