Wil Coleman

A retired academic and teacher-trainer (the latter in the UK tertiary sector), my intellectual interests include the following: the philosophy of Wittgenstein, in particular, its critical relationship to philosophy of mind and neuroscience; ethnomethodology and especially the notion of ‘mundane reason'; teaching and learning and the relevance, if any, of models of learning to classroom practice, in particular, the teaching of mathematics. Above all, I relish taking a praxiological approach to solving - or dissolving - intellectual problems as they arise in any and all the above fields of interest.

My professional qualifications include MA(Econ) and PhD from The University of Manchester. Teaching positions have included The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. I also possess teaching qualifications for the UK tertiary sector, enabling me to work over a period of years with socially-excluded adults including offenders in prison and refugees.

Whoever the learners and from whatever their backgrounds, teaching has given me immense satisfaction.

On reflection, it is clear that my intellectual interests go back a long way before I took the opportunity to enter academia as a mature student in my late-thirties. Nevertheless, many years earlier, I had trained as a chef and worked in the hotel and catering industry, latterly in management positions. Among other occupations, time was also spent working for a petrol station company, again in management.

Anyone reading this biography will realise something of how long it took me to find my direction in life; even now I don't feel I have completely surrendered the restless spirit!