Complexity and Education: Inquiries Into Learning, Teaching, and ResearchThis book explores the contributions, actual and potential, of complexity thinking to educational research and practice. While its focus is on the theoretical premises and the methodology, not specific applications, the aim is pragmatic--to present complexity thinking as an important and appropriate attitude for educators and educational researchers. Part I is concerned with global issues around complexity thinking, as read through an educational lens. Part II cites a diversity of practices and studies that are either explicitly informed by or that might be aligned with complexity research, and offers focused and practiced advice for structuring projects in ways that are consistent with complexity thinking. Complexity thinking offers a powerful alternative to the linear, reductionist approaches to inquiry that have dominated the sciences for hundreds of years and educational research for more than a century. It has captured the attention of many researchers whose studies reach across traditional disciplinary boundaries to investigate phenomena such as: How does the brain work? What is consciousness? What is intelligence? What is the role of emergent technologies in shaping personalities and possibilities? How do social collectives work? What is knowledge? Complexity research posits that a deep similarity among these phenomena is that each points toward some sort of system that learns. The authors’ intent is not to offer a complete account of the relevance of complexity thinking to education, not to prescribe and delimit, but to challenge readers to examine their own assumptions and theoretical commitments--whether anchored by commonsense, classical thought or any of the posts (such as postmodernism, poststructuralism, postcolonialism, postpositivism, postformalism, postepistemology) that mark the edges of current discursive possibility. Complexity and Education is THE introduction to the emerging field of complexity thinking for the education community. It is specifically relevant for educational researchers, graduate students, and inquiry-oriented teacher practitioners. |
Contents
CHAPTER ONE WHAT IS COMPLEXITY? | 3 |
CHAPTER TWO WHAT IS SCIENCE? | 17 |
CHAPTER THREE THE SHAPE OF COMPLEXITY | 37 |
CHAPTER FOUR THE NETWORK OF COMPLEXITY | 57 |
COMPLEXITY THINKING EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL INQUIRY | 77 |
QUALITIES OF LEARNING SYSTEMS | 79 |
LEVELJUMPING | 107 |
CONDITIONS OF EMERGENCE | 129 |
VITAL SIMULTANEITIES | 153 |
ENDNOTES | 171 |
185 | |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | 193 |
195 | |
199 | |
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Complexity and Education: Inquiries Into Learning, Teaching, and Research Brent Davis No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
agents analytic science argued assertion assumption biological brain chapter classroom cognition coherence collective complex phenomena complex systems complex unities complexity research complexity science complexity theories complexity thinking complexivist conceptual constructivism constructivist context contributions critical critique cultural curriculum Davis decentralized Descriptive Complexity developed discourses Discussion Box diversity domains dynamics educational research educators and educational elaborated emergence Euclidean geometry evolution evolutionary example FIGURE focus foreground fractal frame geometry grander human individual inquiry insights interactions interpretation issue knower knowledge language learners learning levels linear mathematics matter means metaphors nested nodes normal NORMAL DISTRIBUTION notion OFOFOFOFOF one’s organization oriented particular phenomenology phenomenon physical Piaget possibilities post-structuralism post-structuralist pragmatic prompted Radical constructivism relevance representation response Santa Fe Institute scale-free network self-organization self-similar sense sensibilities social social constructionisms sort specific structuralist structure studies Sumara teachers teaching tion truth understood in terms universe words York