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Nonlinear Educational Theory: Nonlinearity, Critical Curriculum Theory, Self-Adaptive Complex Systems, & Educational Practice |
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Nonlinear Educational Theory: Nonlinearity, Critical Curriculum Theory, Self-Adaptive Complex Systems, & Educational Practice |
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To what degree can science and its claims for the power of theorizing, discovery and prediction be applied to education? Is there an underlying conceptual basis for dramatic revision of classroom practice? Is such a suggestion really necessary? Can such an idea be supported by a coherent educational philosophy? This body of work addresses these questions through review of the work on nonlinear dynamics and its relationship to critical curriculum theory, educational theory and educational practice. It includes an in-depth treatment of the topic and links to both the scientific thinking and the philosophical thinking that have grown with this understanding.
What gives us confidence in our educational theory and its supporting methodology and practices? How does education improve itself? Can government policy and funding be based on scientifically proven educational innovations? What should be done tomorrow morning in classrooms?
When the first gentle puffs of moisture begin to rise from the morning dew, there is little about the behavior of the weather system that would indicate that its growing intensity could yield a tornado or hurricane. An organized system with predictable properties does not exist. The growing flow of highly interactive energy can have its patterns diverge suddenly, unpredictably. At the top of this page, the butterfly of biology on the left and the statistical graph model of nonlinear behavior on the right that bears some resemblance to a real butterfly have become iconic symbols of the extreme sensitivity of initial conditions in interactive systems. Nonlinear science provides hard evidence of the consistent similarities in the nature of interactive systems at every level in every field of study. Mathematics has made it clear that it is not about the number of variables, but about the nature of interaction among elements that are open to change, whether its 2 or 3 variables or 2 or 3 thousand. Inconsistencies can seldom be averaged out to long term predictable and usable results no matter how much data is collected. Nonlinear systems diverge exponentially with time. Among many other causes, this a fundamental reason that the primary result of longitudinal educational research is NSD (No Significant Difference).
Science has demonstrated unequivocally that there is a bounded divergence in the physical world. Others have observed that this carries into our mental and social worlds. There is predictably but with severe limits, limits that become more severe for those systems of greater importance to human life. Once the effectiveness of the scientific system is accepted, it is equally difficult to accept that it has its own boundaries beyond which other ways of thinking must be used.
"You may want to substitute the more familiar scientific words “theory and evidence” for “patterns and stories.” Do not do that. With the phrase “theory and evidence” come hidden stow-away after-the-fact myths about how we learn and how much we can learn. The words “theory and evidence” suggest an incessant march toward a level of scientific certitude that cannot be attained in the study of the complex self-organizing human system that we call the economy. The words “patterns and stories” much more accurately convey our level of knowledge, now, and in the future as well. It is literature, not science" (Leamer, 2009, p.3).
This understanding about the nature of competition and cooperation between the many flows of energy, whether the physics of water or connections of neurons, is deeply embedded in human history. The yin-yang symbol was an expression of both predictability and sudden surprising change. In the flush of every waxing phenomena were the seeds of its reversal or transformation. The astonishing aspect to life is its capacity under such uncertainty to not merely survive but to thrive. To thrive is not just about knowing what can be predicted, but also about the constant application of creative intelligence to a constantly changing world.
A Critical Analysis of Educational Theory, by Robert S. Houghton, Ph.D., provides an in-depth study linking scientific discoveries in nonlinear dynamics and educational philosophy with the challenges of curriculum development and educational planning.