CCK09 Emergence and Growth of Knowledge

This Emergence and Growth of Knowledge and Diversity in Hierarchically Complex Organised Systems: Genesis of a theoretical framework sounds intereting.

 

 

CCK09-Learning as Thinking about Knowledge – Part 2

Knowledge and how it is constructed during the distributed learning process: a re-examination.

For adolescents to think about knowledge in a thoughtful way, four conditions should be in place (Bransford et al. 1999; Caine and Caine 1997; Jensen, 1998; Perkins 1992)
1. The knowledge needs to be substantive and considered “worthy” of adolescent thought
2. Adolescents should be expected to think critically about the knowledge they are acquiring
3. Adolescents need an opportunity to construct and understanding of the knowledge in collaboration with others, including the teacher
4. The classroom climate should be conducive to intellectual, social and emotional growth

Upon reflection, what I would like to critically examine is whether knowledge could be acquired or not. Under  connectivism, knowledge is distributed across the network and learning refers to the connections that are formed through the navigation of information over the networks.

So item 2 would need to be revised as: Adolescents should be expected to think critically about the information and distributed knowledge over the networks.

Item 3 could also need to be revised, as self organised learning, self-determined learning, and peer-to-peer learning with Web 2.0 tools is ubiquitous, even without the presence of a “teacher”.  So item 3 would become: Adolescents need an opportunity to construct and traverse across the networks, explore and recognise the patterns (knowledge) upon reflections, with oneself and others.  Repurposing, remixing, recreation and redistribution of distributed “information and knowledge” would be part of the basis of connective knowledge and learning under a connectivist approach

Item 4 also need to be revised to: The “social classroom”, social groups and or networks or social/learning communities should be conducive to intellectual, social and emotional growth.

Knowledge is related to pattern and learning is related to recognition.

Can you recognise the following patterns?

John

CCK09-What is new about Connectivism (rev1) 2009?

In The Recognition Factor by Stephen Downes

Knowledge is like recognition

Learning is like perception

the acquisition of new patterns of connectivity through experience

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connectivism is new in that it is:

about the distribution of knowledge in the network and oneself (including our brain – your and my brain), and the solution lies in one’s brain. All problems and solutions are there in the brain – your brain if you want to solve the problem, and my brain if it is my problem and solution.  And what connectivism differs from other learning theories is that we could connect one’s brain to others’ “brains” that will lead to continuously improved and innovative solutions for me and the network in this digital age – networks including yourself with collective wisdom with emergent knowledge. 

This relates back to what connectivism is: Knowledge distributed, learning as networked process (i.e. forming connections), principles form base of all design.  And the three levels: Neural, Conceptual and External (people, information sources etc. (Siemens, 2008)

 

 

about choices:  The focus is on choice of connections and the network process, rather than just the outcome.  A person could choose amongst the connections and networks to suit and improve his or her learning.  See multiple choice in the other post in http://suifaijohnmak.wordpress.com. 

about and around the learner: education, learning is now related back to the learner, with teaching and/or facilitating as a support and network, technology as enabler.  You may even claim it as a wholely learner-centred approach to learning.  And the best way to learn relates back to the learner – individualised learning based on learning styles, intelligences (the mulitiple intelligences one has) and connections – network associated with, and his/her choice of support and technology.

Information and knowledge – and experts

In this Information Rich and Attention Poor  Tony writes “This may not make us ‘experts’ in everything, but the step to being an ‘expert’ for a majority of people is much shorter than in the days when less than 10 per cent of the population went to university. Thus the gaps between experts and the general public is much less than it used to be.”

I resonated with his views. I think we have come to a stage where knowledge management actually goes back to personal management and control – by means of Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and PLN, sensemaking and wayfinding.

Experts and rich information sources are part of the nodes in the networks, and each of us would choose the pathways and information that makes sense to us to learn from those sources.

Relating to information as river instead of lake, I have composed a water metaphor that outlines information, knowledge and learning as a natural process, and that technology mediation is just one of the many ways that could ”accelerate” the processing of “clouds” of information from the clouds (such as internet, digital sources, or artifacts) so they could be used for our consumption, remixing, re-purposing, and re-creation of knowledge.

What is knowledge and learning rev 1a

Mathematics of Life

 We solve problems and create solutions with maths together – we add our “understanding” by networking, we subtract our “weaknesses” by collaborative thinking, we multiply our “knowledge” by emergent learning, and we divide our “happiness” by sharing. That’s the + – x / of our life with maths. How about yours?  Does attitude count?

What is knowledge and learning? Rev 1.

Here is my Knowledge – the water metaphor revised version

What is knowledge and learning rev 1

Postscript: Refer to this wonderful discussion on the seeking of water and food – relating to information

What is knowledge and learning?

Here is my Knowledge – the water metaphor.

What is knowledge and learning

Networks, groups and academic knowledge

I am interested in reading both Tony’s and Stephen’s views on knowledge.
How about?
The primacy of learning is connections (adapted from George)
Learning is about creation of knowledge via those network connections, where
EVERYONE BECOMES A CREATOR OF KNOWLEDGE,
AND LEARNING CREATES A SYMPHONY OF KNOWLEDGE
That’s what I have found from the application of connectivism and networked learning.

My concept of learning is this: if we are supporting the notion that learning allows for mistakes – even in our interpretation of each others views, then we could be innovative and creative in exploring about learning and learning theories, without worrying about criticisms, comments, control and judgment, which often leads to arguments and unnecessary ill-feelings between academics and non-academics.
The concept of academic knowledge versus practical knowledge lies also with the value one attached to his/her life experience. So, for an educator with a theorist’s perspective, academic knowledge is highly important. For an educator who has to facilitate a course with a group of learners, with the learners’ first in mind, a pedagogy that works with that group of learners is more important to the theory itself. In other words, a theory that doesn’t apply to that context will not be proved useful or successful. Another example is the use of andragogy versus heutagogy. It seems that heutagogy would offer a more practical solution when applied in informal social learning – especially with Web 2.0.
When everyone becomes a creator (such as a blogger, a writer, a poet, even an actor (in the early ages)), then learning is fun, and learner-centred, and that explains how learning occurs individually and socially (especially when people are given a free choice in how, when, what, where and who to learn with under our current ecology).
There are implications with such mode of learning – security issues, confusing knowledge sources and misinterpretation of knowledge, the injustice, the prejudice, loss of identity associated with such “applied knowledge creation process towards learning”, loss of control from the instructor’s perspective, loss of “students” by the institution, loss of a common education foundation (especially if people are educated at home or unregistered virtual school etc). So, the implications could be huge – on the individuals, the community and the whole education system. What will be the role of higher institutions? What will be the role of educators – professors, and administrators?

I resonate with Tony’s views that:
Most importantly, they widen the participation in the creation of academic knowledge, and help to speed up its dissemination, but this still depends on those participating following the values and principles of academic knowledge.

I think the knowledge creation process could define the learning process to some extent, whether we value the knowledge created could also be scrutinised under the lenses of the people, of the community and the academic circles. But would that be part of education in the 21st century for everyone? This would allow for people to learn through mistakes, and not blindly believe in the presence of pure academic knowledge or “in search of excellence” in knowledge, which is having a short life span, and would result in ephemeral academic knowledge. Rather, we could be educating ourselves through an emergence process, with the creation of emergence knowledge which keep us creative and innovative, so we could prepare ourselves and next generation in tackling the challenges and complex problems – like the financial crisis that we are facing.
I have discussed these further in my blog and http://connectivismeducationlearning.ning.com

With renewed thanks.
John

Learning Metaphor – the digestive system Part 1 response

This is my response on our Community Network on Connectivismeducationlearning
Saroj, Frances and Roy,
Thanks for your comments.
Saroj, I understand your concern about the digestive system metaphor – which may relate only to constructivism or connectionism, and not connectivism. I will explain it below.
Frances, I resonate with your struggling with the biological metaphors, as it is only part of the learning solution.
Roy, It’s great to learn your enriched model of learning. I will reflect on it more fully and would like to discuss it further here.
The metaphor of learning that I raised refer specifically to human learning. We may have different types of knowledge and learning
From Wikipedia:
Knowledge acquisition involves complex cognitive processes: perception, learning, communication, association and reasoning.
Learning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines.
Basing on such “definitions” of knowledge and learning, would it be important to relate knowledge and learning to our own biological system(s) – such as digestive system, neuroscience when it comes to Human Learning – and individual learning in particular?

The primacy of learning is on the connections. In the digestive system metaphor, the blood streams are the connections. Emergent knowledge (the nutrients) need to be transported through such blood streams (connections) and eventually be absorbed into the body through the various organs. And so when viewed as an ecological metaphor, it could explain how the various components (organs, hormones, enzymes, nerves etc.) interacted to process the food. As digestion is a complex process which is controlled by several factors…, so is human learning as a complex process within and amongst human (if viewed as an adaptive human system).

Such biological and ecological metaphor also takes into account the age, sex, genes, chemicals, hormones, organs, brain, the emotions, the senses, and its environment – the net, the food chains, the other humans, the nature etc. So, this metaphor could help us in understanding why we have difficulties in learning (indigestion due to taking too much food – information overload, stomach problems due to poor secretion of enzymes (not able to access technology), poor eating habits (dis-organised learning habits) and ageing of organs – old age etc.) and how we could improve our learning (by taking a variety of foods, having adequate exercises based on our age, physical fitness, and maintaining a healthy body and open mind etc.)

I think this could help to complement and supplement some of the principles in connectivism which might not have addressed knowledge and learning under different situations or contexts- such as the learning issues that relate to individual human learning – the age, time, situation and context upon that learning is based upon and the access and skills levels that may be associated with technology and tools.

So is connection a Sufficient and Necessary condition of Learning?
Is Knowledge a Sufficient and Necessary condition of Learning?

Based on my suggested metaphor on digestive system, connection is necessary but not sufficient for learning. We need to absorb the nutrients (emergent knowledge) through the blood stream into body (that is learning as a process) to complete that part of the digestion. Further chemical reactions inside the body and the brain (connections, interactions and metabolism etc.) is required to ensure a complete “digestion” (or a complete learning cycle).
Do we need to re-visit the statement of primacy of learning is on the connections? Do we need to include the interactions, the time and ageing factors of human (life cycle concept – growth, development, maturity, decay etc) in such connections?

Based on the digestive system metaphor, connection and interaction is necessary but not sufficient for the building up of emergent knowledge. We need to consider other factors (like the enzymes, catalysts, hormones – or the technology and tools, language, social and cultural cues and dimensions, psychological implications and emotions out of the interactions, and the embedded “beliefs and perceptions” etc.) to ensure such connections and interactions are meaningful and fruitful for the learning to occur – at least at a human level. In summary, connections, interactions and adaption with the inclusion of emergent knowledge would be necessary and sufficient condition for learning.

It may be necessary to re-visit the statement: Learning occurs in non-human appliances.

You could expand this metaphor to other biological systems in our human body, and surely the one relating to the brain falls under connectionism and neuroscience. However, until we have a complete understanding of the interaction and mapping of how the various biological sub-systems works, we are far from constructing a “learning theory” that explains how each of us learn.

Pattern of knowledge

This illusion of art may shock you!  Is it moving or stationary?