Complexity Theory and the Philosophy of Education

Complexity Theory and the Philosophy of Education
Author: Mark Mason
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2009-02-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1444307363

A collection of scholarly essays, Complexity Theory and thePhilosophy of Education provides an accessible theoreticalintroduction to the topic of complexity theory while consideringits broader implications for educational change. Explains the contributions of complexity theory to philosophyof education, curriculum, and educational research Brings together new research by an international team ofcontributors Debates issues ranging from the culture of curriculum, to theimplications of work of key philosophers such as Foucault and JohnDewey for educational change Demonstrates how social scientists and social and educationpolicy makers are drawing on complexity theory to answer questionssuch as: why is it that education decision-makers are so resistantto change; how does change in education happen; and what does ittake to make these changes sustainable? Considers changes in use of complexity theory; developedprincipally in the fields of physics, biology, chemistry, andeconomics, and now being applied more broadly to the socialsciences and to the study of education

Complexity Theory and the Politics of Education

Complexity Theory and the Politics of Education
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 179
Release: 2010-01-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9460912400

Complexity theory has become a major influence in discussions about the theory and practice of education. This book focuses on a question which so far has received relatively little attention in such discussions, which is the question of the politics of complexity.

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences
Author: David Byrne
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2002-01-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1134714742

Chaos and complexity are the new buzz words in both science and contemporary society. The ideas they represent have enormous implications for the way we understand and engage with the world. Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences introduces students to the central ideas which surround the chaos/complexity theories. It discusses key concepts before using them as a way of investigating the nature of social research. By applying them to such familiar topics as urban studies, education and health, David Byrne allows readers new to the subject to appreciate the contribution which complexity theory can make to social research and to illuminating the crucial social issues of our day.

School Leadership and Complexity Theory

School Leadership and Complexity Theory
Author: Keith R. B. Morrison
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 230
Release: 2002
Genre: Complex organizations
ISBN: 0415277833

This book moves forward the agenda significantly. It enables educational leadership and management discourse to be informed by the latest views that are becoming well established in business and organisational literature in practice.

Time and the Rhythms of Emancipatory Education

Time and the Rhythms of Emancipatory Education
Author: Michel Alhadeff-Jones
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2016-10-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1317541286

Time and the Rhythms of Emancipatory Education argues that by rethinking the way we relate to time, we can fundamentally rethink the way we conceive education. Beyond the contemporary rhetoric of acceleration, speed, urgency or slowness, this book provides an epistemological, historical and theoretical framework that will serve as a comprehensive resource for critical reflection on the relationship between the experience of time and emancipatory education. Drawing upon time and rhythm studies, complexity theories and educational research, Alhadeff-Jones reflects upon the temporal and rhythmic dimensions of education in order to (re)theorize and address current societal and educational challenges. The book is divided into three parts. The first begins by discussing the specificities inherent to the study of time in educational sciences. The second contextualizes the evolution of temporal constraints that determine the ways education is institutionalized, organized, and experienced. The third and final part questions the meanings of emancipatory education in a context of temporal alienation. This is the first book to provide a broad overview of European and North-American theories that inform both the ideas of time and rhythm in educational sciences, from school instruction, curriculum design and arts education, to vocational training, lifelong learning and educational policies. It will be of key interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of philosophy of education, sociology of education, history of education, psychology, curriculum and learning theory, and adult education. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Complexity and Education

Complexity and Education
Author: Brent Davis
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2014-06-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1134815786

This 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.

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences
Author: David Byrne
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2013-09-11
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1134084986

For the past two decades, ‘complexity’ has informed a range of work across the social sciences. There are diverse schools of complexity thinking, and authors have used these ideas in a multiplicity of ways, from health inequalities to the organization of large scale firms. Some understand complexity as emergence from the rule-based interactions of simple agents and explore it through agent-based modelling. Others argue against such ‘restricted complexity’ and for the development of case-based narratives deploying a much wider set of approaches and techniques. Major social theorists have been reinterpreted through a complexity lens and the whole methodological programme of the social sciences has been recast in complexity terms. In four parts, this book seeks to establish ‘the state of the art’ of complexity-informed social science as it stands now, examining: the key issues in complexity theory the implications of complexity theory for social theory the methodology and methods of complexity theory complexity within disciplines and fields. It also points ways forward towards a complexity-informed social science for the twenty-first century, investigating the argument for a post-disciplinary, ‘open’ social science. Byrne and Callaghan consider how this might be developed as a programme of teaching and research within social science. This book will be particularly relevant for, and interesting to, students and scholars of social research methods, social theory, business and organization studies, health, education, urban studies and development studies.

Chaos, Complexity, Curriculum and Culture

Chaos, Complexity, Curriculum and Culture
Author: William E. Doll
Publisher: Peter Lang
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2005
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780820467801

Although the fields of chaos and complexity are important in a number of disciplines, they have not yet been influential in education. This book remedies this dilemma by gathering essays by authors from around the world who have studied and applied chaos and complexity theories to their teaching. Rich in its material, recursive in its interweaving of themes, conversational in its relationships, and rigorous in its analysis, the book is essential reading for undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals who deal with these important topics.

Complex Dynamical Systems in Education

Complex Dynamical Systems in Education
Author: Matthijs Koopmans
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2016-02-19
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3319275771

This book capitalizes on the developments in dynamical systems and education by presenting some of the most recent advances in this area in seventeen non-overlapping chapters. The first half of the book discusses the conceptual framework of complex dynamical systems and its applicability to educational processes. The second half presents a set of empirical studies that that illustrate the use of various research methodologies to investigate complex dynamical processes in education, and help the reader appreciate what we learn about dynamical processes in education from using these approaches.