Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Joyce McKnight -
Number of replies: 12

Scott--I don't know about a learning space, but there is definitely a "learning state of mind".  Years ago when I was working on my doctorate in Adult and Distance Learning at the Pennsylvania State University, fellow students and I reflected on why we seemed to learn better from conference telephone calls than from broadcast TV programs.  We concluded that while many professionals were used to thinking, solving problems and "turned our brains off "when presented with a movie or TV production...we expected to be passively entertained.   When we were reminded to actively try to learn from video presentations our sense of learning and ability to analyze and synthesize the material improved...

In reply to Joyce McKnight

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Scott Johnson -

Joyce,

It makes sense to have a mechanism for directing our attention or signaling a need to shift into a different thinking model. We might assume a professional to be quite adept at jumping in and out of their mode of engagement (their practice or disipline) in a deliberate and conscious way.

But emergence seems different and not so tightly bound to cause and effect? Interesting that you brought up the idea of expectation as a switching mechanism  "...we expected to be passivly entertained" to release the focus on being attentive in a particular way. Emergence seems like the embodyment of the unexpected?

In reply to Scott Johnson

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Joyce McKnight -

I wasn't really talking about "expectation" in a linear sense...I think that there are some situations (such as when I am traveling etc) that I naturally "expect the unexpected", other times in daily situations where I am surprised by it, and still other times when I am sick, bored, or stressed that I wouldn't recognize emergent learning if it bit me!

In reply to Joyce McKnight

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Scott Johnson -

Joyce,

Occasionally I'm aware of learning. When something stands out of synch with the usual babble playing in my mind. Now that I think of it, learning isn't something I "notice." It seems to appear after the fact.

In reply to Scott Johnson

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Roy Williams -

Hi All - I'll come in at this point in the 'space' - hopefully it will be at the right place (and I cant help thinking of the metaphors in Phillip Pullmans 'Dark Materials' trilogy (which I have finally made the space to read) - the metaphor there is using the 'subtle knife' to cut through to different worlds - it  keeps appearing in my mind (but that's just me). 

Intentionality (Joyce), opening space and holding it (Brenda), Ba as virtual space (Ila) ... (Stephen Downes, in the MOOC research JAM, yesterday, said he preferred 'presence' to 'space', but I think the terms overlap) and purpose (Scott) all really open up new thoughts and challenges for me - thanks. And I also love the idea of 'emergence as the embodiment of the unexpected'. 

Where does this go?  For me, it opens up a new train of thought which goes something like this: 

1. Emergence is often characterised as the co-evolution of structure (see 'space') and agency (of the participants).  

However ...

2. This rather assumes that the intentionality is on the side of the participant, and the structure (and the given) is on the side of the provider/designer/ teacher. 

What strikes me in all this discussion is that it might be better to see 'structure' as having its own intentionality (open, closed, challenging, comforting, consolidating, innovative, and so on ...) alongside the intentionality of the participant.  

This then shifts the model to ... 

3. The dance between the implicit intentionality of the structure / space (which has its own 'presence' if you take Stephen Downes view) and the intentionality of the participant.  Wow.  That moves things on very interestingly, though I am not sure where it will end up ... 

Perhaps one trajectory would be ... 

4. Learning which is open to transformation (that's another theme, opened up in posts above) is the co-evolution of these two clouds (?) of intentionality.  

But maybe I'm getting into metaphor overload here ... 

 

In reply to Roy Williams

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Scott Johnson -

Hi Roy,

Try not to jump around too much.

As a visual tool, the footprint works fine. The dimensionality removes some of the distortion of change appearing to be so straight / direct and “sudden.” Have to work with the diagram itself but there seems room for all participants. I would add rest or re-consideration benches on the slope down to chaos.

One thing that came to me was my notion of emergence itself was too global. Maybe all the talk of “innovation” (linked to emergent ideas) as an economic driver had me thinking these things are public or openly noticeable when in fact they appear first as personal change. Something “emergent” to me may be entirely new to the whole universe or something new only to myself. I can chew AND blow bubbles with bubble gum. Why did I put what looked like a pencil eraser in my mouth anyway? And why bubbles? Can chew but can’t blow bubbles with broccoli—something in the colour green prevents it:-(

You mentioned dance and that connects to mirror neurons and enactment of the things others are doing. I’ve read Chimps will show their young how to crack nuts by demonstration. After a while the parent will leave a nut on a suitable anvil stone and a suitable hammering rock near by. This kind of intentional structure is suggestive over prescriptive and doesn’t “force” a particular interpretation style. Though this could also be seen as cultural conditioning, I think of it first as a path to personal realization and see ownership in the skill left to the young chimp (Stephen’s “participant” learning something new for themselves).

Understand Peter Rawsthorne’s point about measurement and testing. Doesn’t really show learning. Was thinking about tests for our mechanics’ ability to diagnose a mechanical breakdown. To me diagnosis is proof of interaction with a subject or process that reduces the simple reliance on memory, reveals paths of reasoning and encourages imaginative operations. Not all cases will allow for failure of this process (medical, aeronautical) but it does produce a measureable outcome that itself can be learned from. What I like about this is properly practiced it dishonour the attempt.

Dance:

Emily S Cross academia. Edu page: http://bangor.academia.edu/EmilySCross

Link “Research Interests” lower left of page then “Dance and the Brain”

In reply to Scott Johnson

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Roy Williams -

Scott, I love the idea of chimps creating learning objects which they place strategically for their young to explore - just like a Montessori environment.

Looks to me like we need to distinguish something like '[open] learning objects with intentionality', and [closed] 'learning objects with instruction' (corresponding to emergent and prescribed learning, perhaps?) - the point being that the learner can accept and explore the intentionality and internalise it in some way, but the instruction only allows for complicance, and there is no need (or motivation?) for internalisation.

This certainly applies to Montessori materials, and would be a useful tool to discriminate between 'well designed' Montessori materials, and (mere) 'learning objects'.  I can think of many examples, from the 'scubbing table' throught to complex mathematics. 

And ... I will have to set aside some time to visit Emily Cross at academia ... thanks ... 

 

In reply to Roy Williams

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Nick Kearney -

to discriminate between 'well designed' Montessori materials, and (mere) 'learning objects'.

this has always seemed to me the key to the work we do, it is not a question of objects, but of carefully anticipated processes, that each require differing degrees of intevention and mediation

looking at it from this perspective, within contexts where we are charged with the responsibility of "making learning happen", emergent learning is just part of a range of mediation options, in which the mediator sets up a framework in which learning emerges, and then follows certain patterns in many cases...

it sounds churlish to say it, this is nothing new...we should be addressing the reasons why we have to keep saying it..

In reply to Nick Kearney

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Roy Williams -

Nick, love "carefully anticipated processes" - spot on. It complements, or reconfigures (?) the ideas on 'intentionality' in other discussions in these forums, no? 

And yes ... why do we have to keep saying all this? 

In reply to Roy Williams

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Jenny Mackness -

Hi Roy - I'm struggling with the idea of intentionality in relation to emergent learning, in the same way as designing for emergent learning feels contradictory, and George Siemens' desire to create a conceptual framework for evaluating MOOCs (http://momentum.edthemes.org/about-mooc-jam/) feels contrary to the whole notion of openness in MOOCs.

I suspect that I have misunderstood what we are meaning by intentionality in this discussion, but it has certainly given me lots to think about!

In reply to Jenny Mackness

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Roy Williams -

Jenny, me too - I was rather shocked by the introduction of 'intentionality' - it seemed like it was introducing determinism (even if tacit) and predictability (of sorts) into emergence. 

However, I have become fascinated by it, probably because there is lots of work on affordances which talks of objects (and spaces) as being designed with intentionality.  Example, a chair is intended to be sat on (doesn't limit the affordances, but it does 'start the conversation' about how it can be used), and a lift in a building is intended to be safe.  

So 'learning objects' and 'learning spaces' might be intended for openness, or for compliance (and that might limit or channel the affordances to some extent).  In the footprints, where you are - where you start, where you come in (or are invited to come in) to a learning space might push or pull you into certain affordances (scary, comfortable, liminal, etc) - and choice is such a key part of openness (see Stephen Downes autonomy) that you should be able to choose different, or even new uses and affordances in an open learning space. 

I too am not certain that I will be comfortable with a 'strong' sense of intentionality in emergence, but I am very interested in exploring is here - at least for a while. 

In reply to Scott Johnson

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Deirdre Bonnycastle -

That reminds me that Cognitive Dissonnance can be a useful tool in teaching. It creates those moments when you become fully present. Sorry the site has new owners and the images were lost in the transfer.I build it into courses thru stories and images.

In reply to Deirdre Bonnycastle

Re: Welcome to Footprints of Emergence

by Jenny Mackness -

Ah Deidre - Cognitive Dissonance - this seems very significant in relation to emergent learning and I'm wondering whether it is implicitly covered by the factors we consider when drawing the footprints - or whether it is missing. We should hold that in mind when we draw footprints in Tuesday's webinar. Thanks for the thought.