Footprints of Emergence: Designing for Emergent Learning

Roy,

I like a lot of what Snowden says, particularly his thoughts on knowledge management, but my experience is slightly different. I am more in the camp of Clancy or Shaw who see compexity and emergence as forever iterative simply because the act of change creates each time a different platform from which to launch further change.

As for your comments about 'heuticulture' - I had to laugh. Although I suspect that horticulture still requires a certain 'hands on' approach from the master gardener. Had you thought of the Lamarkian biology?

I am also of two minds with the 'creation' and 'shutting down' of design. Isn't it the aim of emergent learning that learning never starts - nor stops? That learning is because it is? (How Kantian of me.) I don't know, but it sounds like something that is perhaps better discussed over a good red wine :-)

Phil

Re: Designing for Emergent Learning

by Roy Williams - Sunday, 5 December 2021, 10:58 PM

Phillip, key texts / ideas from Clancy or Shaw? Tell me more, please. I agree that emergence is forever iterative, and have written extensively on affordances in much the same light (see here ... ).

Horticulture is possibly more 'hands on', but I take my cue from Montessori education, in which 'hands off' (and silent demonstration) are key. So a mashup of the two, perhaps.

I had not realised that Lamark forumulated the idea of evolution pushing biology 'up the chain' of complexity, and in effect countering the hegemony of physics, and the widespread epidemic of 'physics envy' that is still prevalent in social science, and in learning research. The misapplication of the second law of themodynamics has a lot to answer for.

I'll join you in the red wine conversation - always a useful prop to have for emergent learning.

Design - sure, I only realised recently (perhaps I should have read more Kant, and less Barthes) that the discouse of design is largely colonised by people who see it as something that ends before the learning starts. Emegent learning, emergent design, co-evolution of structure and agency, or should we just say co-evolution of design and learning - that feels much better to me, maybe we should change the name of the first quadrant to that Design/Learning?