Transcript Mediating Learning in OOsa&D using XBL

Chaotic Learning: a new learning
theory?
Priska Schoenborn & Vivian Neal
Educational Development
Directorate of Teaching and Learning
University of Plymouth, UK
[email protected]
[email protected]
++44 (0)1752 587611/12
Outline
1. What was my inspiration?
2. What is chaotic learning?
3. What are the implications for education?
4. What is the relevance to eLearning?
5. What are the characteristics of good design
for chaotic learning materials/methods?
6. What do we assess and how?
What was my inspiration?
The young who have grown up using the Internet
have developed a particular learning style, one
which is chaotic and non-linear with a central
‘play’ theme (Lee, 2000)
Many academic staff want to teach as they have
been taught (Littlejohn et al, 1999)
Gap between new generation of students and
existing learning styles
Relates to Prensky’s idea of ‘digital natives’ and
‘digital immigrants’ (Prensky, 2001)
What is Chaotic Learning?
Doll (1993) sees chaos theory as central to
future curriculum development
Bloom (2001) discusses a model of curriculum
that can support learning as a chaotic and
complex system
Increasingly, the relationship between chaos,
complexity and the curriculum are being
explored and considered
What is Chaos Theory?
Chaos, according to the dictionary is disorder
and confusion
Chaos theory is the study of nonlinear dynamic
systems and was first pioneered by Lorenz in
1963
Chaos theories tend to be concerned with
unpredictability and embedded or emergent
patterns in seemingly chaotic or random
phenomena (Bloom, 2001)
What is Complexity Theory?
Bloom (2001) describes it as being concerned
with the complex relations within (chaotic)
systems and the notion of self-generating/selfmaintaining systems
The world is irreducibly complex, rather than
deterministic and predictable, and the task
before us is no longer to identify the simple
elements of reality and their interactions which
underlie complex appearances, but to work out
how to study complexity in its own right (Gare,
2000)
Chaotic Learning: a working
definition
“(Playful, exploratory and collaborative) learning
that takes place within a system which is complex
and nonlinear, whose outcome will be
unpredictable and cannot be determined in
advance, but whose whole may be greater than the
sum of its parts”
Implications for Education
We can predict certain events, we cannot predict
the whole content or the outcome (Bloom, 2001)
Many young people provided with access to the
Web adopt learning approaches consistent with
complexity theory (Phelps, 2003). Their learning
is ‘naturally’ nonlinear, mirroring the structure of
the Web
It could be argued that less tutor control be
introduced to the classroom. Students may be
allowed greater flexibility and control, ownership
and influence over content and process
Relevance to eLearning
Online learning settings should be task-based and
centred on open-ended and ill-structured activities
based on constructivist thinking and authentic
contexts (Oliver, 2001)
The Web seems the ideal medium for students to
construct complex knowledge bases (Jonassen et
al, 1999)
The increased use and emphasis on C&IT may
provide a platform for the development of a
pedagogy for the new millennium (Littlejohn et al,
1999)
Silent Discussion (5 minutes)
In your opinion, what are the
characteristics of good design for
chaotic learning environments?
And finally...
If the exact ways in which learning is
manifested are unpredictable and if
students develop complex
understanding...
What do we assess and how?
How can we devise a holistic
model for assessing students’?
Thank you for your participation!
Sources
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Bloom, J.W. (2001) Chaotic and complex systems in children’s thinking and learning. Paper presented to Annual Meeting
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Doll, W.E. Jr. (1993) A Post-Modern Perspective on Curriculum. New York and London: Teachers College Press.
Gare, A. (2000). Systems theory and complexity theory. Democracy and Nature, 6(3), 327-340.
Jonassen, D.H., Peck, K.L., and Wilson, B.G. (1999) Learning with Technology: A Constructivist perspective. Columbus,
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Laurrillard, D. (2001) Rethinking University Teaching: A Framework for the Effective Use of Learning Technologies. 2nd
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