I have just finished watching a video by Dave Cormier on Rhizomatic Learning which I have put in below for reference.
In the video Dave describes what is meant by rhizomatic learning, which builds on the rhizome idea of connections growing in all directions being only constrained by their local surroundings. There was something that instantly appealed to me about this because it reminded me dendrites. Dendrites are the small protrusions that normally extend from the cell body of neurons. They are said to form branch like structures such as that the term given to them collectively is a dendritic tree. Here is what one looks like (taken in around 1901):
But the comparison does not end there - dendrites (and the rest of the cell) are constrained only by the careful balance of chemicals in their surroundings and they are dynamic - connections can be strengthened and weakened or formed and lost altogether over time. When I consider learning to reflect the very process that our brains appear to use to learn (dendritic changes are known to be critical in learning), the idea has a certain beauty to it. Just to reflect a little more on this and see how far I can stretch the brain analogy, let's think about how dendrites do against the principle's laid out:
1. The best teaching prepares people for dealing with uncertainty - the brain loves uncertainty and change. We have clearly evolved to detect change an many ways. This is most clearly illustrated with our sensory systems which adapt to constant stimuli but respond vigorous to changing stimuli. We have found evidence in the brain of calculations involving weightings for bottom-up and top-down information where we cannot be certain. 2. The community can be the curriculum, learning where there is no answer - ok so at brain level we can probably have a debate about what the community would constitute but to me the logical community would be the 86 million neurons and the even larger number of glial cells. And again, of course, most learning takes place when there is no clear answer - as a infant we engage in a number of actions and yet do not necessarily comprehend them - connections in brain develop at a huge rate, only later to be pruned back to what we really need. 3. The rhizome is a a model for learning for uncertainty - dendrites can respond to uncertainty in the most remarkable ways - they are dynamic and responsive. Indeed as infants, when the most connections between dendrites and neighbouring neurons are formed, everything we encounter is filled with uncertainty. 4. Rhizomatic learning works for the complex domain so this is a situation where there is uncertainty and there is a need to experiment and see what happens. As explained above dendrites can form connections of different strengths - these can be up or down regulated or removed altogether - they work well for modelling complex domains. 5. We need to make students responsible for their own learning - ok so this is perhaps where my analogy falls down a little but given the we know teaching about the the plasticity of the brain (the ability to shape and re-shape connections) increases effort beliefs, maybe it does not fall down that much. Neuroscience analogies aside though, I find this approach quite convincing as an educator in theory but I would find it most unnerving as a student and hard to apply in practice as an educator. With my educator hat on:
With my student hat on:
Based on these first thoughts and concerns, I cannot imagine implementing this on a standard programme for undergraduates but I can imagine the approach working for professional development where learners may be spread out, with different experiences and that the learning will flow from those individuals networked together. I could also imagine it working on optional courses designed to support more skills based learning. At the moment I am playing around with ideas on teaching digital citizenship across the university to obtain a formal qualification, assessed by portfolio where students would work together. One of the ideas I was playing with today was looking at the topic of online security and seeing how that could take a variety of different approaches depending on the students involved in the discussions. So in summary, the idea of rhizomatic learning has a certain natural beauty to it and it definitely appeals to the neuroscientist in mean but I would be reluctant to introduce it to learners at the start of their HEI journey, instead seeing this as something extra-curricular or more suited to vocational/professional development contexts.
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One of the things I am reflecting on this week is connectivism. In particular I have been thinking about whether it is possible to re-version one of my existing modules with a connectivist approach. The module I decided to consider is the 'Academic Teaching Apprenticeship'. I chose this module because it is probably the module I designed with the clearest model of learning in my mind. It draws heavily on ideas of apprenticeship and situation cognition. The module is currently offered as a third year optional module for students on the BSc Psychology Programme at King's College London. It is quite unconventional in terms of how much contact time there is and how it used
Principles that work well in the current module:
Principles that are partially met or could work:
Principles I cannot see how to fully integrate:
The colour wheel of learning: Part of me thinks that the issue here is not connectivism or apprenticeship learning. Indeed a good number of the principles of connectivism could be applied to this apprenticeship module. I think almost any model of learning can have value when employed carefully in an appropriate context but I question the value of mixed models of learning. This reminds me of the colour wheel - some colours complement each others and some oppose each other. I don't image that the apprenticeship model opposes the connectivism but it is perhaps a few steps along the circle. Ok, so I am being a little creative with my title here because they did not walk into a bar; they walked into the Chamber in the House of Lords today for a debate entitled, "What progress is being made in developing a sustainable lifelong learning culture in England?". This is the second debate about Lifelong Learning in the last six months within the House of Lords, evidence that this important issue is playing on the minds of those sitting in the House. I had the fortune to be present for this evening's debate in the appealing surroundings of Westminster. The debate put forward by Baroness Garden of Frognal attracted some fascinating comments from a number of peers (a full list can be found here under today's date 16.04.18). Baroness Garden introduced the debate mentioning two leading institutions in Lifelong Learning - Birkbeck University and The Open University. She noted that these two institutions were unique and described the Open University as transformational, noting the huge importance of supporting learners studying part time, many of whom may have missed out on the opportunity earlier on in life. She noted the damaging impact of ELQ rules which prevent those with an equivalent or lower qualification accessing financial support and how both universities suffered a massive decline in student numbers since the raising of tuition fees.
As the debate continued The Open University's recent media coverage was mentioned by nearly all contributing. It was described as 'Great but struggling' (Lord Knight), 'One of Europe's outstanding institutions...[that we must] find a way of saving' (Baroness Bakewell) and there was a clear statement from the minister in his closing speech that the Government wanted to make sure the situation with the OU would move forward in the right direction. The affection in the room for this institution was palpable but, as readers of this blog with know, I could tell you again and again how life-changing and awe-inspiring the OU is, but that is not what this blog is about - it is about the bishop, the neuroscientist and the trade unionist. Or more importantly it is about three different takes on Lifelong Learning, which all recognise the importance of this type of education. So I begin with the Neuroscientist. Baroness Greenfield spoke of a range of research supporting the value of Lifelong Learning noting its particular impact in those with mental health conditions and the elderly, where it can contribute to obtaining and maintaining employment and supporting longer social engagement, respectively. She went on to review the current Education Strategies of the Russell Group universities commenting that only one, Leeds University, makes explicit reference to Lifelong Learning for anyone and only a further four (out of 24) make reference to it for their own alumni. She suggested that there needed to be a clear steer from government that the elite universities should be focusing on this provision. She noted four key barriers to Lifelong Learning: - Technological - finding systems and platforms to support the learners studying in a different mode to previous students - Financial - from the perspective of the university e.g. the cost of re-developing curriculum - Pedagogic - recognition that teaching must be viewed more broadly than ever before - it is not just about a teacher in front of a group of learners. - Learner - here she focused largely on the financial barriers for individual learners. She noted that financial support required studying at around 10 hours per week which may be too much for some part time learners to combine with other commitments and commented on the range of financial support options for carers or dependants, which are very poorly promoted. Baroness Greenfield suggested the following: 1. The government should send a clear message to all universities that Lifelong Learning should be part of their strategies and flexible curriculum is important. This could even include a fee cap for universities not showing commitment to this issue. 2. Flexible financing should be available, including for professional development cousres, which could even include financing on a module level rather than qualification level. 3. She also suggested completely scrapping the ELQ rules. The Bishop of Coventry directly followed Baroness Greenfield and he emphasised again the importance of Lifelong Learning, noting that is it a shared value in many traditions and that learning is fundamental to human identity. He commented that learning should never just be for economic benefit but it is a far deeper experience. Life, he said, was endlessly interesting and gave many opportunities for us to learn. Most pertinent for me was his remark that learning is for life - it allows us to live life to the full. He says that learning gives us hope to imagine a different future, for both individual and the world. The final contribution I want to describe is from Lord Sawyer who began by acknowledging his trade union background and recalled how he had seen people realise their potential through Lifelong Learning and that an area once pioneering and adventurous and lots its drive. He said that whilst we need a type of Lifelong Learning fit for the modern setting it must still fulfil the needs of the people. He blamed the decline of part time students by more than 50%, a cross bared more heavily by the OU and Birkbeck than others, as caused by increased fees and restrictive loan criteria. These remarks, and those of the other peers I have not had space to include, show that whilst there is a huge need to earn while we learn, Lifelong Learning is not just about meeting the changing demands of the economy - it s about being human and it is about life. Lifelong Learning is about social mobility and social justice but is also about being an individual and being as part of a community. If this turbulent period in the OU's remarkable history has taught us anything, it is that Lifelong Learning is worth fighting for because without it, we lose the hope to imagine a better future. The final comment that I think sums up feelings towards Lifelong Learning beautifully came from Lord Bird who stated that "Whatever happens we have to educate ourselves...[and that] to destroy us is to make us ignorant". |