A collection of scholarly essays, Complexity Theory and the Philosophy of Education provides an accessible theoretical introduction to the topic of complexity theory while considering its broader implications for educational change.
Explains the contributions of complexity theory to philosophy of education, curriculum, and educational research Brings together new research by an international team of contributors Debates issues ranging from the culture of curriculum, to the implications of work of key philosophers such as Foucault and John Dewey for educational change Demonstrates how social scientists and social and education policy makers are drawing on complexity theory to answer questions such as: why is it that education decision-makers are so resistant to change; how does change in education happen; and what does it take to make these changes sustainable? Considers changes in use of complexity theory; developed principally in the fields of physics, biology, chemistry, and economics, and now being applied more broadly to the social sciences and to the study of education
Edited by:
Mark Mason
Imprint: Wiley-Blackwell
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 247mm,
Width: 172mm,
Spine: 14mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781405180429
ISBN 10: 1405180420
Series: Educational Philosophy and Theory Special Issues
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 10 October 2008
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Notes on Contributors vii Foreword: Complexity and knowledge systems xi Michael A. Peters 1 Complexity Theory and the Philosophy of Education 1 Mark Mason 2 Educational Philosophy and the Challenge of Complexity Theory 16 Keith Morrison 3 What Is Complexity Theory and What Are Its Implications for Educational Change? 32 Mark Mason 4 Complexity and Education: Vital simultaneities 46 Brent Davis 5 Three Generations of Complexity Theories: Nuances and ambiguities 62 Michel Alhadeff-Jones 6 Re-reading Dewey through the Lens of Complexity Science, or: On the creative logic of education 79 Inna Semetsky 7 Foucault as Complexity Theorist: Overcoming the problems of classical philosophical analysis 91 Mark Olssen 8 Complex Systems and Educational Change: Towards a new research agenda 112 Jay L. Lemke & Nora H. Sabelli 9 Human Research and Complexity Theory 124 James Horn 10 Complexity and Truth in Educational Research 137 Mike Radford 11 ‘Knowledge Must Be Contextual’: Some possible implications of complexity and dynamic systems theories for educational research 150 Tamsin Haggis 12 Complexity and Educational Research: A critical reflection 169 Lesley Kuhn 13 Complexity and the Culture of Curriculum 181 William E. Doll 14 From Representation to Emergence: Complexity’s challenge to the epistemology of schooling 204 Deborah Osberg, Gert Biesta & Paul Cilliers 15 Educating Consciousness through Literary Experiences 218 Dennis Sumara, Rebecca Luce-Kapler & Tammy Iftody Index 231
Dr. Mark Mason is Associate Professor in Philosophy and Educational Studies in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong, where he is also Director of the Comparative Education Research Centre (CERC). He has written and edited a variety of books in the field, most recently Changing Education: Leadership, Innovation and Development in a Globalizing Asia Pacific (2007).
