Activity 10 - Activated Classroom Teaching - Chaos Activity
Activity Objectives
Wow...it feels like we are on the top of a high mountain. And after you learn about this highest of the ACT pedagogies you will agree. In this activity we will explore the top layer of the Activated Classroom model - chaos. By the end of this activity you will understand how chaos can be used as a powerful pedagogy in the classroom.
Wow...it feels like we are on the top of a high mountain. And after you learn about this highest of the ACT pedagogies you will agree. In this activity we will explore the top layer of the Activated Classroom model - chaos. By the end of this activity you will understand how chaos can be used as a powerful pedagogy in the classroom.
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The ACT Model consists of five active layers, where each layer is a pedagogy that can be applied in the classroom. In this section we will consider the top layer of the ACT model - the Chaos pedagogy.
In this section we will explore the exciting pedagogy of chaos. We live in a world where students are constantly faced with making sense of the information overload they're faced with. This information is often conflicting, has missing elements, has too much content, etc. Learning to make sense of this is not only a powerful pedagogy but a vital skill to develop in our modern world. |
First up, watch the following video for an overview of this powerful pedagogy of chaos.
Rethinking Learning (an important aside)
How we learn is something that is still not understood and there are many theories that have attempted to explain learning. However, one of the newest theories, that attempts to take into account the modern digital world we live in, and the impact technology has on us, is Connectivism. As George Siemens, who proposed this theory argues, “A central tenet of most learning theories is that learning occurs inside a person...These theories do not address learning that occurs outside of people (i.e. learning that is stored and manipulated by technology).”
He goes on to critique current learning theories, such as Behaviourism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism, as being more focused on the process of learning rather than the value of what is being learned. “In a networked world, the very manner of information that we acquire is worth exploring. The need to evaluate the worthiness of learning something is a meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins... When knowledge is abundant, the rapid evaluation of knowledge is important....The ability to synthesize and recognize connections and patterns is a valuable skill” (George Siemens).
There are key principles to this new approach to learning such as:
This is what lies at the heart of chaos - making connections and thereby deciding what to learn. As Siemens points out, this is learning, and a key element of learning in the modern age.
The theory of chaos
Siemens argues that “chaos is a new reality for knowledge workers” and that it is within these chaotic environments, where there is no longer a scarcity of knowledge but a ubiquity of knowledge, that modern learners need to operate. Learning in these environments is therefore an intricate weave of both discerning what is worth knowing, and making sense of what is known. Learning therefore requires the ability to not only recognise patterns in the “chaos” of knowledge but also to adjust to the constant shifts in these patterns.
Connectivism and the pedagogy of chaos sees the learner's challenge as recognizing the patterns which appear to be hidden. .The capacity to form connections between sources of information, and thereby create useful information patterns, is a vital skill to be able to operate in our modern world.
The pedagogy of chaos
Chaos is an extremely powerful pedagogy, especially for the world we live in. Students find that not only does this pedagogy challenge them cognitively but it also rewards them with amazing insights. Take for example the Activated Classroom Model that this course is built around. This model arose after analyzing thousands of online interactions between students over years of analysis. In this seeming chaotic mix of posts, and information overload the model slowly emerged. It’s the ability to distill simplicity from complexity that is the real value of this pedagogy.
The pedagogy of chaos is not only the highest pedagogy of the ACT approach, but it also incorporates all of the other pedagogies, where curating, conversation, correcting and creating all are interwoven. The pedagogy of chaos is not so much an activity as it is a space, a place, a way of being. Chaos is being prepared to embrace confusion in the pursuit of understanding, to engage in conversation to derive meaning, to accept correcting to move towards correct. The pedagogy of chaos is the realm where all the layers of lower pedagogies come together as students become fully engaged in discovering the meaning, the patterns, the sense in what it is they are learning.
There are many tools that can be used to support this pedagogy from simple approaches like using QR codes and word scramblers to more involved use of mind maps and cartoons to distill thinking and bring sense to chaos.
How we learn is something that is still not understood and there are many theories that have attempted to explain learning. However, one of the newest theories, that attempts to take into account the modern digital world we live in, and the impact technology has on us, is Connectivism. As George Siemens, who proposed this theory argues, “A central tenet of most learning theories is that learning occurs inside a person...These theories do not address learning that occurs outside of people (i.e. learning that is stored and manipulated by technology).”
He goes on to critique current learning theories, such as Behaviourism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism, as being more focused on the process of learning rather than the value of what is being learned. “In a networked world, the very manner of information that we acquire is worth exploring. The need to evaluate the worthiness of learning something is a meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins... When knowledge is abundant, the rapid evaluation of knowledge is important....The ability to synthesize and recognize connections and patterns is a valuable skill” (George Siemens).
There are key principles to this new approach to learning such as:
- Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
- Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
- The ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
- Decision-making is itself a learning process.
This is what lies at the heart of chaos - making connections and thereby deciding what to learn. As Siemens points out, this is learning, and a key element of learning in the modern age.
The theory of chaos
Siemens argues that “chaos is a new reality for knowledge workers” and that it is within these chaotic environments, where there is no longer a scarcity of knowledge but a ubiquity of knowledge, that modern learners need to operate. Learning in these environments is therefore an intricate weave of both discerning what is worth knowing, and making sense of what is known. Learning therefore requires the ability to not only recognise patterns in the “chaos” of knowledge but also to adjust to the constant shifts in these patterns.
Connectivism and the pedagogy of chaos sees the learner's challenge as recognizing the patterns which appear to be hidden. .The capacity to form connections between sources of information, and thereby create useful information patterns, is a vital skill to be able to operate in our modern world.
The pedagogy of chaos
Chaos is an extremely powerful pedagogy, especially for the world we live in. Students find that not only does this pedagogy challenge them cognitively but it also rewards them with amazing insights. Take for example the Activated Classroom Model that this course is built around. This model arose after analyzing thousands of online interactions between students over years of analysis. In this seeming chaotic mix of posts, and information overload the model slowly emerged. It’s the ability to distill simplicity from complexity that is the real value of this pedagogy.
The pedagogy of chaos is not only the highest pedagogy of the ACT approach, but it also incorporates all of the other pedagogies, where curating, conversation, correcting and creating all are interwoven. The pedagogy of chaos is not so much an activity as it is a space, a place, a way of being. Chaos is being prepared to embrace confusion in the pursuit of understanding, to engage in conversation to derive meaning, to accept correcting to move towards correct. The pedagogy of chaos is the realm where all the layers of lower pedagogies come together as students become fully engaged in discovering the meaning, the patterns, the sense in what it is they are learning.
There are many tools that can be used to support this pedagogy from simple approaches like using QR codes and word scramblers to more involved use of mind maps and cartoons to distill thinking and bring sense to chaos.
Activities
- Let's engage in some fun chaos-based learning. Let's start with something easy. The essence of this pedagogy is trying to make sense from a seeming jumble of information. So let's start with a brain loosening exercise. Can you unravel this riddle. Click here if you dare! Chaos Unscramble
- Now you are ready for your final activity and an opportunity to really apply your brain and make sense of all the chaos. One of the most powerful demonstrations of being able to make sense of a plethora of content is demonstrated by creating a simple picture. Mindmaps are one way of doing this, but there are many ways we can seek to find meaning in chaos. So for your final activity and to let you experience the challenge and achievement of operating in the pedagogy of chaos - you need to make a short comic strip that distills everything you've learned into a single comic strip. Choose one of these comic strip creators - writecomics.com, wittycomics.com, www.pixton.com, www.stripgenerator.com, www.toondoo.com. This is no easy task...but that's the challenge of the pedagogy of chaos. It's not easy, but achieving it is highly rewarding. Once you have achieved this, share the link to your comic strip.
GO BACK TO YOUR EDMODO GROUP AND SHARE YOUR ANSWERS AS A REPLY TO "Activity 10 - Chaos Activity"
PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 - Intro & Changing World
ACTIVITY 2 - Big Mistakes
ACTIVITY 3 - Missing Pedagogy
ACTIVITY 4 - Education Technology Assessment
ACTIVITY 5 - Activated Classroom Teaching (ACT) Pedagogy
ACTIVITY 6 - Curation Activity
ACTIVITY 7 - Conversation Activity
ACTIVITY 8 - Correction Activity
ACTIVITY 9 - Creation Activity
PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1 - Intro & Changing World
ACTIVITY 2 - Big Mistakes
ACTIVITY 3 - Missing Pedagogy
ACTIVITY 4 - Education Technology Assessment
ACTIVITY 5 - Activated Classroom Teaching (ACT) Pedagogy
ACTIVITY 6 - Curation Activity
ACTIVITY 7 - Conversation Activity
ACTIVITY 8 - Correction Activity
ACTIVITY 9 - Creation Activity
There are some amazing tools that can be used to support the chaos pedagogy. If you would like to learn how to use these tools to support chaos and all the other pedagogies of the ACT apprach, then join the @CTIVATED Classroom Course HERE. Email me for amazing discounts for schools and for people who have purchased the @CTIVATED Classroom book!