Learning For A Complex World

We recognize that our society and demands for lifelong learning changes rapidly, and needs to continue to be rapidly effectively infused in changing forms into the teaching and learning process. Conversations about Adult Learning in Our Complex World focuses the study of adult learning to address the issues of living and learning within a complex world- the epitome of the 21st century. Readers will find that this book is valuable for a wide variety of professors, researchers, practitioners, and students in fields related to adult learning and adult education as it reveals emerging research and trends relevant for today and tomorrow. Moreover, this publication represents some of the most innovative and thoughtful scholarship resulting from the work of the Adult Higher Education Alliance and, arguably, the field of adult education. The book is arranged thematically in five sections, each one dealing with a domain where intercultural competence and other fundamental skills may improve the learning experiences for adult learners. The sections include, The Learning Environment and Authentic Teaching, Interculturally Competent Classroom Practices, Programming for Adults—Redesigning University to Serve Adult Learners, Professional Development, Teacher Training, and Leadership Development, and Meaningful Assessment of Programs for Adults.

Success in the twenty-first century demands knowledge power – for individuals, organisations, cities, regions and countries. This book offers a map showing the structure of the knowledge space in a contemporary context. The routes beyond traditional disciplines are charted, in part based on the notions of superconcepts and superproblems. There are major implications for the development of education systems, particularly for universities but also for all employers as they seek to ensure that their organisations have the requisite knowledge to meet future challenges. In many instances, radical change is called for. The traditional disciplines and their future development are reviewed and systems concepts are introduced to develop an interdisciplinary framework for the future. The nature of the knowledge core for different kinds of organisation is outlined in the context of development strategies and management capabilities. Super concepts are introduced throughout and through these the reader is introduced to a range of authors who, it is argued, provide the signposts for the way ahead.

What do children's interactions on the playground have to do with foreign policy? How does science understanding in middle school relate to environmental disasters in third world countries? The causal patterns that we detect and how we act upon them pervade every aspect of our lives. These skills will only become more important in the future as our world becomes more global and more interconnected. Yet we aren't very skilled at thinking about causality. Research shows that instead we rely on limiting default assumptions that can lead to poor choices in a complex world. What can we do about it? This book offers ways to become aware of these patterns and to reframe our thinking to become more effective learners and citizens of the world. Through examples and accessible explanations, it offers a causal curriculum to enable more effective learning so that we can put the power of better causal understanding to work for ourselves and the next generation-- for today and tomorrow.

We have effective theories for very few things. Gravity is one, electromagnetism another. But for most things—whether as mundane as finding a mate or as major as managing an economy—our theories are lousy or nonexistent. Fortunately, we don't need them, any more than a fish needs a theory of water to swim; we're able to muddle through. But how do we do it? In Probably Approximately Correct, computer scientist Leslie Valiant presents a theory of the theoryless. The key is “probably approximately correct” learning, Valiant's model of how anything can act without needing to understand what is going on. The study of probably approximately correct algorithms reveals the shared computational nature of evolution and cognition, indicates how computers might possess authentic intelligence, and shows why hacking a problem can be far more effective than developing a theory to explain it. After all, finding a mate is a lot more satisfying than finding a theory of mating. Offering an elegant, powerful model that encompasses all of life's complexity, Probably Approximately Correct will revolutionize the way we look at the universe's greatest mysteries.

In Creating Wicked Students, Paul Hanstedt argues that courses can and should be designed to present students with what are known as “wicked problems” because the skills of dealing with such knotty problems are what will best prepare them for life after college. As the author puts it, “this book begins with the assumption that what we all want for our students is that they be capable of changing the world....When a student leaves college, we want them to enter the world not as drones participating mindlessly in activities to which they’ve been appointed, but as thinking, deliberative beings who add something to society.”There’s a lot of talk in education these days about “wicked problems”—problems that defy traditional expectations or knowledge, problems that evolve over time: Zika, ISIS, political discourse in the era of social media. To prepare students for such wicked problems, they need to have wicked competencies, the ability to respond easily and on the fly to complex challenges. Unfortunately, a traditional education that focuses on content and skills often fails to achieve this sense of wickedness. Students memorize for the test, prepare for the paper, practice the various algorithms over and over again—but when the parameters or dynamics of the test or the paper or the equation change, students are often at a loss for how to adjust.This is a course design book centered on the idea that the goal in the college classroom—in all classrooms, all the time—is to develop students who are not just loaded with content, but capable of using that content in thoughtful, deliberate ways to make the world a better place. Achieving this goal requires a top-to-bottom reconsideration of courses, including student learning goals, text selection and course structure, day-to-day pedagogies, and assignment and project design. Creating Wicked Students takes readers through each step of the process, providing multiple examples at each stage, while always encouraging instructors to consider concepts and exercises in light of their own courses and students.

This book has been primarily written for people who are interested and involved in helping students maximise the learning and development they gain from their higher education experience. The authors contributing to this book hope that their attempt to examine and give practical meaning to the idea of lifewideness makes sense to you and helps you support and facilitate development of people in your professional context. We hope also that it might have meaning for you in your own life. The book is also written for people who are helping higher education institutions develop a better understanding of the ways in which students engage in and are shaped by their whole life experience while they are studying. And for those people who are trying to bring about change in institutional practice, particularly those who are finding it challenging, we hope the contributions in this book will reinforce your conviction that this is a worthwhile thing to do. In recent years, Universities in the UK have been encouraged to evaluate what they do through the lens of the students' experience. This has resulted in an increasing institutional interest and awareness in the way in which students integrate higher education with their life beyond the campus. Student Support Services in some universities have been inspired by the visionary report ‘Learning Reconsidered: A Campus-wide Focus on the Student Experience’ (NASPA and ACPA 2004). We hope that this book will encourage and be of value to those who make decisions or who create policies relating to the student experience.

Outlines an approach to high-performance problem solving and decision making that draws on insights from survival guides, pop culture, and other sources.

First book to interpret the new perspectives in learning theory (complexity theory, enactivism) into a coherent text for teacher educ. Examines what learning is, its relationship to teaching, how current theories/beliefs enable or constrain one's teachin