Doktorarbeit,
Pedagogy of Wholeness
PhD Doctorate, Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D., (2018)
Zusammenfassung
Contemporary learning networks involve a complex mix of tools, tasks and people, in varied assemblages, distributed across time and space. This interweaving generates particular challenges for analysing and designing for networked learning. The use of design patterns and pattern languages, originally developed by architect Christopher Alexander to reveal and then represent and share design knowledge, has now been adopted to facilitate and support such educational design work. The research reported in this thesis adopts and then extends this approach. It examines the architectures of two learning networks within the field of adult literacy education: one for students and the other for the professional development of educators. Adult literacy has tended to be a neglected area in comparison with other areas of education research. As such the practical purpose of this thesis is to identify good design solutions able to be applied within this educational domain. As the research progressed, a central focus developed: to find a way to account for, in the practical use of pattern theory within education, the deeper philosophical basis of Alexander’s approach - concerning quality and value. The research data come from the analysis of digital and physical artefacts, direct participation in learning programs, observations, and interviews with diverse stakeholders in the learning networks. An initial network analysis was undertaken, grounded in the Activity Centred Analysis and Design framework, which is informed by socio-material theories of learning. This helped develop an understanding of the complex relations between learning activity and the (hybrid) environments in which it occurs. However, while these relational-material theories importantly acknowledge that ‘matter matters’, when it comes to making sense of human action they tend to embrace a ‘conventional’ picture of matter as essentially ‘dead’ and separated from the human self. This understanding contrasts with the approach espoused by Alexander (2002-2005) in his later work into the nature of ‘order’. My research draws on this now very extensive later work, to advance a new framework for educational design that directly embodies the fundamental – and essential – socio-political values inherent in education. In doing so it supports the deployment of pattern theory in a way that is consistent with its deep philosophical underpinnings. In adopting this approach, the study identifies various design elements that only occasionally and/or ephemerally ‘materialize’ around the core parts of a network – elements which therefore tend to be less prominent and are often missed, but which nevertheless show intricate and critical connections among the core activities taking place. This thesis argues that unless such relations are unveiled and understood, the essential core of a learning network cannot be entirely grasped and the resultant (simplified) abstracted design patterns prove insufficient to inform the creation of effective education designs. The study findings suggest that the more holistic approach enabled by the extended framing developed in this thesis (referred to here, drawing on the influential work of Paulo Freire, as a pedagogy of wholeness) is highly effective for revealing these often elusive, yet critical design patterns. In connecting Freire’s and Alexander’s philosophies, pedagogy of wholeness is as concerned with sound pedagogical design as it is with how designs for learning can contribute to the design of a more loving world.
