Oleg Liber's slides introducing educational cybernetics: variety in teaching and learning; the viable system model

1. An Introduction to Educational Cybernetics Oleg Liber June 2010

2. Cybernetics: a brief history Control and communication in animal and machine Wiener, N. (1965) “Cybernetics”, MIT Press First order cybernetics: Robotics (Walter) Cellular automata (Von Neumann) Homeostats and the Brain (Ashby) Second order cybernetics Anthropology/sociology (Bateson, Luhmann) Psychology and learning (Pask, von Foerster, von Glasersfeld) Organisations and management (Beer)

3. Educational Cybernetics Conversation Theory: Gordon Pask Pedagogy Viable System Model: Stafford Beer Organisation of Education

4. Educational Presuppositions 1 Constructivism Knowledge is in the heads of people Constructed on the basis of their (essentially subjective) experience The experience and interpretation of language are no exception Von Glasersfeld(1995) Radical Constructivism. London, Falmer p 1 (Academic) learning… is learning about descriptions of the world Laurillard (1995) Rethinking University Teaching. London, Routledge p 22

5. Conversation theory Background: a cybernetic and dialectic framework that offers a scientific theory to explain how interactions lead to "construction of knowledge", or, "knowing": wishing to preserve both the dynamic/kinetic quality, and the necessity for there to be a "knower". proposed by Gordon Pask in the 1970s. Embodies many complex ideas Fundamentally: Learning happens through conversation, where meaning is agreed

6. A Conversational Framework T (re)describes conception Teacher (describing) Learner (describing) L (re)describes conception T adapts task goal in light of L’s description T reflects on action to modify description L adapts action in light of T’s description L reflects on interaction to modify description Teacher (setting up microworld) Learner (interacting with microworld) L interacts with microworld to achieve task goal Microworld gives feedback on action

7. A Conversational Framework T (re)describes conception Teacher (describing) Learner (describing) L (re)describes conception T adapts task goal in light of L’s description T reflects on action to modify description L adapts action in light of T’s description L reflects on interaction to modify description Teacher (setting up microworld) Learner (interacting with microworld) L interacts with microworld to achieve task goal Microworld gives feedback on action

8. Activity: applying the CF as a diagnostic/design tool What scope does pedagogic design have for: Teacher’s description Learner’s description Teacher’s re-description in light of learner’s conception or action Learner’s re-description in light of teacher’s re-description or action Teacher’s activity design and task setting Learner’s activity engagement Teacher’s reflection on learner’s action Learner’s reflection on activity

9. Limitations of Conversational Framework Concerned with individual learner Originally conceived as a tool for design of intelligent tutoring systems Assumes single learner with single tutor (or tutoring system) Does not address group learning

10. Pedagogy as organisation Most learning contexts involve many learners with one teacher The challenge is to provided a variety of learning experiences within a mass education system This requires organisational AND pedagogic design The Viable System Model provides tools for organisational design Founded on Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety

11. Variety Definitions The number of possible states of a system The number of relevant (constrained) states of a system The number of observed or observable states of a system W. Ross Ashby, (1956) An Introduction to Cybernetics, Chapman & Hall, London. Internet (1999): http://pcp.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf

12. Example 1: traffic lights = 8 = 4

13. Example 2: Chess Number of legal positions ≈ 1043 Number of options available to a player is much less. What does this imply? Claude Shannon (1950) "Programming a Computer for Playing Chess", Phil. Mag. 41 256-275

14. Example 3: Football Number of possible states of a team of 11 players= ? Number of possible states of a great team of 11 players=? Number of possible states of a team of 11 great players=?

15. Law of Requisite Variety If a system is to be stable the number of states of its control mechanism must be greater than or equal to the number of states in the system being controlled "only variety can destroy variety“ Ashby, W.R. 1956, Introduction to Cybernetics, Chapman & Hall

16. Traffic lights Stop Go Prepare to go Prepare to stop Variety (Traffic light) = Variety (Driver)

17. Variety and Games Competitive games are design to balance variety Skill and tactics tip the balance

18. Balancing variety What if one football team has only 5 players, or is much better than the other? What if one tennis player is much better than the other? Amplifiers increase the variety of one side Attenuators limit the variety of one side

19. amplifier transducer High variety Low variety channel attenuator Each system constrains its own variety Messages are transduced (made communicable) Channels have capacity (bandwidth) to transmit variety Amplifiers increase variety Attenuators reduce variety

20. Expert Novice Rich domain model Crude domain model Expert simplifies Converts to appropriate utterances for available channel(s) Communicates attenuated message Novice interprets …

21. Ignorance is the lethal attenuator!

22. Pedagogy as variety management Class Teacher Explore how attenuation, amplification, and transduction take place within: Lecture based teaching Problem based learning (a problem is set with resources to help solution discovery) Resource based learning (learning content is matched to the learner) Inquiry based learning (learners are supported in identifying own problem and resources) Discovery learning (learners are put into designed environments to encourage the “discovery” of ideas and principles)

23. More terminology = Homeostatic Loop

24. Elaborating the channels Class Teacher Communications involve: maintaining agreements on rules, responsibilities and resources managing the avoidance of conflict and achieving synergy monitoring the health of the system emergencies!

25. The COMMAND Channel: rules, responsibilities and resources Class Teacher How are these typically implemented in different pedagogical scenarios? What is communicated? Are these amplifiers or attenuators?

26. The COORDINATION (anti-oscillation) channel: managing the avoidance of conflict and achieving synergy Class Teacher How is this achieved in different pedagogic scenarios? What methods are there for stopping learners from competing unreasonably for resources? How do these affect their learning?

27. The MONITORING Channel: checking the health of the system elements Class Teacher What might learning “health” mean? How can teachers find out the current state of health?

28. Elaborating the channels Environment adaptation Learner self-organisation monitoring Teacher Rules & resource negotiation The department /institution co-ordination Environment Other courses

29. University Recursion Viable Systems contain and are contained within other viable systems Education system Department Course Learner

30. Recursion: Department Environment adaptation Informal course collaboration monitoring Department management Rules & resource negotiation The University co-ordination Environment Courses in other departments

31. Recursion: University Environment adaptation Informal dept collaboration monitoring University management Rules & resource negotiation The institution co-ordination Environment Depts in other universities

32. Recursion: Higher Education Sector Environment adaptation Informal university collaboration monitoring HE Sector management Rules & resource negotiation Government co-ordination Environment International universities

33. Applying the VSM as a course design/diagnostic tool How are rules and resources negotiated (content and process)? What framework will be used to cordinate the cohort? (i.e. pedagogical method!) How can individual monitoring happen to permit intervention if needed? What facilities are provided to allow learners to support each other? How can the teacher adapt the course in light of ongoing experience? Are there facilities for students to find resources outside of the course? Are student supported in making sense of this course in their wider learning?