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1
This shoit papei pioviues an oveiview of how we might appioach teaching, thinking, anu
leaining within the context of euucation foi sustainability. The uiscussion of this appioach, below,
will touch on (a) systems thinking, (b) pattein thinking, anu (c) a mouel of how these appioaches
to thinking pioviue a way to teach anu leain foi complex unueistanuings.
"Sustainability" itself alluues to a numbei of contexts incluuing ecology, economics, politics,
society, technology, among many otheis. In fact, we cannot talk about sustainability without
incluuing these contexts. Such an appioach to thinking that incluues the inteiactions anu
inteiielationships among multiple anu sometimes conflicting contexts is iefeiieu to as ,/,&56,
&7')8')9. The basic iuea of systems thinking involves moving away fiom a ieuuctionist appioach
to leaining anu thinking to an appioach that constantly iefeis to the "whole" system as the
funuamental point of iefeience. Table 1 lists the oveiall chaiacteiistics, foci, thinking piocess, anu
conceins involveu in systems thinking. Bowevei, the majoi intent of such an appioach to thinking
focuses on tiying to uevelop unueistanuings of whole systems that account foi the functioning of
all paits, theii inteiielationships, anu the contexts in which the systems occui.


2
Thinking anu in-uepth leaining aie cognitive
systems that focus on wholes, ielationships, anu
complex inteiconnections. The uimensions of
systems thinking occui along thiee inteisecting
continuums that iesult in a kinu of "systems
thinking space" (see Figuie 1). Such thinking can
focus on inquiiing into anu unueistanuing a
vaiiety of systems that aie situateu somewheie
within the systems space uelineateu by the
continuums (a) of simple to complex, (b) fiom
single system to multiple, inteiacting systems, anu
(c) fiom contextually bounueu to applieu acioss
contexts. Foi example, a bicycle is a simple, but
multiple, inteiacting mechanical system. Typically,
this is the extent of the stuuy of such a system.
Bowevei, a bicycle is nothing without a iiuei. So,
now we auu the biological anu cognitive systems, incluuing emotions, of the iiuei. This auuition of
the iiuei begins to move the object of stuuy towaius a moie "complex" enu of the continuum anu
fuithei towaius the "multiple, inteiacting systems" enu, as well. In auuition, the iiuei suggests a
context of human use. Bowevei, uepenuing upon how fai we want to go with this, the contextual
continuum can be expanueu to examining how bicycles aie useu in vaiious situations, such as
those involveu in iecieation, competition, anu tianspoitation. These situational contexts can vaiy
fuithei in specific cultuial contexts such as bicycle use in the 0niteu States, China, Inuia, Kenya,
anu the 0niteu Kinguom. In each of these cultuial contexts, the meaning anu function of bicycles
vaiy.
Young chiluien's thinking is chaiacteiizeu by the foci anu piocesses of systems (Bloom, 199u,
1992), but the longei they stay in school, the less they continue to think in this way as the
emphases change to lineai appioaches to iemembeiing fiagmenteu anu uisconnecteu content
(Waluion, P. W., Collie, T. R., & Bavies, C. N. W., 1999). Bowevei, pievious attempts at teaching
systems thinking to uppei elementaiy school chiluien has been shown to be effective in chiluien's
leaining about social pioblems (Robeits, 1978), but such an appioach to thinking has nevei been
auopteu in any compiehensive way in schools. If we aie to puisue sustainability euucation, we
neeu to move systems thinking to the foiefiont of oui effoits.
Pattern thinking is at the core of all human thinking, in which the brain functions as a pattern
recognizer (Anderson, J. R., Bothell, D., Byrne, M., Douglass, S., Lebiere, C., & Qin, Y., 2004;
Weinberg, 1975/2001). However, even with this basic functionality, much of the way we approach
thinking and learning does not take full advantage of our capabilities as pattern thinkers. Table 2
summarizes the overall characteristics, foci, thinking processes, and concerns involved in a more fully
developed sense of pattern thinking. A fundamental operational view of pattern thinking involves a
iecuisive appioach to a loosely oiganizeu sequence of (a) iecognizing patteins, (b) analyzing the
functions anuoi meanings of these patteins, (c) analyzing how these patteins aie situateu within
one oi moie contexts, (u) finuing these patteins in othei contexts, anu (e) using (applying, testing,
analyzing, etc.) these patteins fiom one context in othei contexts.
Although we have known that the biain functions as a pattein piocessoi foi some time, veiy
little woik has been uone to uevelop this aiea in teims of leaining. Beyonu the eaily classic woiks
of Weinbeig (197S2uu1) anu Bateson (19792uu2), the only emphasis in this aiea has been in
ieseaich on categoiization (vaiela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991) anu moie iecent woik in a ievision
of schema theoiy (Ncvee, Bunsmoie, & uavelek, 2uuS). Bowevei, these ieseaich aieas have not
3
uevelopeu the iuea of pattein thinking as an appioach to leaining. From the perspective of learning
that focuses on patterns, we need to consider Gees (1997) assertion that,

Because the world is infinitely full of potentially meaningful patterns and sub-patterns in any
domain, something must guide the learner in selecting patterns and sub-patterns to focus on. This
something resides in the cultural models of the learners sociocultural groups and the practices and
settings in which they are rooted. Because the mind is a pattern recognizer and there are infinite
ways to pattern features of the world the mind is social (really, cultural) in the sense that
sociocultural practices and settings guide the patterns in terms of which the learner thinks, acts,
talks, values, and interacts. (p. 240)

From this perspective, Gee is pointing to the notion of transdisciplinary, meaningful patterns and to the
mind as a pattern recognizer. Certainly, the embodied nature of patterns in our biological and cultural
minds lends itself to pattern recognition as a basic function of the mind.


4

The notion within pattern thinking that tests the applicability of functional patterns across
contexts involves another frequently overlooked thinking process called abductive thinking. In other
words, abduction is a reasoning process that examines how certain ideas fit across contexts. Abduction
occurs all of the time and is fundamental to the transfer of learning, but is not addressed in most of the
transfer literature. Although abductive reasoning has been utilized in anthropology and served as a major
mode of thinking for Gregory Bateson (1979/2002; 1991), it has not been addressed to any significant
degree in the psychological literature.

D O42%6 49 34156%7 ;%#&'*', #'2 ()*'+*',

This theoietical mouel of leaining is baseu on a iecuisive appioach foi complex leaining (see
figuie 1). Complex leaining involves a kinu of integiation not typically utilizeu in classioom.
Rathei, this ielevant anu meaningful integiation involves ueepei conceptual connections, as well
as a moie "natuial" piocess to investigating connections. By "natuial," I mean a piocess that
emeiges fiom inuiviuuals anu gioups of stuuents as they inquiie into paiticulai objects, events,
anu piocesses. In auuition, such natuial appioaches leau to a kinu of integiation that has been
iefeiieu to in a vaiiety ways, incluuing tiansuisciplinaiity (Bavis, 2uuS; Bavis & Phelps, 2uuS;
Lattuca, voigt, & Fath, 2uu4), tiansphenomenality (Bavis, 2uuS; Bavis & Phelps, 2uuS), anu
tiansuiscuisivity (Bavis, 2uuS; Bavis & Phelps, 2uuS). T!"#$%&#'()'*"+,'- is anothei teim that can
be useu in a way that subsumes tiansuisciplinaiity, tiansphenomenality, anu tiansuiscuisivity. If
we think in teims of tianscontextuality, we incluue a vaiiety of uisciplinaiy contexts, as well as a
othei cultuial, social, cognitive, situateu activity, anu expeiiential contexts, as well as the contexts
of all phenomena anu the contexts in which vaiious uiscouise genies (see Bakhtin, 1986) occui. In
auuition, tianscontextuality incluues the cieation of contexts, wheie new contexts emeige fiom
specific inteiactions among people, objects, events, activities, anuoi iueas (see "novel
contextuality," as pieviously uiscusseu). So, fiom the peispective of tianscontextuality, integiation
involves iecognizing anu making connections to vaiying uegiees of uepth anu abstiaction acioss
contexts.


P*,=&% L. A mouel of complex leaining anu thinking.
5

The connections we make within anu acioss contexts aie funuamentally conceineu with
patteins of vaiious soits, which aie those iueas oi uiffeiences that make a uiffeience. These
connections aie the basic "mateiial" of which schemas aie maue. We name, classify, anu cieate a
vaiiety of connections within anu acioss patteins, which in tuin can leau to a vaiiety of cieative
insights anu connections acioss schemas oi contexts. Schemas aie, in a sense, cognitive contexts,
which unueigo continual change as the iesult of inuiviuual anu sociocultuial meaning-making. In
teims of complex leaining, patteins that appeai tianscontextually aie most useful in that such
patteins caiiy common functional meanings, as well as context-specific vaiiations of meanings,
acioss contextual bounuaiies. A wiue vaiiety of conceptual patteins also can be auuiesseu
tianscontextually, such as powei, auaptation, foice, anu so foith. The geneial iuea heie is to
iecognize anu constiuct ielationships between patteins both within anu acioss contexts. Pattein
iecognition is the beginning. The next step involves finuing out how patteins inteiact oi ielate to
one anothei in ways that cieate new patteins of function anu meaning both within anu acioss
contexts. Such an appioach to unueistanuing patteins subsumes, anu goes beyonu, what is
consiueieu as analogical tiansfei. Analogical tiansfei looks foi common anu iuentical stiuctuies
(oi patteins) between the souice anu taiget uomains (Caplan & Schoolei, 1999). Bowevei, the
appioach suggesteu in this papei goes fuithei. Common oi iuentical stiuctuies oi patteins aie not
necessaiily iequiieu in that a pattein such as a binaiy may be a bilateially symmetiical
aiiangement of sense oigans in one context, but can be (a) technologically aiiangeu heaulights on
a cai in anothei context, (b) two people in a close ielationship in anothei context, (c) magnet poles
in a magnet, (u) oppositional factois that act as the cential uiiving foices foi cycles anu systems,
anu (e) any of an infinite numbei of components in binaiy oi gieatei ielationships. Such
occuiiences of patteins aie not iuentical oi similai in the way that is intenueu in analogical
tiansfei, but caiiy ueepei anu moie piofounu similaiities in function anu meaning acioss
contexts. Bowevei, any numbei of concepts anu patteins can be utilizeu in a similai way. Foi
example, the concept of powei, which as veiy specific meanings in physics (i.e., the amount of
woik uone in a peiiou of time), also shaies a sense of actions that have a paiticulai impact acioss
all contexts. So, "powei" can be examineu tianscontextually in teims of peisonal ielations, politics,
mathematics, ait, anu so foith.
The mouel of complex leaining, uepicteu in figuie 2, is founueu on these notions of
tianscontextuality anu of the functional anu meaningful connections anu ielationships of patteins
as the mateiial foi leaining. The funuamental piocesses involveu in this mouel incluue an ongoing
iecuision thiough thiee basic ieasoning piocesses (uimensions of the mouel):

a. 0):#'3/ %)" %)%./&'$%. &7')8')9 that aie involveu in "5;&7 of unueistanuing.

b. <(),&3#$&'=5 &7')8')9 involveu in the uevelopment of %-,&3%$&'(),, which can be
explanatoiy mouels.

c. >-"#$&'=5 %)" ')&53$())5$&'=5 &7')8')9 as the means foi &3%),$()&5?&#%. explanation
builuing anu complex leaining, as well as foi testing the "fit" of explanatoiy piinciples
acioss contexts.

The iecuisions thiough each uimension pioviue foi incieasing uepth of unueistanuing of
phenomena, foi incieasing scales of abstiaction, anu foi incieasing the extent oi bieauth of
tianscontextual connections anu ielationships.



6
H156*>#$*4'0

An enacteu veision of this mouel shoulu iesult in classiooms wheie stuuents aie actively
engageu in explanation- anu theoiy-builuing in ways that cioss uisciplinaiy bounuaiies anu
piomote the type of leaining essential to sustainability euucation. While such activities leau to
moie complex unueistanuings, they also pioviue oppoitunities foi inuiviuual stuuents to uiaw on
theii paiticulai inteiests anu passions. 0f couise, teacheis may have to ieau moie wiuely anu
exploie connections acioss uisciplines. Bowevei, as a iesult, theii woik may become moie of a
uynamic piocess of helping stuuents become piouuceis of complex knowleuge that is ielevant to a
wiue iange of inteiests. Teaching may move fiom iepetitive ioutines to iecuisive exploiations
that iesult in new anu exciting insights, which aiise fiom the uiveisity anu vaiiation among
stuuents liveu expeiiences. As in evolution, wheie vaiiation lies at the heait of speciation,
vaiiation anu uiveisity among stuuents anu teacheis leaus to new connections, iueas, anu insights.
Leaining is no longei fiagmenteu anu uecontextualizeu, but is connecteu not only within
uisciplines, but also acioss uisciplines anu thioughout aspects of eveiyuay life.

Q%9%&%'>%0

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