Why is the education system so resistant to change? How does change in education occur? When change does happen, what does it take to make it sustainable? Social scientists, and social and education policy makers, are beginning to frame their understanding of these questions in terms of complexity theory.

Notes on Contributors vii Foreword: Complexity and knowledge systems xi Michael A. Peters 1 Complexity Theory and the Philosophy of Education 1 Mark Mason 2 Educational Philosophy and the Challenge of Complexity Theory 16 Keith Morrison 3 What Is Complexity Theory and What Are Its Implications for Educational Change? 32 Mark Mason 4 Complexity and Education: Vital simultaneities 46 Brent Davis 5 Three Generations of Complexity Theories: Nuances and ambiguities 62 Michel Alhadeff-Jones 6 Re-reading Dewey through the Lens of Complexity Science, or: On the creative logic of education 79 Inna Semetsky 7 Foucault as Complexity Theorist: Overcoming the problems of classical philosophical analysis 91 Mark Olssen 8 Complex Systems and Educational Change: Towards a new research agenda 112 Jay L. Lemke & Nora H. Sabelli 9 Human Research and Complexity Theory 124 James Horn 10 Complexity and Truth in Educational Research 137 Mike Radford 11 ‘Knowledge Must Be Contextual’: Some possible implications of complexity and dynamic systems theories for educational research 150 Tamsin Haggis 12 Complexity and Educational Research: A critical reflection 169 Lesley Kuhn 13 Complexity and the Culture of Curriculum 181 William E. Doll 14 From Representation to Emergence: Complexity’s challenge to the epistemology of schooling 204 Deborah Osberg, Gert Biesta & Paul Cilliers 15 Educating Consciousness through Literary Experiences 218 Dennis Sumara, Rebecca Luce-Kapler & Tammy Iftody Index 231

Why is the education system so resistant to change? How does change in education occur? When change does happen, what does it take to make it sustainable? Social scientists, and social and education policy makers, are beginning to frame their understanding of these questions in terms of complexity theory. Developed initially as an approach to the fields of physics, biology, chemistry and economics, complexity theory is now being applied more broadly to the social sciences and to the study of education. Complexity theory takes the view that complex systems are best regarded in their entirety—as wholes. It is a theory that engages with dynamic systems or ecologies, with the complex web of interrelated and contingent factors that contribute to particular outcomes or phenomena. This volume provides an accessible theoretical introduction to the topic of complexity theory while considering its broader implications for educational change. Essays from a distinguished group of experts illuminate the contributions of complexity theory to the philosophy of education, curriculum theory and practice, and educational research. The book will challenge many prevailing viewpoints in education and provide new insights into our understanding of education.