IN-PERSON: Applying Education

Abstract

Classroom learning is a complex, emergent phenomenon. Classroom teaching is a complex, dynamic activity. Together, learning and teaching occupy a complex, non-linear and relational space which is often oversimplified and misunderstood. This paper will draw on my recent research on classrooms as complex systems (Knight, 2022), presenting mixed methods social network analysis (SNA) findings about the complex nature of group learning and its implications for teaching, teachers and teacher development. I will present one of four case study ‘Learning Narratives’ which integrates video observation, pupil self-report, interview and field note data to depict a range of complex dynamics at work in a short episode of collaborative classroom group work involving 8 and 9 year old learners. Findings show, among other things that learning emerges from some surprising sources (including pupil conflict) and that learners can become ‘salient’ to the outcomes of group work for various reasons (including personality, knowledge and social status). Combining insights from this study and a new book I am currently writing, the paper will also set out the case for the centrality of judgement in the act of teaching. If learning is complex, emergent, often tacit and inherently unpredictable, teaching can only succeed where it is flexible and responsive, and where teachers develop comfort with uncertainty and sensitivity to teachable moments.