Learning, creativity and collective intelligence
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The document discusses the importance of fostering learning, creativity, and collective intelligence in adult education to address global challenges such as AI, climate change, and pandemics. It critiques the traditional transmission model of learning and promotes active engagement, emphasizing theories on expansive learning, communities of practice, and transformative learning. Additionally, it explores how group composition and artificial intelligence can enhance collective intelligence to create more effective learning environments.
![One persistent problem
• The general discourse on learning [still] seems
dominated by the vocabulary of a
“transmission-model”:
• Where learning is about accumulating
information and teaching about distributing it
• Discourse influences practice
• Probably too many learning events are
organized with the “transmission-model”!
• Do not take into account current knowledge
about learning or realities of modern adult life
• Often makes learners passive
• Is this your experience too?
• We are thus probably cheating our learners
Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is 11](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/learningcreativityandcollectiveintelligence-210603095429/85/Learning-creativity-and-collective-intelligence-11-320.jpg)
![Learning – a few definitions
• Learning is a process of construing and appropriating a new
or revised interpretation of the meaning of an experience as
a guide to awareness, feeling, and action. (Mezirow, 1991)
• The concept of community of practice … is a perspective
that locates learning, not in the head or outside it, but in the
relationship between the person and the world, … the social
and the individual constitute each other…. Meaningful
learning in social contexts requires both participation and
reification to be in interplay. (Wenger 2010)
• [E]xpansive learning is a historically new type of learning
which emerges as practitioners struggle through develop-
mental transformations in their activity systems, moving
across collective zones of proximal development. (Engeström, 1999)
Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 16](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/learningcreativityandcollectiveintelligence-210603095429/85/Learning-creativity-and-collective-intelligence-16-320.jpg)
Learning, creativity and collective intelligence
- 1. Learning, Creativity and Collective Intelligence Hróbjartur Árnason University of Iceland hrobjartur@hi.is FLUID / IDA Conference 3. June 2021
- 4. Global Challenges • Artificial Intellegence • Bio-tech • Climate change Pandemics
- 5. •Wicked problems •Complexity •Challenges that can only be addressed collectively The future we and our students face includes:
- 6. … and we are trying to create relevant learning paths for our students!
- 7. The character of adult education Classical Adult Education Credo • Practical, Useful, Applicable • Train for self directed learning • Foster critical thinking Today we need “21st Century Skills” • Regularly redefined But: • Learning how to learn… • on the job • with groups • collaboratively
- 8. 3 perspectives • Learning • Creativity • Collective Intelligence Learning & Teaching
- 9. 1. Learning The study of the "process that in living organisms leads to permanent capacity change and which is not solely due to biological maturation or ageing.” (Knud Illeris, 2016, How we learn. P. 3)
- 10. • How do people learn? • How can we support learning? • Can learning be improved? • Can people get better at learning? • What role does a teacher have in someone else’s learning?
- 11. One persistent problem • The general discourse on learning [still] seems dominated by the vocabulary of a “transmission-model”: • Where learning is about accumulating information and teaching about distributing it • Discourse influences practice • Probably too many learning events are organized with the “transmission-model”! • Do not take into account current knowledge about learning or realities of modern adult life • Often makes learners passive • Is this your experience too? • We are thus probably cheating our learners Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is 11
- 12. Modern theories on the learning (that matters in our discussion) depict learning as something learners DO, not something that happens to them. They even use words that can be synonymous with creating: “Build, Construct, Interprete…” Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 12 The thing is...
- 13. Learning is something learners do Arguments • From theory • Learning is an active process • From research and experience 1. Learning motivation: “Why do people learn?” "Adults learn in order to deal with present needs“ • E.g. Malcolm Knowles, Andragogy and many others 2. Adult learning is often connected to work and finding solutions to work problems where the solutions are not known, Through learning people create new solutions (c.f. Expansive learning: Y. Engeström) 3. Learning, the result of adult’s creative engagement with ideas • E.g. each learner takes different learnings from the same event 4. Adult Learners intuitively USE learning events for creative purposes: • E.g. dealing with change and crisis (Research on participation) Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 13
- 14. Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 14
- 15. Three examples of learning theories Yrjö Engeström: Expansive Learning Etienne Wenger: Communities of practice Jack Mezirow: Transformative learning Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 15
- 16. Learning – a few definitions • Learning is a process of construing and appropriating a new or revised interpretation of the meaning of an experience as a guide to awareness, feeling, and action. (Mezirow, 1991) • The concept of community of practice … is a perspective that locates learning, not in the head or outside it, but in the relationship between the person and the world, … the social and the individual constitute each other…. Meaningful learning in social contexts requires both participation and reification to be in interplay. (Wenger 2010) • [E]xpansive learning is a historically new type of learning which emerges as practitioners struggle through develop- mental transformations in their activity systems, moving across collective zones of proximal development. (Engeström, 1999) Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 16
- 17. 2. Creativity Study of human ingenuity: How do humans solve problems, generate new and useful ideas and artefacts?
- 18. • How do people create? • Can people learn to create? • How can people be more creative? • What can we know about the creative process? • What happens when groups are creative?
- 19. Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 19 Wave 1 Creative individuals
- 20. Wave 2: Creative process Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 20
- 21. Hróbjartur Árnason | hrobjartur@hi.is | 2021 21 Wave 3: Group creativity
- 22. Research into creativity in groups Groups create best when: Group composition • Diverse group of participants • Clear common goals • Suitably different / alike Very different – interferes with work • Dependence ← → Independence • Freedom ← → Constraints Process • Organized ← → Unorganized • Create common aim • Brainstorm (needs improving) • Facilitated • Activate all Create a learning community Group composition • Similar evidence on diversity in the classroom (e.g. Terenzini et al., 2011) • Plan for diverse groups • Make every one feel welcome • Plan for a good mix of control & freedom • Respect boundaries: Individual vs,. Group Process • Good mix – organisation and chaos • Facilitated process • Help group find common goals • Cooperation ← → Competition 22 Based mainly on Sawyer, 2012 but others too Sawyer, K. (2012). Extending Sociocultural Theory to Group Creativity. Vocations and Learning, 5(1), 59–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-011-9066-5
- 23. • …intriguing point of view on human endeavors from the point of view of how people in groups - large and small – often can reach better or smarter results together than alone 3. Collective Intelligence Photo by Rob Curran on Unsplash
- 24. • Can groups be intelligent? • How are groups intelligent? • Can groups be MORE intelligent? • How can we make groups more intelligent? • What can IT do to support Collective Intelligence?
- 25. Inspired by intelligent self organized behaviour of other creatures • Bacteria (Create different collective structures in different environments) • Ants & Bees (Build colonies, Move colonies etc) • Swarms of birds and fish (Safety in numbers) About People in groups • Groups • Families • Companies • Societies About “Superminds” (T.W. Malone, 2018) • Hierarchies • Democracies • Markets • Communities • Ecosystems The study of Collective intelligence is… …a new and emerging field of study Results from: • Social psychology • Psychology of intelligence • Organisational behaviour • Political science • Learning Sciences • etc T.W. Malone 2018
- 26. • Rules and structures (Culture, stories, tabus, methods, institutions…) • Intelligent artefacts • Vygotsky: “Mediation” – 3 = subject, object and mediating artefact = We think through our objects and tools • Wenger: Thought is not in our brain, but in our connection with things, others • Pen + paper, URL, Books, man+horse, Drivers + traffic signs • Example development of safety in cars (build, materials, rules/laws, safety equipment) • Society’s investment in infrastructure • E.g. the Sagas, Schools (literacy), firm, university, charity • Networks – Societies of mind • Newton, Royal Society, Linux, Wikipedia, Scientific publications Infrastructures that support CI Geoff Mulgan
- 27. Collectively intellegent teams/small groups Group Composition Effect on groups collective intelligence Little Much Member Intelligence x Social perceptiveness x More women than men x Cognitive style diversity Very similar styles x Moderately diverse x Very diverse styles x Interaction Communication • More communication is better • Equal amounts is better BUT vs: in studies on "Well functioning groups" • group satisfaction • group cohesiveness • psychological safety Are important, but NOT for collective intelligence • no correlation
- 28. • Tools (Excel, eMail, Twitter, To-do) • My masters thesis (Handwritten texts), Graduate research (computerized texts), Collegues: “expert systems”, AI can amplify these as: • Assistants • Evernote – content links between your notes. • Automatic feedback on grammar, style etc. (Turnit-In), Outlook suggestions, PowerPoint Design hints, Alexa, Siri… • Visual feedback on online discussions (cf. Deliberate Practice) • Peers • Bots in MS Teams – delegate questions from students or suggest exam prep material • Course on AI with AI • Managers • Tell you what to do: CrowdForge: Automatically manages an “army” of writers • Traffic lights How can IT & AI make groups more intelligent? …or Support their learning? Built on an idea from Malone, 2018. Superminds By the way: in one research, teams which had a bot as a manager were LESS collectively intelligent!
- 29. • Examples • Wikipedia • Amazon recommendations • Democracy.IO • What do they do? • Remember (Storage) • Mix thoughts and ideas (Structures) • Suggest (AI) • Support decision making (Information, structures etc.) How can IT support collective intelligence
- 30. ideas
- 31. What can this look like in our practice?
- 40. Collective Intelligence Creativity Learning Three perspectives on the practice of organizing and supporting adult learning. Perspectives which complement each other and can give interesting ideas about the practice of adult education. Hróbjartur Árnason University of Iceland hrobjartur@hi.is What ideas did you get?
Editor's Notes
- #9: Like the 7 blind men who were investigating the elephant, we need many perspectives to address our challenge as educators. I am Educated in Andragogy = Art and science of adult learning and adult eduation. Have recently been drawn into two adjacent fields of study recently: Creativity and Collective intelligence
- #29: already early in the last century pointed out that we think and learn through our interaction with objects with his idea of mediation which is expressed through a triad og subject, object and mediating artefact. Our thinking and thus intelligence cannot be explained