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There are many factors in my classroom that make it a complex system such as the physical environment - learning materials, room configuration, sounds/lighting, accessibility, temperature; teacher- experience, teaching style, curriculum, values, presuppositions; and the students- background, social/cultural values, emotions, identity, mindset.

The video showed the need to consider the purpose and value of education. It makes me think about my students, how well I know them, and how I value who they are in my classroom. The video also emphasizes the importance of students’ identity being at the center of their own learning where they reflect on who they are and what they want from education.

I also think within the classroom as a complex system, there are complex systems that make up the components of the classroom. For example, the physical environment of the classroom is a complex system itself.

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My classroom is a complex network of students, and I constantly challenge these students with new math concepts on a daily basis. Students from different math backgrounds are present in this classroom, and students primarily work in small groups. Students experience math in multiple ways in this classroom environment, reflecting on it, discussing it, and analyzing its purposes collaboratively. There is no question that peer interactions lead to more productive discussions in my classroom than teacher-student interactions.   Classroom conversations always serve as a good vehicle for a problem- solving. In my classroom, the math is complex, noisy, and chaotic at times, but there is much thinking going on. My goal here is to facilitate student learning in this complex system by finding ways to engage students in their education, either collectively or individually.

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Thinking about schools as a complex system takes me back to module #1 - it all beings with children's thinking. Children's thinking is a web of connections and we cannot look at one in isolation from the others. The same goes with schools. They are inter-related. What framework does the school philosophy stem from is another theme I felt fit well.

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Knowing that teaching is a complex system, and teachers are the technicians that are trouble shooting each system within their teaching environment, how do we ensure that the motherboard does not blow up.  We only have so much time our day, and each of us have families and life outside of school. How do we ensure that we are not carrying our work into our own personally life and personal time and still make time to address each individual student needs?

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Rayle’s presentation left me a bit disappointed. I was wanting a bit more from his conclusion. He presented the idea of how education is a complex system and there are many factors that are involved. Yet he seems to pull out the individual as simply something the system affects, stating that the complex system of education is for the development of each student and that  we are to develop the individual to simply consider questions of “who am I” and “what do I want”. Isn’t there another layer of complexity? Can individuals be part of the systems that affect them? If so, could education be more than just for the development of the individual, but of a community where individual students and teachers play a meaningful role for the benefit of all. Perhaps encouraging students to explore beyond who they are and what they want, can lead them to consider how they are connected and how they can contribute to the good of those things they are connected to.

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As I was watching the video I began to contemplate the tension between individualism and collectivism. Education as a complex system suggests that teachers, students, families, communities, etc are all interconnected and impact one another. Yet, our North American worldview and Rayle's questions seem focused on the thoughts and needs of individuals. How do we balance the needs and interests of individuals with the needs and interests of the classroom, school, or society? Is "organized randomness" in activities enough or effective?

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I saw a post-it in the other padlet for this module that could have been mine. The post-it had no name attached to it, so I don't know who else practices the activities to help draw out what the learners bring to the table and have uncovered. Bob

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The connection to course themes that stood out for me in thinking about school as a complex system is context. Context impacts everything that we do in school. Like the image that Rayle showed of many aspects of school and the interconnections between them, the connections are complex. Proposing a simple cause-effect solution for such a complex system, will only result in surface or temporary changes. This has given me a new lens to view context through.

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A complex system in my math classroom looks like a collaboration learning between the teacher and students. The teacher learns to be a better teacher from students by offering more effective supports to meet student's learning needs and help their growth, and the students learn the skills and knowledge from the teacher. it looks like a discussion between a teacher with studetns, and students with another student.

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My classroom is a complex system because of the different roles of people (students, teachers, support workers, youth and family worker, counselor, administrators) and with these different roles, different motivations. Motivations may even be different within a role. The time of day contributes to the complex system, as does the day of the week. In the complex system also lives the curriculum, the Ministry of Education, and the local school board. And finally, for this discussion, the families are also part of this complex system.

In my classroom I often feels like families contribute to the complexity of the system the most, even though I know all aspects contribute in their own way. However, in my school (as many others), the diversity of families means families are not one contributor but are multiple contributors because each has different needs, expectations, motivations, demands, involvement, school-experiences/trauma, cultural experiences and identities, etc. I cannot say that families contribute to the system in a certain way because the differences are so complex within this one component of the system.

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As a researcher, I wonder how to account for complex systems in sampling or in creating control. Or, if it cannot be accounted for, then how is it discussed? As a limitation? As a consideration?
I wonder this because I find that it is very difficult to determine control in educational research and the idea of complex systems makes it seem even more difficult than I thought before considering this concept.