An Exercise in Connectivism

So, despite learning about connectivism a number of years ago at the start of my #MAODE degree, I don't think I've ever really embraced the power of connectivism until recently.  So I wanted to share my thoughts on it here.

For those who haven't heard of it before, here's a short clip where George Siemens (as cited by the University of the Sunshine Coast, 2014) explains the concept behind his theory.

So this idea of making connections became interesting when I started reviewing my EdD Proposal with the aim of connecting it with my previous blog posts.  I was having a bit of a reflective moment thinking, "How did I get to where I am?"  What unfolded wasn't just connections, but evidence of an evolving journey.  

[Before I go on, I should say that I haven't been sponsored, nor am I intending to promote any particular tools or software.  I'm sure that there are other tools and ways to achieve the same or similar ends to what I've been doing.  I'd certainly like to hear about other people's experiences.  But the tool I've been using is Obsidian (2021).  To be clear, the primary purpose of this blog is really to document some observations I've made about my own learning in recognising the power of connectivism.]

So here goes.

Firstly, I think I kind of always new this, but never really understood the biology of the brain.  When George Siemens in the video about talks about making connections on a biological and cellular level in the brain and I wanted to know more about what that meant.  So I asked my sister-in-law who just so happens to be studying psychology.  Apparently, the biological explanation is that of stimulus - response, just like we see in the famous experiment known as "Pavlov's Dogs".  In a similar way, when one neuron stimulates another repeatedly then that connection grows stronger.  So by reviewing my blog, I was physically and biologically stimulating and strengthening those neural connections in my brain!  The human body is an amazing thing.  However, conversely, apparently if these connections are not reinforced regularly then apparently they can weaken.  I think this has really taught me the importance of consolidation and revision exercises both in my learning and teaching practice, but also in my Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Secondly, in reviewing my research questions I really wanted to get to grips with where I was going.  I remembered from previous study how important a research question is in framing your thinking.  But in conversation recently I started to see how my proposed question made certain underlying assumptions.  So I started to examine those assumptions more critically by reading and reflecting and in doing so I began to reframe my question from a different vantage point.

You see I have been really influenced by the fact that many people I speak to regarding Ed Tech seem to have the view that education has somehow been damaged by the advancement of hybrid learning.  So the question I originally posed was:

"What variables (as defined by Leithwood, 2013) can leaders and managers leverage in order to positively impact an emergent hybrid community of learning?"

But in reviewing my previous work, Leithwood clearly identifies variables that influence learning communities listing factors such as Teacher-Student relationships, Provision of Immediate feedback, management of classrooms, teacher emotions, morale, stress/burnout, home environments, working conditions...  there's a huge list!  So I set about examining the literature surrounding these variables based on the literature I had cited in my previous blog posts and what emerged was a web of connections!

[Screenshot from my Obsidian app].  

Moreover, an exciting email landed in my inbox recently, quite by chance, from the College Development Network's Action Research (CDN, 2022) which, coupled with recent surveys conducted by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS, 2022), throwing at least some weight behind the notion that Leithwood's pathways are being disrupted, just as I had suspected!  

So, I kind of find myself at a juncture.  Part of me is thinking, "Yay I found lots of connections!"  But another part of me is thinking, "Oh good grief - I found lots of connections!"

I know I need to start to narrow things down now.  My questions are obviously massively too broad.  But I don't even start on the EdD program with the WELS institute until October of this year and I can already feel the panic setting in. 

Leithwood was obviously writing in 2013, well before the covid-19 pandemic.  So his model was obviously framed in the context of face-to-face school teaching.  Maybe I need to reframe the question more along the lines of: "Which of the variables cited in Leithwood's (2013) model of how leadership impacts the learning experience can be used to positively improve the hybrid learning experience in the context of Scottish Further Education colleges?"

In other words, how can we minimise or even reverse this disruption without "the sector unwittingly, sliding back to preMarch 2020 design and delivery models, thus losing much of the momentum for change."  (CDN, 2022)

I'm looking forward to seeing how this web of connections grows as I continue to read.  So next on my reading list is the work of Robin Dunbar.  Thanks for the recommendation Ruth Davis!!

References

College Development Network (2022)  Action Research [Online].  Available at:  https://www.cdn.ac.uk/action-research/ (Accessed 11th June 2022).  

Educational Institute of Scotland (2022)  'Members' survey highlights workload and wellbeing connecrns in light of Covid'  The Scottish Educational Journal, vol. 106, no. 1, pp. 8 - 11. 

Leithwood, K. (2013) ‘Leadership and student learning: what works and how’, in Wise, C., Bradshaw, P. and Cartwright, M. (eds) Leading Professional Practice in Education, Sage, London/The Open University, Milton Keynes, pp. 25–37.

University of the Sunshine Coast (2014) Overview of Connectivism [Online].  Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx5VHpaW8sQ (Accessed 11th June, 2022).

Obsidian (2021)  Obsidian (Version 1.2.2) [Mobile Application].  Available at: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=md.obsidian&hl=en (Accessed 11th June 2022).