The Power of Persistence: Education System ... - EQUIP123.net

Table: Simple, Complicated, and Complex Problems
SIMPLE COMPLICATED COMPLEx
A recipe for apple pie Sending a rocket to the moon Raising a child
the recipe is essential. Formulae are critical and Formulae have limited
necessary.
application.
Recipes are tested to assure Sending one rocket to the moon Raising one child provides
easy replication. increases assurance that the experience, but no
next will succeed.
assurance of success with
the next.
No particular expertise is High levels of expertise in a Expertise can contribute,
required, but cooking expertise variety of fields are necessary but is neither necessary
increases success. for success. nor sufficient to assure
success.
Recipes produce standardized Rockets are similar in critical Every child is unique, and
products. ways. must be understood as an
individual.
the best recipes give good there is a high degree of the experience of and
results every time. certainty about the outcome. influences on each child
will be different.
optimistic approach to optimistic approach to problem optimistic approach to
problem solving. solving. problem solving.
Source: adapted from Glouberman and Zimmerman, 2002
Uncertainty of outcome
remains.
Recent research into complexity theory provides insights into the nature of the
education system as a complex, dynamic system. The following formulation seeks
to distinguish between different types of problems, as a basis for designing and
evaluating interventions (Glouberman and Zimmerman, 2002). In developing an
approach to developmental evaluation, Michael Patton has used this structure to
inform the response to challenges of planning and evaluating progress in a nonlinear
system.
Using this framework, education is clearly a complex problem in that progress
is highly context specific, is very dynamic as different factors can influence
outcomes at any time, and is distinctly non-linear. This powerful conceptual
model is useful in thinking about interventions that are designed to affect
education. Of course, a complex system like education contains elements of both
simple and complicated problems as well. Some specific education problems
do lend themselves to a linear, causal process, such as providing training to
teachers or distributing learning materials. Some aspects are complicated,
requiring multiple lines of expertise, such as curriculum design, assessment, and
information systems.
SECTION 1: INTROdUCTION
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