Complexity Theory 101 for Educators: A fictional account of a graduate seminar

The following fictional account of a seminar on complexity science and its relevance for education makes use of several real events. The first is an actual seminar that took place during the spring of 2005, in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta. The second is the collective creation of the Complexity and Education Online Glossary (McMurtry et al., 2004; see http://www.complexityandeducation.ualberta.ca). Furthermore, many of the ideas presented in this article are based on the definitions originally developed for that glossary.Ce compte rendu fictif d’un séminaire sur la science de la complexité et sa pertinence en éducation se fonde sur plusieurs événements réels. Le premier est un séminaire qui a eu lieu au printemps 2005 dans le département d’enseignement secondaire de l’Université de l’Alberta. Le second est la création collective du Complexity and Education Online Glossary (McMurtry et coll., 2004; voir http://www.complexityandeducation.ualberta.ca). En outre, bon nombre des idées présentées dans cet article reposent sur les définitions élaborées à l’origine pour ce glossaire

Les contributions perçues des membres non-médecins de l'équipe à la formation interprofessionnelle des résidents lors d'une rotation en soins intensifs

Background: During rotations, post-graduate medical residents must learn about interprofessional teamwork and collaboration. Our study examined the role of non-physician healthcare team members in such education, from the perspectives of both residents and team members themselves. Methods: This qualitative study took place in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a teaching hospital in a Canadian city. We conducted semi-structured individual and focus group interviews with both residents (n = 6) and the team members with whom they collaborated: pharmacists, nurses, respiratory therapists, and a social worker (n = 19). Results: We developed a number of themes about interprofessional education (IPE) in this context from the data, including the presence of planned, unplanned, and tacit teaching; the influence of contextual factors like ICU culture, work demands, resident motivation, power hierarchies, and perceptions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ residents; the gap between team member perceptions of their contribution to residents’ IP education and residents’ own perceptions; and concerns about the transferability of IPE to other contexts. Conclusions: The influence of non-physician team members on residents’ IPE in the clinical environment is an understudied topic. While our study was limited to one ICU, the themes that emerged may be of interest to others in similar contexts.Contexte : Au cours des stages, les résidents en médecine doivent apprendre le travail d'équipe et la collaboration interprofessionnelle (IP). Notre étude examine le rôle des membres non-médecins de l'équipe soignante dans cette formation, de leur point de vue et du point de vue des résidents. Méthodes : Cette étude qualitative a été réalisée dans l'unité de soins intensifs (USI) d'un hôpital universitaire dans une ville canadienne. Nous avons mené des entretiens individuels et des groupes de discussion semi-structurés avec les résidents (n = 6) et les membres de l'équipe avec lesquels ils collaboraient : des pharmaciens, des infirmières, des inhalothérapeutes et un travailleur social (n = 19). Résultats : À partir des données, nous avons dégagé un certain nombre de thèmes sur la formation interprofessionnelle (FIP) dans ce contexte, notamment la présence d'un enseignement planifié, non planifié et tacite; l'influence de facteurs contextuels tels que la culture des soins intensifs, les exigences du travail, la motivation des résidents, les hiérarchies et la perception des résidents comme étant « bons » ou « mauvais »; le décalage entre les perceptions des membres de l'équipe quant à leur contribution à la formation interprofessionnelle des résidents et celles des résidents eux-mêmes; et les préoccupations concernant la transférabilité de la FIP dans d'autres contextes. Conclusions : L'influence des membres non-médecins de l’équipe soignante sur la FIP des résidents en milieu clinique est un sujet peu étudié. Bien que notre étude se limite à une seule unité de soins intensifs, les thèmes qui en sont ressortis pourraient être généralisés à des contextes similaires

Harnessing Complexity Science for Interprofessional Education Development: A Case Study

Background: Developing learning activities for interprofessional education (IPE) with a group of stakeholders often involves negotiation, collectivity, creativity, innovation, and unpredictable results. Theoretical approaches that can explain and support such emergent processes are needed. This case study explored the applicability of complexity science to explain the experiences of committee members as they developed learning experiences for an IPE placement in a non-acute care hospital.Methods and Findings: Data from a focus group with project steering committee members were re-analyzed through the lens of complexity science—specifically, three key principles of complex systems and five conditions for nurturing collective learning. Quotes were compared against each of these principles and conditions and, if there was a sufficient match, categorized accordingly into themes. These general themes were then sorted into clusters of sub-themes.Conclusions: Complexity science provides a useful framework for understanding the open-ended, unpredictable, and innovative IPE development process analyzed in this article. It also offers helpful practical guidelines for future learning activity and curriculum development

Making Interdisciplinary Collaboration Work: Key Ideas, a Case Study and Lessons Learned

This article discusses the ‘lessons learned’ from an attempt to establish an interdisciplinary education research group. The growth, development and dissolution of the group are treated as an instrumental case study. Current literature on interdisciplinary collaboration is synthesized in order to provide a frame for analysis. Data was collected over several years and included three rounds of written participant reflections and documentation of group activities and meetings. Five major themes arose from the research, covering issues such as disciplinary diversity, common ground, interpersonal relationships, career pressures, and the need for concrete problems and tangible progress. Based on these themes, a number of ‘lessons learned’ are discussed which will likely be of great interest to those considering similar interdisciplinary initiatives.Cet article discute des «leçons apprises» d’une tentative visant l’établissement d’un groupe de recherche sur l’enseignement interdisciplinaire. La croissance, le développement et la dissolution du groupe sont présentés comme une étude de cas déterminante. Les ouvrages actuels portant sur la collaboration interdisciplinaire sont synthétisés de sorte à produire un cadre pour l’analyse. La collecte des données s’est étendue sur plusieurs années et a impliqué trois cycles de réflexions écrites par les participants et de documentation des activités de groupe et des réunions. Cinq grands thèmes ont découlé de la recherche, portant sur des questions comme la diversité disciplinaire, le terrain d’entente, les relations interpersonnelles, les pressions professionnelles, et le besoin de problèmes concrets et de progrès tangibles. À partir de ces thèmes, on discute de plusieurs «leçons apprises» qui intéresseront sans doute ceux qui envisagent des initiatives interdisciplinaires similaires

A Ecologia do Ensino e da Aprendizagem da Ciência

The present position paper articulates insights of complexity science, a progressive approach to understanding living systems that is compatible with critical perspectives on teaching and learning. Drawing from examples of an outdoor activity in a teacher education science methods course, we argue that complexity science offers an ecological perspective on education itself. That is, learning and teaching are understood as nurturing students to adaptively reorganize their belief systems to adjust to larger biological, social and cultural practices that are themselves constantly evolving. The infusion of complexity theory into education – and the associated development of a wider appreciation for the intricate nature of teaching and learning processes – not only makes it more likely for teachers and students to be able to interact effectively with(in) the world in multileveled and relational ways, but it also empowers (provokes) them to act upon current global socio-ecological problems in more just and sustainable ways.O presente artigo articula uma perspectiva ecológica sobre os processos de ensino e aprendizagem (em ciências) baseada em elementos da ciência da complexidade. A partir de exemplos de uma atividade ao ar livre num curso de ciências para a formação inicial de professores (licenciatura), argumentamos que ensinar é uma forma de encorajar os estudantes a reorganizar os seus sistemas de crenças para se ajustarem a práticas biológicas, sociais e culturais, que estão em constante evolução. A infusão da teoria da complexidade na educação (científica), bem como o desenvolvimento de uma apreciação mais ampla da natureza dos processos de ensino e aprendizagem, não apenas torna possível que professores e alunos possam interagir efetivamente com/no mundo, mas também os capacita (provoca) a agir de maneira mais justa e sustentável em relação aos atuais problemas sócio-ecológicos globais

Professional Knowledge, Complexity and Interdisciplinary Teams

In this paper, I examine some of the issues involved in “crossing boundaries ” in the sense of thinking across different professional disciplines, such as law, medicine, engineering, education, social work, and so on. More specifically, I begin by describing several surprisin

The perceived contributions of non-physician team members to residents’ interprofessional education during a critical care rotation

Background: During rotations, post-graduate medical residents must learn about interprofessional teamwork and collaboration. Our study examined the role of non-physician healthcare team members in such education, from the perspectives of both residents and team members themselves.Methods: This qualitative study took place in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a teaching hospital in a Canadian city. We conducted semi-structured individual and focus group interviews with both residents (n = 6) and the team members with whom they collaborated: pharmacists, nurses, respiratory therapists, and a social worker (n = 19).Results: We developed a number of themes about interprofessional education (IPE) in this context from the data, including the presence of planned, unplanned, and tacit teaching; the influence of contextual factors like ICU culture, work demands, resident motivation, power hierarchies, and perceptions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ residents; the gap between team member perceptions of their contribution to residents’ IP education and residents’ own perceptions; and concerns about the transferability of IPE to other contexts.Conclusions: The influence of non-physician team members on residents’ IPE in the clinical environment is an understudied topic. While our study was limited to one ICU, the themes that emerged may be of interest to others in similar contexts.Contexte : Au cours des stages, les résidents en médecine doivent apprendre le travail d'équipe et la collaboration interprofessionnelle (IP). Notre étude examine le rôle des membres non-médecins de l'équipe soignante dans cette formation, de leur point de vue et du point de vue des résidents.Méthodes : Cette étude qualitative a été réalisée dans l'unité de soins intensifs (USI) d'un hôpital universitaire dans une ville canadienne. Nous avons mené des entretiens individuels et des groupes de discussion semi-structurés avec les résidents (n = 6) et les membres de l'équipe avec lesquels ils collaboraient : des pharmaciens, des infirmières, des inhalothérapeutes et un travailleur social (n = 19).Résultats : À partir des données, nous avons dégagé un certain nombre de thèmes sur la formation interprofessionnelle (FIP) dans ce contexte, notamment la présence d'un enseignement planifié, non planifié et tacite; l'influence de facteurs contextuels tels que la culture des soins intensifs, les exigences du travail, la motivation des résidents, les hiérarchies et la perception des résidents comme étant « bons » ou « mauvais »; le décalage entre les perceptions des membres de l'équipe quant à leur contribution à la formation interprofessionnelle des résidents et celles des résidents eux-mêmes; et les préoccupations concernant la transférabilité de la FIP dans d'autres contextes.Conclusions : L'influence des membres non-médecins de l’équipe soignante sur la FIP des résidents en milieu clinique est un sujet peu étudié. Bien que notre étude se limite à une seule unité de soins intensifs, les thèmes qui en sont ressortis pourraient être généralisés à des contextes similaires

Harnessing Complexity Science for Interprofessional Education Development: A Case Study

Background: Developing learning activities for interprofessional education (IPE) with a group of stakeholders often involves negotiation, collectivity, creativity, innovation, and unpredictable results. Theoretical approaches that can explain and support such emergent processes are needed. This case study explored the applicability of complexity science to explain the experiences of committee members as they developed learning experiences for an IPE placement in a non-acute care hospital.Methods and Findings: Data from a focus group with project steering committee members were re-analyzed through the lens of complexity science—specifically, three key principles of complex systems and five conditions for nurturing collective learning. Quotes were compared against each of these principles and conditions and, if there was a sufficient match, categorized accordingly into themes. These general themes were then sorted into clusters of sub-themes.Conclusions: Complexity science provides a useful framework for understanding the open-ended, unpredictable, and innovative IPE development process analyzed in this article. It also offers helpful practical guidelines for future learning activity and curriculum development