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Group theory and perspectives
Mathematician Tom McCabe’s
legendary work in cyclomatic
complexity in software has led
to even more impactful
explorations into human
consciousness as founder of
the Expanded Consciousness
Institute. There he developed
the McCabe Prism(TM), a tool
for looking at problems and
solutions through the six
lenses of the Dihedral Group of
Order Six. See:
http://www.expanded-
consciousness.com/
Creative sketching
While writing is a primary way to
express your knowledge, if you
haven’t already done so, you should
consider sketching and drawing.
While there are many resources
available on this topic, one of our
favorites is architect and world
traveler Errol Hugh, who never goes
anywhere without his sketchbook.
We love the central theme of his
work, which is: “Life is made of
Time; having the mental space to
reflect.”
While taking a sabbatical from his
practice as a world-renowned
architect, he authored two books
which contain hundreds of sketches
and the stories and reflections
behind them:
The Act of Creative Sketching,
published by mmcmcreations, 2012:
A Personal Journey Through
Sketching: The Sketcher’s Art,
published by Proverse, Hong Kong,
2009
You can check out his blog at:
http://sketchingjourney.com/
Deep Learning Resources
Capturing & expressing knowledge
Expressing your knowledge about a
particular topic can be a daunting
challenge. How do you know if
you’re providing too little detail, or
too much?
Dr. John Lewis gives you lots of
ways to think about codifying
knowledge in his book: The
Explanation Age (3rd edition), 2013:
It contains numerous templates and
examples, plus a model he calls the
“innate lesson cycle.” This resource
will help guide you through the
various phases of discovery, ranging
from disrupting the status quo,
through ideation, designing and
implementing change. He also
provides ways to capture and
express the thinking behind an idea,
including ways to convey what
options were considered along the
way, something that is very rarely
captured in practice.
Knowledge sciences
Drs. Alex and David Bennet
are the co-founders of the
Mountain Quest Institute,
which contains a treasure trove
of research into the knowledge
sciences. While there are
many definitions of knowledge,
we prefer theirs, which is: “the
capacity (potential or actual) to
take effective action.”
You can dive as deeply as you
want by reading their new
book, co-authored with Dr.
Joyce Avedisian: The Course
of Knowledge, MQIPress,
2015:
See also:
Knowledge Mobilization in
the Social Sciences and
Humanities, MQIPress, 2007.
Knowledge and learning spaces
For a complete (and very deep)
reference on knowledge spaces and
learning spaces, along with learning
assessments, we recommend the
book, Knowledge Spaces:
Applications in Education, by
Jean-Claude Falmagne, et al., eds.,
Springer, 2013:
A shorter version is provided in the
paper:
https://www.aleks.com/about_aleks/
Science_Behind_ALEKS.pdf
Two visual tools we use to build
knowledge spaces are TheBrain
and MindManager
These are commercial products you
can purchase at reasonably low
cost. If you’re among the more
tech-savvy, you might want to try
using a free, open source tool such
as C-Map
Learning environments
One of our favorite thought leaders
in this large and growing area of
research is David Thornburg, who
uses the campfire, watering hole,
cave, and life as metaphors for
learning spaces:
From the Campfire to the Holodeck:
Creating Engaging and Powerful
21st Century Learning
Environments, Jossey-Bass, 2014.
We’re also influenced by the work of
our colleague Dr. Dan Holtshouse,
whose Workplace of the Future
framework looks at four types of
environments for living, working and
learning: 1) physical space; 2)
information space; 3) organizational
space; 4) cognitive space:
http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/Col
umn/The-Future-of-the-Future/The-
Future-of-the-Future-The-future-
workplace-15811.aspx
and
“Knowledge Work 2020: thinking
ahead about knowledge work,” On
the Horizon, Vol 18, Number 3,
2010.
Neuroscience of deep learning
Like many areas of research,
scientists differ widely in their
views on how to model the
brain and its functions. Much
of our work is based on the late
Karl Pribram, whose holonomic
model posited a stratified
structure in which stable
memory elements are formed
at the level of conscious
awareness (surface learning),
while base elements of memory
(engrams) occur at a deep
level, separated by an
epistemic gap:
Non-locality and Localization:
A Holographic Hypothesis
About Brain Functioning in
the Processes of Perception
and Memory, Syrlergetics and
Psychology, Issue 1:
Methodological Issues,
Moscow, MGSU Union, 1997,
pp. 156-183.
and
Brain and Perception:
Holonomy and Structure in
Figural Processing, Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, 1991.
Many of Pribram’s 700
published papers can be found
at:
http://www.karlpribram.com/dat
a-papers/
Dr. Paul S. Prueitt worked with
Pribram and formulated a
theory of learning patterned
after observations of immune
system behaviors, whereby
repeated activity at the surface
level of conscious awareness
inhibits learning at a deep level,
inducing an acquired learning
disability:
Continuous Analogs to
Discrete Dynamical Systems
with Application to Modeling
Biological Response,
Hampton University, 1989.
also:
Individually Directed Inquiry:
Foundational Concepts and
Challenges, R. L. Moore
Legacy Conference, 2014.
Self-directed learning
Self-directed inquiry was the
preferred approach to education
prior to the nineteenth century. An
insightful look into its practice during
the enlightenment and how it
influenced the American Founders
can be found in the paper:
Huey B. Long and M. L. Ashford,
Self-Directed Inquiry as a Method
of Education in Colonial America,
The Journal of General Education,
The Pennsylvania State University
Press, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Fall 1976).
See also:
International Journal of Self-
Directed Learning, and the
International Society for Self-
Directed Learning (ISSDL)
