Reconceptualising Information Processing for Education

This book presents a novel conceptualisation of universal information processing systems based on studies of environmental interaction in both biological and non-biological systems. This conceptualisation is used to demonstrate how a single overarching framework can be applied to the investigation of human learning and memory by considering matter and energy pathways and their connections. In taking a stance based on everyday interactions, as well as on scientific practices, the conceptualisation is used to consider educational theories and practices, exemplified by the widely cited cognitive load theory. In linking these theories and practices more closely to scientific thinking, the book embraces an holistic approach to informational interactions, not limited to conceptualisations of pattern, signal or meaning. The book offers educational researchers and educators an opportunity to re-think their approach to instruction – to take all facets of student learning environments into account in increasing human knowledge, skills and experiences across society.

Geoff Woolcott is a transdisciplinary focused academic within the School of Education at Southern Cross University, Australia. He has a strong background in funded research and implementation projects, supported by doctoral and postdoctoral research in both the biological sciences and in education. His current research program is established largely around multi-partner translational research, with an essential focus on learning and engagement as the way in which humans connect with the world. His portfolio developed largely through a focus on how individual and shared learning contribute to the accumulation of societal knowledge, skills and experiences, with an emphasis on scientific approaches to educational theories and practices. Geoff’s transdisciplinary studies focus on how studies of complex systems and networks applied in education can be applied more generally in fields that demonstrate similar issues and problems. He has a growing profile across the fields of education and organizational administration, including research related to health and the life sciences. His expanding transdisciplinary research portfolio is a natural offshoot of his research, recognized nationally and internationally, invigorating interdisciplinary research as a new type of cultural ecosystem.