Today we discussed another three terms that have to do with a more positive outlook – autopoesis, structural coupling, and linguistic cognitive domains. Autopoesis has to do with living organisms and their self-creating tendencies. All living organisms are connected to the world and humans are no different. However, many humans have been living under the false belief that humans are somehow separate and removed from the ecological system and that we are somehow above it. The way we are living now is not sustainable. While this is concerning to see in individuals, the problem runs much deeper. If humans have been raised with this belief, many of our systems and institutions have this belief built into them. The institutions created are perpetuating this misconception. As frightening as this sounds, by the same principle of autopoesis, humans have the capacity to self-regulate in our changing environment. Taken to the school level, while our environment is changing, students, teachers and staff will find a way to regulate to sustain ourselves – there’s hope. Following our discussion last day looking at dynamic conservatism and sociocultural homeostasis, there’s hope in creating new ways to adapt to our ever changing environment.

Structural coupling states our need to forge connections with our environment. Structural coupling has to do with humans and our cognitive, cultural and technological connection to our environment. All three domains are needed to survive; without them, our species could not survive. Maintaining that we are self-creating beings in an ever changing environment, in order for people to progress we must find a balance of the three domains. While traditional teaching has taken us this far, there needs to be a shift in the way we think to adapt to the change in culture. Living in what is termed Generation Z, people have never been more connected. How can we change the way we think and teach in order to adapt to these monumental changes in technology and culture?

Perhaps it has to start with our relationships within institutions to break the “us against them” mentality. How we communicate with one another affects our relationships and this is what the linguistic cognitive domains have to do with. There needs to be a level of trust and safety before we can begin to change and reframe our beliefs. In the education system, that level of trust and safety is needed before teachers can think of ways to reshape the way we’ve been teaching for so long. In order for that trust and safety to happen, we have to find better ways to communicate. Given that humans have never been more connected than we are today, we’re 1/3 of the way there. With the infrastructure in place, we now need to adapt cognitively and culturally so we can regulate with the environment once again.