The cross-disciplinary approach to education system in the framework of System’s Theory. Dr.Sarantos Psycharis Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs ENTEP COORDINATOR Athanasios Daflos Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs Konstantina Chrysafiadi

Introduction The cross-disciplinary approach is considered the mutual interaction between various agents of the education system, namely the active agents- students, teachers, central policy bodies, local communities and ICT(software-networking). In this framework, it is quite apparent that each agent has a role and the whole system is represented in the form of class diagrams.

System’s Theory The whole process is represented with the use of Unified Modeling Language (UML) which reveals the inherent nature of ICT in education process and can be used for the development of software representing the education system in the form of a package which uses object-oriented modeling.

System’s Theory A system can be described from its inputs, outcomes, agents, activities, resources and control mechanisms. A graph of a system is depicted below. INPUT INITIAL CONDITIONS OUTCOMES ACTIVITIES RESOURCES AGENTS-CLASSES CONTROL MECHANISMS

System’s Theory The inputs in the system describe the aims and targets we have to achieve, the control mechanisms correspond to the ways we check the operation of the system and describes when and which activity is executed, the agents correspond to the entities with attributes considered useful in a particular domain of Education process.. The outputs of the Education System for example, correspond to the expected results of the system, such as the evaluation of the system, the self-assessment of the student and the teacher e.t.c

System’s Theory An agent and its role (s) is like a class in object-oriented design: it describes behaviour, but when the process is enacted there are many instances of it. This statement has two meanings: there may be many instances of a particular role (e.g. teachers are instances of teacher role), and an individual may have the responsibility of multiple roles.

Multi-Agent Systems MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS (MAS) As Education matures and addresses increasingly complex situations, the need for an Education system that consists of multiple agents that communicate in a peer- to peer level has increased. When interdependent problems arise, the agents in the system must be coordinated and collaborated.

Multi-Agent Systems In a multi-agent system: each agent has incomplete capabilities to solve a problem there is no global system control data is decentralized.

Agents A list of common agent attributes is shown below: Adaptivity : the ability to learn and improve through experience. Autonomy :goal-directedness, proactive and self-starting behaviour. Collaborative behaviour : the ability to work with other agents to achieve a common goal. ``Knowledge-level'' communication ability : the ability to communicate with other agents with language more resembling human-like ``speech acts'' than typical symbol-level program-to-program protocols. Mobility: the ability to migrate in a self-directed way from one host platform to another.

Unified Modeling Language UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a modeling language for object-oriented analysis and construction and it has been proven that it is suitable for the modeling of large and complex systems.

System’s Theory Considering education as a system, we have to mention the information system which is a part of organizations in a contemporary approach to organizations. An Information System (IS) is that part of the organization which can be defined as the set of interrelated components that collect (or retrieve), process, store and distribute information to all the agents of the system, in order to support decision making and control of the organization.

System’s Theory In this talk the following issues will be posed and analyzed: 1.What assumptions about education - related agents, underpin the application of system’s theory to education, considering Education as a system and actually justifying our consideration. 2.How and why is the cross-disciplinary approach involved in the system previously considered. 3.How ICT will make a real impact on CDA in the perspective of the education as a system? 4.How can this approach be implemented

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. Looking at Education as a system with the principles described in the introduction, we, are driven to a new way of approaching the School. The different agents of the Education System, like the central policy making bodies, inspectors, teachers, students, ICT and parents (and generally the local communities) are not isolated but they have to act and react not only globally but also locally,changing their experiences and practices.

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. In this paper we will elucidate the role of each agent in the environment of the cross disciplinary approach, considering it as one of the basic PROCESSES of the system, triggering the actions of the different agents considered here

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM. The CDA, as a process of the system, can be analyzed in many different activities,mainly the : Constructivist activity, Discovery Learning, Problem-based Learning, Collaborative Learning which are not necessarily separated but are on a grand scale intertwined. Every class is characterized by its methods with respect to CDA and the ways it interacts with the other classes-agents in a peer-to –peer level, in accordance to System’s Theory.

ACTIVITY: Constructivist Approach to Learning This states that our knowledge has been constructed from our own personal experiences and social interaction. An important consequence of this is the requirement that the new form of learning must be based on experiences, or in other words must be based on experiments to be effective.

ACTIVITY: Constructivist Approach to Learning OUTCOMES: Engagement of social issues, experiential learning,holistic view of a phenomenon establishing a form of authentic knowledge, which can bring the real word into science lessons.

ACTIVITY: Constructivist Approach to Learning

ACTIVITY: Discovery Learning Discovery Learning: Describes the activity in which students are free to make their own discoveries about a certain phenomenon. OUTCOMES: Creation of interest and ownership, competition, evaluation

ACTIVITY: Discovery Learning

ACTIVITY: Problem-Based Learning According to this an ill-defined problem is presented to students. Usually these are unstructured and not well-defined, leading to many different solutions-depending on the initial conditions of the problem

ACTIVITY: Problem-Based Learning OUTCOMES: Centring around a problem emphasizes the students " doing" rather than mastery of discreet pieces of information or skills. The problems should be complex enough leading to several problem solving approaches.

ACTIVITY: Problem-Based Learning

ACTIVITY: Cooperative Learning According to this, cooperative learning is identified with any group activity or completion of a project. The members of the group must cooperate in order to integrate their project.

ACTIVITY: Cooperative Learning OUTCOMES: Activation of critical thinking, developing of cooperative forms of action, inclusion in the group.

ACTIVITY: Cooperative Learning

ALL THE ACTIVITIES

CONCLUSIONS The integration of ICT in cross-curricular approach has 3 components: Integration of ICT in subject content Integration of ICT through experimental and model approaches Integration of ICT in cross-thematic disciplines

CONCLUSIONS  From the above considerations it is quite clear that the introduction of ICT in CDA does not lead to a new pedagogy but rather it reinforces the known methods of Learning.  Its great impact is on pursing changes at the organizational level of Education  Using UML we can make clear the interactions of the different agents in a multi-agent system (as is Education). Simulating this work in an object-oriented programming can lead to the discovery of the changes of the attributes of the agents. This is due to the influence of the events caused by the methods of the agents and eventually revealing the stable equilibrium of the System.

The cross-disciplinary approach to education system in the framework of System’s Theory. Dr.Sarantos Psycharis Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs ENTEP COORDINATOR Athanasios Daflos Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs Konstantina Chrysafiadi