Wuwei, self-organization, and classroom dynamics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8857271 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hongyu Wang (0009-0006-8640-2108, Oklahoma State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 1141-1151 |
| Publication date | 2019-01-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Philosophy and Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-1857 • E-ISSN: 1469-5812 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00131857.2018.1564661 |
| OpenAlex | W2910769859 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 13 |
This article juxtaposes the notion of wuwei in Daoism and philosophical principles of self-organization in systems theory to re-imagine classroom dynamics in which pedagogical relationships, students’ interactions with texts, and peer interplay come together to enable an open system of education, learning, and growth. Wuwei is a way of governing and leadership, while self-organization is the emergence of new structures at the global level as a result of local interactions. The combination of top-down and bottom-up processes contributes to create a dynamic classroom. The contemporary Neo-Daoists’ concerns with creating conditions for wuwei to happen can be addressed by principles of self-organization, while wuwei provides a philosophical underpinning that is informative to systems theories. This article first introduces the Daoist notion of wuwei, then articulate important principles of self-organization theory, and further juxtapose the two in both resonance and dissonance in four aspects: the role of change, the role of diversity, the role of the individual person, and the role of the teacher’s wuwei leadership in the self-organizing classroom. In the last section, the article discusses how to shift classroom dynamics toward emergent, relational, and creative pathways, including creating conditions for self-organization and wuwei to happen in the classroom
Cognitive dissonance · Cognitive science · Epistemology · Self-Organization · Sociology · Chaos, Complexity, and Education · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Computer Science · Embodied and Extended Cognition · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |