The theory of simplexity in home economics education as an enabling lifelong learning strategy to face complexity

Erika M. Pace
Prof. Paola Aiello
Prof. Maurizio Sibilio

Università degli Studi di Salerno
Department of Humanities, Philosophy and
Education (Dipartimento di Scienze Umane,
Filosofiche e della Formazione)
University of Salerno
Research Interests:
 Inclusive and Special Needs Education,
Teacher Education, Non-linear Trajectories in
Didactics, Technology in Education
 Motor Activity, The Role of the Body in
Educational Research, Health and Wellbeing

Complexity
in
the 21st
Century
The Theory of Simplexity
Presentation Outline
Lifelong
Learning
Competences

Complexity
in the 21st
Century
Unpredictability
and Instability
Keywords
Lifelong
Learning
Competences
Simplexity
Interdisciplinarity
Happy, Healthy
and Productive
Life
Transversal
Competences
Knowledge,
skills and
attitudes
required

Key Characteristic of
Home Economics Education
“The disciplinary diversity coupled with the aim of
achieving optimal and sustainable living means that
home economics has the potential to be influential
in all sectors of society by intervening and
transforming political, social, cultural, ecological,
economic and technological systems at glocal
level.” IFHE (2008)

Key Characteristic of
Home Economics Education
 Recognises that the
“coalescing of disciplinary knowledge is
essential because the phenomena and
challenges of everyday life are not typically
one-dimensional” (IFHE, 2008).
 “Home economics provides young people with
the opportunity to consider problems
beforehand, contributing to development of self-
reliant attitudes and abilities and a sense of
social responsibility” Smith and de Zwart (2010,
p.21).

Complexity in the 21st Century
Fast social, cultural, economic and technological
change leading to
 obsolescence of knowledge and skills
(Michel, 2001) within knowledge-based
economies (OECD, 1996);
 unpredictable environment in constant
evolution (Siblio, 2014).

Complexity in the 21st Century
We need new
competences!

LifelongLearningCompetencestoFaceComplexity
Survival kit in terms of
knowledge, competences and
values (OECD, 1994).
Suggested areas to be covered:
1. orientation in the political, social, and economic world;
2. problem solving capacity in everyday and critical key
situations;
3. communication skills;
4. degree of autonomy (measured through self
perception);
5. perception of critical human values (e.g., prejudice
versus tolerance, solidarity, etc.)
(Salganik, Rychen, Moser & Konstant, 1999)

Defining Competence
The capacity to handle a task
or group of tasks, by setting
in motion and orchestrating
one’s own internal, cognitive,
affective and motivational
resources and utilizes the
external resources available in
a coherent and profitable
manner. (Pellerey, 2004)

Transversal Competences
Transversal competences are a
systematic combination of
mutually-complementary tools
which include knowledge, skills,
and attitudes that, depending on
the needs arising from the different
contexts and the objectives one
intends to reach, are elegantly
interwoven to produce efficient and
effective behaviours.

Different Fields and Disciplines, Similar
Proposals...
OECD
i) using tools interactively;
ii) interacting in heterogeneous groups;
iii) acting autonomously;
At the heart of this framework lies the
ability of reflective thought and action
(OECD, 2005 Executive Summary).
UNESCO
i) learning to live together
ii) learning to know
iii) learning to do
iv) learning to be
(Delors et al., 1996)
WHO
Complementary life skills paired to reveal 5 main life skills areas,
which are the foundation for psychosocial competence. The core
skills identified were: i) decision making and problem solving, ii)
creative thinking and critical thinking, iii) effective communication
and interpersonal relationship skills, iv) self-awareness and empathy,
and v) coping with emotions & coping with stress. (WHO, 1997).

Proposals...
The ‘European Reference Framework on Key Competences
for Lifelong Learning’:
i. communication in the mother tongue;
ii. communication in the foreign languages;
iii. mathematical competence and basic competences in science
and technology;
iv. digital competence;
v. learning to learn;
vi. interpersonal, intercultural and social competences and civic
competences;
vii. entrepreneurship; and
viii. cultural expression (OJEU, 2006)

Proposals...
Seven Complex Lessons in Education for the Future
“seven facets of essential knowledge [that] should be covered,
without exclusivity or exclusion, in education for the future in all
societies in every culture, according to the means and rules
appropriate to those societies and cultures” (p.11).
i. Detecting error and illusion
ii. Principles of pertinent knowledge
iii. Teaching the human condition
iv. Earth identity
v. Confronting uncertainties
vi. Understanding each other
vii. Ethics for the human genre (Morin, 1999).

The Theory of Simplexity – Alain Berthoz
 Based on simplifying principles, a complex adaptive
system finds solutions
“to process complex situations very rapidly,
elegantly, and efficiently, taking past experience
into account and anticipating the future” (Berthoz,
2012, p.3).
 Simplexity complements complexity – it’s not an
anytonym. Nor is it a synonym of simplicity.
Simplexity
 Simplexity is an ensemble of
solutions that appeared in the
course of evolution to allow
living organisms to survive
despite the complexity of
natural processes.

Simplexity – 6 Characteristics or PropertiesSimplexity
 Specialisation and Modularity
– needed for the breakdown
of a complex task into various
functions to facilitate better
control of action.
– needed for the ability of decision
making when anticipating and
predicting consequences of
actions, capitalising the results of
past experiences and betting on the
behaviour of others.
 Speed

 Reliability
– to reduce the margin of
error to a minimum.
– the ability to select the right strategy from
a repertoire of choices to resolve a problem,
perceive, capture, decide, or act depending
on the context.
 Flexibility, Vicariance and Adaptation to
Change

 Memory
– present action relies
on this characteristic to
predict the future
consequences of an
action.
– the ability to capitalize
patterns of interactions in
similar situations
 Generalization

Six Simplex Principles as Tools for LifeSimplexity
Enables competition, and
consequently decision
making, plasticity
(flexibility), and stability.
It enhances speed to
select from among the
complex constituents that
make up any
phenomenon, act, or
situation.
Selecting one action over
another requires inhibiting
all the actions one does
not choose and disinhibit
the one acted.

Every species scans the
world only form cues
important to its survival,
creating one’s own umwelt
(subjective universe).
It involves the selection of
pertinent information
needed to reach the goal of
action.
It is induced during a
stimulus-response process,
but it is also intrinsic to
adopting a perspective to
project one’s intentions and
hypothesise onto the world.

Prediction always involves probability, and to take action
the brain has to make some hypotheses, deciding on what
probability that hypothesis has of being correct on the basis
of the information available in the present as well as taking
the memory of past experiences into account.
Key to innovation thanks to its unique spatial and
temporal organisation.

Essential to solve non linear
problems.
Inextricably linked to creative
thought and action.
Short-cuts should not be
ignored, but systems need to
ensure that taking the longer
way is not faster.

Redundancy refers to the duplication of components or
function of a system with the intention to increase reliability
of the system to make it fail-safe.
Cooperation refers to the process of combining the
information available to ensure that the information is
coherent and therefore mitigate the risk of error.

 Since “simplex solutions are motivated by intentions, goals,
or functions”, it implies affirming the principle of meaning
whose foundations are in the act itself.

Synthesis of Transversal Competences
Identified
Interactive Use
of Tools and
Resources
including
Digital
Competence
Interpersonal,
Intercultural,
Social and Civic
Competences
Intrapersonal
Competences
Meta-cognitive
Competences
Psychosocial Competences
Learning to know;
diagnosis and
risk assessment
Detecting error and
illusion
Principles of pertinent
knowledge
Learning to live together; maintaining
relationships;
cultural appreciation and expression; effective
communication and interpersonal skills
Understanding each other
Earth identity
Ethics for the human genre

Identified
Interactive Use
of Tools and
Resources
including
Digital
Competence
Interpersonal,
Intercultural,
Social and Civic
Competences
Intrapersonal
Competences
Meta-cognitive
Competences
Learning to know;
diagnosis and
risk assessment
Detecting error and
illusion
knowledge
Learning to do and learning to be; acting
autonomously to face situations; self
awareness and empathy; constructive
management of emotions and stress; initiative
and entrepreneurship
Teaching the human condition

Identified
Interactive Use
of Tools and
Resources
including
Digital
Competence
Interpersonal,
Intercultural,
Social and Civic
Competences
Intrapersonal
Competences
Meta-cognitive
Competences
Learning to know;
diagnosis and
risk assessment
Detecting error and
illusion
knowledge
Learning to learn; critical, constructive and
creative thought and action upon reflection;
decision making and problem solving
Confronting uncertainties

Identified
Interactive Use
of Tools and
Resources
including
Digital
Competence
Interpersonal,
Intercultural,
Social and Civic
Competences
Intrapersonal
Competences
Meta-cognitive
Competences
Individuals need to be aware of and apply conscientiously simplex
principles for the acquisition of the different competencies:
Inhibition and the principle of refusal, Principle of specialisation and
selection, Principle of probabilistic anticipation, The detour principle,
Principle of cooperation and redundancy, Principle of meaning
Simplex Properties Underpin all Competences:
Specialisation and Modularity; Speed; Reliability; Flexibility,
Vicariance and Adaptation to Change; Memory and Generalisation

Bibliography
 Berthoz, A. (2012). Simplexity - Simplifying Principles for a Complex
World. USA: Yale University Press.
 Delors, J., Al Mufti, I., Amagi, I., Carneiro, R., Chung, F.,
Geremek, B., Gorham, W. … Nanzhao, Z. (1996). Learning:
The Treasure Within – A Report to UNESCO of the International
Commission on Education for the 21st Century. Paris: UNESCO
Publishing.
 International Federation of Home Economics (IFHE) (2008).
Home Economics in the 21st Century Position Statement. Retrieved on
February 28th, 2014 from the International Federation for
Home Economics website: http://www.ifhe.org/.
 Michel, A. (2001). Schools for an emerging world. In What
Schools for the Future? (Paris, OECD), pp. 217–229.

 Morin, E. (1999). Seven Complex Lessons in Education for the
Future. Paris: UNESCO.
 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) (1994). Redéﬁnir le curriculum: un enseignement
pour le XXIème siècle. Paris: Author.
(OECD) (1996). The Knowledge-based Economy. Paris: Author
(OECD) (2005). The Definition and Selection of Key
Competences. Available at:
http://www.oecd.org/pisa/35070367.pdf.
 The European Parliament and the Council of the European
Union (2006). Recommendations of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 18 December 2006 on Key Competences for Lifelong
Learning (2006/962/EC) (Official Journal of the European
Union. 30.12.2006).

 Pellerey, M. (2004). L’Agire Educativo [Action in Education]. LAS:
Roma.
 Sibilio, M. (2014). La Didattica Semplessa [Simplex Didactics].
Napoli: Liguori Editore.
 Salganik, L.H, Rychen, D.S., Moser, U., & Konstant, J. (1999).
Projects on Competencies in the OECD Context: Analysis of Theoretical
and Conceptual Foundations. Neuchâtel: Swiss Federal Statistical
Office.
 Smith, G. & de Zwart, M. L. (2010). Home Economics: A
contextual Study of the Subject and Home Economics Teacher
Education. In Teacher Inquirer, May 2010. Available at:
www.bctf.ca.
 World Health Organisation (1997). Lifeskills Education for
Children and Adolescents in Schools. Geneva: Author

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