Page 4 - To know things we have to have the world inside us

Words

What does a word mean? Why do we choose one word instead of another?

“It is language which fixes the limits […] but it is language as well which transcends the limits…” (May 2008, 109).
“The limits of language mean the limits of my world”. (Wittgenstein).
In constructing a place of research, the power, meaning and influence of words becomes very important. Our
coming~to~know ‘words’ has been part of our research process.

For example, for us, there seemed to be a ‘disconnect’ between a way of working where knowledge is understood as
being partial and always changing and the way in which knowledge tends to be ‘reduced’, ‘caged’, ‘contained’, ‘made
permanent’ or often ‘simplified’ by/through words.

As we sought a way of speaking/writing that reflect a more interconnected and uncertain epistemology, we started to
change how we use words as well as grammatical and layout structures (Sellers 2013). Some new words emerged as
part of this research. Others are old friends. We have also borrowed some words/terms.
We offer them to readers here as a support for interpreting this documentation. We feel it is important to share the
meanings we currently give them. We also offer hyperlinks (in green) to the Deeper Thinkings and Field Guide
documents that supported this research project.
Epistemology: Defined as “the branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods
and limits of human knowledge” (Delbridge 1990, 202) We now think of
epistemology as being a ‘shape’ given to knowing/knowledge and thinking.

Becoming: The inconstant, fluid, changing and ephemeral processes of life.
(Deeper thinking: Becoming)

Ways of knowing: A phrase used to describe the many, reciprocal ways of coming~to~know.
(Deeper thinking: Ways of knowing)

Pedagogy of relations: A phrase used to describe a way of educational theory and practice based on
connections and relations. (Deeper thinking: Pedagogy of relations)

Pedagogy of listening: A phrase used to describe a way of being open, sensitive and welcoming to the
other. (Deeper thinking: Extraordinary in the ordinary)

Coming~to~know: Describes a more interconnected and uncertain epistemology, always in a process of
‘becoming’ (Deleuze) and the strong, open-ended relationship between content and
process. (Deeper thinking: Becoming and coming~to~know’)

Noticing: The process of using the senses sensitively as part of the pedagogy of listening.
(Deeper thinking: Extraordinary in the ordinary)

Extraordinary in the ordinary: The proposal that in “making things that seem familiar strange again”, to ‘alienate’
things that seem familiar, we will inspect them anew, reflect upon what we are
doing and see things differently. (Bruner 2002)
(Deeper thinking: Extraordinary in the ordinary)

Teacher~researcher: Describes the simultaneous reciprocity and interconnectedness of these roles.

Predicative brain: A description of the brain highlighting the predictions made about the information
received from the senses. (Deeper thinking: Extraordinary in the ordinary)

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