Personal Learning Environments and Complexity Theory: An Interweaving of Pedagogy and Knowledge
Main Article Content
Keywords
Personal Learning Environments (PLES), Complexity Theory, Nonlinearity, Selforganization, Educational ecosystems
Abstract
This article advances an integrative framework connecting Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) with Complexity Theory to explain learning as a dynamic, nonlinear, and adaptive phenomenon. PLEs are conceptualized as open ecosystems comprising resources, technologies, interactions, and practices that coevolve and yield emergent outcomes. Drawing on complexity principles—interconnectedness, self-organization, emergence, and adaptation— the paper explains how learners assemble and reassemble their PLEs according to contexts and goals. Pedagogical implications include curricular flexibility, the teacher’s role as mediator, promotion of learner autonomy and critical digital literacy, and purpose-driven (rather than tool-driven) technology design. The article also addresses challenges—digital divide and information overload—and outlines actions for inclusive policies and practices that support lifelong learning. Overall, it provides a conceptual synthesis and design guidance for institutions aiming to align educational innovation with complex systems thinking.
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Christian Andrey Castaño, University College of Cundinamarca, Colombia
Associate Professor of the University Career at the University College of Cundinamarca.
Juan David Reyes Gómez, University College of Cundinamarca, Colombia
Associate Professor of the University Career at the University College of Cundinamarca.
Gaspar Berbel Giménez, Universitária Mediterrani Barcelona, Spain
Associate Professor at the Escola Universitària Mediterrani Barcelona. EUM (Escola Universitària Mediterrani) / Barcelona, Spain