The Emergence of “Syn-Epistemic Wholeness” from Dialectic Synergy of Disciplines: A Transdisciplinary Social Pedagogic Model

Abstract

Transdisciplinarity offers a different philosophy and approach both of how to effectively address issues/problems and how to improve and change difficult situations we have been experiencing in the modern world, in different and multiple levels of reality and under conditions of complexity and uncertainty. Addressing these problems becomes precisely effective because of the way transdisciplinarity achieves dynamic collaboration and integration among disciplines, epistemologies and methodologies. We could argue that, in essence, an ongoing "dialectic synergy" between disciplines, methodologies, scientists and researchers in various forms and at many interactive levels is created. The constant dialectic synergies generate the "Syn-epistemic Wholeness". Synepistemic wholeness is a new "entity" that transcends the involved disciplines (or sciences) without replacing them; it rather enriches them by offering the potential of a synchronous, harmonic function in a flexible and constantly evolving methodological framework. By this logic, the Syn-epistemic Wholeness allows the emergence of a new general perception, the essence of a new "paradigm", which has new philosophy, theory, epistemology as well as new research strategies and practices and which offers rich possibilities and alternatives to address complex, multiparameter and multifarious problems. "Syn-epistemic Wholeness" would be an alternative term for Transdisciplinarity. This paper presents a Transdisciplinary Social Pedagogic Model, which emerged through extensive research projects and carried out within school communities in Greece. The research projects have the general orientation to address and prevent pupils' antisocial behaviors. The Model motivates a lot of transdisciplinary dialectic synergies that incrementally and improvingly developed among: (a) the involved disciplines, epistemologies and methodologies and (b) among scientists, researchers and all other stakeholders, who were those who directly or indirectly were involved in the school and in the wider community.

Primary School Teachers’ Resilience during the Economic Crisis in Greece

“…The Syneducation Model, among others, interactively connects students' resilience to that of teachers, parents and other adult stakeholders. More specifically, it has been shown that, despite the difference in age, children's resilience through mutual mentoring, is fed and simultaneously feeds that of adults (Mylonakou-Keke, 2015a, 2015b.…”

Διερεύνηση της εμπλοκής των γονέων σε σχέση με τον γραμματισμό των παιδιών προσχολικής ηλικίας στη βάση του μοντέλου των επικαλυπτόμενων σφαιρών επιρροής της Epstein

“…Ειδικότερα, ως κοινότητα ορίζεται η τοπική κοινότητα από τη θεσμοθετημένη της μορφή (όπως δήμος, υπηρεσίες που σχετίζονται με τη λειτουργία του σχολείου) μέχρι τη γειτονιά του σχολείου, μέσα στην οποία δραστηριοποιείται η οικογένεια και το σχολείο (Μυλωνάκου-Κεκέ, 2017). Η κοινότητα μπορεί με πολλούς τρόπους -που δεν αφορούν αποκλειστικά την παροχή οικονομικών πόρων-να διευκολύνει τη λειτουργία του σχολείου και να υποστηρίξει δράσεις και πρωτοβουλίες ενισχύοντας και τις σχέσεις σχολείου -οικογένειας -κοινότητας, διαπίστωση η οποία αφορά και τη χώρα μας, σύμφωνα και με τα ερευνητικά αποτελέσματα τελευταίων ετών (Mylonakou -Keke, 2015a, 2015b. Σε αυτόν τον τύπο της εμπλοκής εντάσσονται οι πρακτικές που μπορεί να εφαρμόζουν οι γονείς προκειμένου να αξιοποιήσουν όλους τους διαθέσιμους πόρους στην ευρύτερη κοινότητα για την προαγωγή των δεξιοτήτων γραμματισμού των παιδιών, όπως για παράδειγμα η δανειστική βιβλιοθήκη της γειτονιάς, μια έκθεση βιβλίου, κ.λπ.. Επίσης, ο τύπος αυτός της εμπλοκής αναφέρεται στη συνεργασία σχολείου -οικογένειας -κοινότητας για την από κοινού οργάνωση προγραμμάτων και δράσεων γραμματισμού.…”

In search of a social pedagogical profession in schools. Missions and roles under reconsideration

“…Inclusion of socially underprivileged or marginalised pupils emerges in most of the analysed texts as the principal mission or objective of social pedagogues in schools (Ezechil, 2015;Giesecke, 1998;Heimgartner and Sting, 2013;Kornbeck, 2014;Kraav, 2003;Kraus and Hoferkova, 2016;Langager and Vonsild, 2007;Lorenzova, 2018;Madsen, 2013;Mylonakou-Keke, 2015b;Romm, 2016;Storø, 2012;Zemancíková, 2010). Here, social pedagogues could then be a natural element of the school's general support system or pupil health team for pupils with special educational needs.…”

“…Social pedagogues usually work with individuals in their entire contexts, which may involve cross-boundary efforts in which other milieus are involved, such as pupils' homes, recreational settings and neighbourhoods (Higham, 2001;Paterson et al, 2019;Severinsson, 2010). Tasks may include giving advice, guidance and support to parents, guardians and other key people involved in pupils' lives, but also cooperation with pupil health services, social services and other actors (Bolin, 2010;Heimgartner and Sting, 2013;Kraus and Hoferkova, 2016;Mylonakou-Keke, 2015b). They could also bring attention to the need to change pupils' social conditions or difficult family circumstances .…”