Growing Past Ourselves: Toward a Pedagogy of Change through the Evolutionary Epistemology and Developmental Teleology of Charles Sanders Peirce

Charles Sanders Peirce defends an approach to thought in which mind and inquiry are subject to ongoing evolution through the process of interpreting signs. This dissertation examines one often-overlooked element of Peirceâ s semiotics, the role of evolutionary chance, in the growth and development of ideas. Further, it contrasts his evolutionary approach with the computational framework that is common in educational representations of learning used today. The Ontario Ministry of Education promotes "student-centred" teaching strategies, which are said to be tailored to the needs of diverse students. One such popular approach, Differentiated Instruction (DI), derives at least part of its understanding of intellectual diversity from Howard Gardnerâ s intelligence framework, Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory. MI theory suggests that intelligence is segmented into several distinct and universal computational modalities. However, studies in evolutionary biology support Peirceâ s more reflexive principles that intelligence does not reside in the brain as MI theory suggests, but is a process that occurs through the interrelation between an organism and its environment. This suggests that intelligence is highly individualized and subject to ongoing change and evolution. A challenge is presented that intelligence is more personal and less universal than the MI account allows, and further points to the limitation of certain kinds of research questions to account for the interconnectivity and individualism of ongoing evolution. In suggesting an inquiry framework in which ongoing evolution is acknowledged, I turn to the work of Charles Sanders Peirce. Specifically, I look at his conception of the role of chance to defend an epistemology and teleology wherein living beings are not seen as growing along a fixed trajectory but pursue ends that change as they do. In light of this alternative evolutionary framework, teachers and researchers may change their role from one of mere stewardship, carrying students from one stage of understanding to the next in predetermined paths, to one of celebration, where student growth is fostered tentatively and in anticipation of new forms of knowledge that may be encountered in the classroom.Ph.D