Amman - In his book Rhizomatic Pedagogy: From Linear Education to Networked Learning. Maps for Blended Learning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, researcher Dr. Wael Kashk proposes a new educational and cognitive vision for the transformations of teaching and learning. It moves from traditional models based on rote instruction and linear sequencing toward multi-path networked approaches built on cognitive connection, critical thinking and interactive learning.
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Published by Dar Al Shorouk for Publishing and Distribution, the book presents a theoretical and practical framework drawing on the concept of the "rhizome" in building knowledge and designing learning environments. It explores the potential of using artificial intelligence to develop educational practices and reshape the relationship between the learner, information and the tool. It also covers three main applied fields: science and life, people, society and policy, and culture, arts and design. This reinforces integration between disciplines and links theoretical knowledge to practice.
The book targets university students, teachers, researchers, those working in culture and media, education policymakers and educational developers. It offers practical tools and methodologies, including 30 cross-disciplinary learning tasks, and specialized appendices on the ethical use of artificial intelligence and educational mapping. The aim is to build learning environments that are more open, flexible and able to keep pace with cognitive and technological transformations.
Kashk said the idea for the book began three years ago, based on a traditional conception of academic authorship that organizes ideas, arranges chapters and builds a sequential argumentative path. The experience, however, soon went beyond that conception, turning writing into a cumulative cognitive process shaped through revision, the rediscovery of ideas and their roots.
He added that authorship is no longer merely a technical process or a collection of ideas for him, but has become a formative experience that allows him to test both himself and his ideas, and to rediscover meaning through interaction with multiple layers of knowledge. Writing thus became a continuous journey of reconsidering and developing ideas, rather than being limited to producing a finished text.
Kashk noted that artificial intelligence was not present in the early stages of the project, as he initially relied on traditional writing tools. However, the rapid development of these technologies led him to integrate them into his research and writing experience. Over time, the role of artificial intelligence went beyond technical assistance to become a knowledge window that allows questions to be raised again and new paths of thinking to be explored.
He explained that this interaction prompted him to reconsider the central voice of the author in the writing process, and to discover new knowledge potentials, eventually leading him to see the text as a network of voices and relationships, rather than the product of a single voice.
Kashk believes that interaction between humans and artificial intelligence has reshaped the relationship with the text. Chapters are no longer independent units, but interconnected and overlapping paths, in a structure inspired by the concept of the "rhizome," based on multiple paths, the absence of a fixed center and a linear sequence. In this context, meaning is generated through the interplay of intuition and analysis, and between prior knowledge and the new angles of view and thought that smart tools make available.
The author noted that creativity does not necessarily diminish the contribution of the other, but can take on new dimensions through the integration of human and tool. He also believes that artificial intelligence does not necessarily pose a threat to originality, but opens the door to rethinking its meaning and exploring new creative and cognitive possibilities. He stressed that writing is not a final arrival at a complete idea, but a continuing journey toward broader horizons of awareness and knowledge.
Kashk concluded that the end of this experience was only a new beginning. He did not merely discover the concept of the rhizome, but found himself living its logic of multiple paths, the generation of ideas and the continuation of intellectual movement, in continuous interaction between human, tool, idea and the network of relationships they produce.
Outlining the book's structure, the author explained that it presents an educational and cognitive project combining theoretical grounding and practical application, aiming to rethink how knowledge is formed and how learning environments are designed, amid the growing overlap between sciences, skills and digital media driven by the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
The book starts from a rhizomatic approach that goes beyond the linear view of learning, and sees knowledge as an interconnected, multi-path network in which ideas, tools and learning environments interact, allowing learners to build new cognitive relationships.
The book is divided into three main sections. The first covers the foundational concepts, controls and entry points, including the principles for building cognitive spaces, the controls for the ethical use of artificial intelligence, and guidance on reading the book as an open map structure rather than a traditional sequential account.
The second section presents the philosophical, cognitive and educational framework of the concept of the rhizome, reviewing its theoretical roots, educational transformations and mapping logic, and how it moves from the philosophical field into educational practice.
The third section comprises three applied parts that translate rhizomatic philosophy into teaching units that can be used in schools, universities and the community. The first part, "Worlds of Science and Life," treats scientific phenomena from a networked perspective linking the cell and the environment, energy and movement, and biochemistry and health systems, focusing on transforming scientific knowledge from theoretical content into an experience based on analysis, interpretation, modeling and application.
The second part, "People, Society and Policies," links psychology, sociology, politics, memory and culture as interconnected systems that shape awareness, behavior and identity. It provides tools for understanding discourses, narratives and institutional relationships, and for analyzing policies and decision-making. The third part, "Culture, Arts and Design," studies the arts as a field of critical expression, symbolic politics and the creative economy, and their role in shaping public taste, visual identity and urban space, alongside analyzing images and symbols and designing aesthetic projects that connect education with society.
The book strengthens its applied side with five appendices offering usable tools and methodologies. These include a list of artificial intelligence tools and their purposes, controls for the ethical use of these technologies in a way that preserves academic integrity, a rhizomatic guide, principles of educational mapping in rhizomatic environments, and 30 cross-disciplinary rhizomatic tasks, presented as ready-to-use models for classrooms and universities.
Kashk noted that these appendices are a practical extension of the three parts, giving the book an applied dimension that makes it a teaching guide for teachers, researchers and educational designers.
Through this structure, which combines the foundational section, theoretical framework, applied components and practical appendices, the book offers a multi-layered and multi-path educational vision that reflects rhizomatic logic based on interconnection and openness. It encourages readers to engage with, analyze and produce knowledge, rather than merely receive it.
Source: Al-Ghad. Reportig by Aziza Ali
