Developing Student Understanding of Complex Systems in the Geosciences »
Systems Thinking
Friday, June 26, 2015
Time: 9:00 am PST | 10:00 am MST | 11:00 am CST | 12:00 pm EST
Duration: 1.5 hours with extra time for questions
Platform: Online web presentation and discussion via phone and Adobe Connect web conference software with questions and answers following. See Technology Instructions to connect.
Goals
- Identify specific interactions in a complex system
- Plan for incorporating systems thinking into InTeGrate materials
Program
- Quick Introductions of Presenters - 2 minutes
- Systems Thinking Webinar Slides (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 10.4MB Jun26 15)
- Overview of Webinar and Goals - 3 minutes
- Part 1: Guided exploration of a complex system - 25 minutes
- Student hat: mini lesson
- Teacher hat: debrief of mini lesson
- Part 2: Breakout session small group work - 30 minutes
- Work on defining and planning to teach a system (20 minutes)
- Activity: Please answer the following questions for each of the assignments in your small breakout group (assignment 1 (Acrobat (PDF) 144kB Jun24 15) and assignment 2 (Acrobat (PDF) 98kB Jun24 15)):
- What do you like about the assignment?
- What don't you like about the assignment?
- What would you change about the assignment to improve students' understanding of systems?
- Breakout group 1
- Breakout group 2
- Breakout group 3
- Breakout group 4
- Activity: Please answer the following questions for each of the assignments in your small breakout group (assignment 1 (Acrobat (PDF) 144kB Jun24 15) and assignment 2 (Acrobat (PDF) 98kB Jun24 15)):
- Share out and wrap-up (10 minutes)
- Work on defining and planning to teach a system (20 minutes)
- Part 3: Resources and next steps - 30 minutes
- Resources (10 minutes)
- Final Q & A (20 minutes)
- Resources (10 minutes)
- Wrap up and final thoughts - 5 minutes
Screencast:
Slides:
Systems Thinking Webinar Presentation Slides (PowerPoint 2007 (.pptx) 10.4MB Jun26 15)
Resources
The On Cutting Edge site on complex systems and InTeGrate's pages on teaching systems thinking are two excellent general references and there are lots of links within these pages to explore for further information and ideas for classroom activities. For some other resources, see:
- Key considerations in planning to teach systems thinking (Acrobat (PDF) 432kB Jun23 15) - pdf of slide from webinar presentation
- Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in Systems: A primer (D. Wright Ed.). White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.
- InTeGrate Systems, Society, Sustainability, and the Geosciences activity collection; Meghann Jarchow's Using concept mapping to experientially introduce systems thinking in this collection may be of particular interest
- Mind Tools Systems Diagrams page provides a good generalized explanation behind the logic of building more formal systems diagrams
- The AAC&U's Scientific Thinking and Integrative Reasoning Skills (STIRS) initiative includes systems analysis in the framework
- and Climate Interactive has a series of training videos on systems thinking called The Climate Leader