Activity 1: Systems Thinking Vocabulary Introduction

Cameron Weiner - Undergraduate - Middlebury College, weinercameron@gmail.com

Lisa Gilbert -Professor of Geosciences and Marine Science - Williams-Mystic, lgilbert@williams.edu

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Summary

This 30 minute activity introduces systems and systems thinking vocabulary. The activity uses a bathroom sink to introduce simple systems vocabulary. At the end of the activity, students think about the importance of systems and systems diagrams by brainstorming about the systems that make up the world around us.

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Context

Audience

This activity should take place towards the beginning of a middle school science course.
Materials presented here are designed to be implemented in a remote learning environment, either as part of an entirely online or hybrid course.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Students do not need to have mastered any skills or concepts before beginning this activity.

How the activity is situated in the course

This unit can stand alone, but is encouraged to be used in conjunction with Activity 2: Systems Thinking Vocabulary Applied and Activity 3: Systems Diagrams Introduction.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

  • Students will be able to define systems thinking vocabulary.
  • Students will read and interpret simple systems diagrams.
  • Students will recognize the systems in the world around them.
  • Students will apply systems thinking vocabulary to the system around them.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Other skills goals for this activity

Description and Teaching Materials

Materials

Activity Description (Total Activity Time: 30 min)

Part 1 -Systems Thinking Introduction (10 min)

The instructor Opens the Systems Thinking Vocabulary Introduction Powerpoint.

Slides 1-2: The instructor starts by introducing the concept of a system, the importance of systems, and the outline for the lesson. Here's an example of what you might say:

Slide 1:
"Today we are going to talk about systems. A system is a group of elements that work together to achieve a goal. For example, this pile of pens and books on my desk is not a system. But, because I am sitting down at my desk teaching this lesson to you all, I, the pens, the books, my desk, and my computer are a system of various parts that all work together to achieve a goal: to teach this lesson."
"So systems can be small, like us working at our desks, but they can also be huge like the (course relevant, global system - water cycle, food web, atmospheric patterns, etc.). Because the world around us is made up of systems, in order to understand how the world functions, it's important that we learn how to identify and understand systems."
Slide 2:
"Today will talk about the different elements that make up systems, so we will all have a basic vocabulary to describe the systems we learn about. We'll start by applying that new vocabulary to a simple, and familiar system - our classroom sink, and then we're going to talk about a larger, more complex system, the system that brought that water all the way to our classroom sink."

Slide 3: Next, the instructor asks students to open the Describe a Sink google slides file. The instructor explains Step 1 of the sink exercise. "Label the different parts of the sink diagram and describe what happens at each part (up to 5 words)"

  • The instructor will have to create the appropriate number of student slides for the number of students in the class. In step one, the students take 2 minutes to add their name to the top of their own slide and individually use the provided arrows and text boxes to label and describe the parts of the sink drawing on their own slide.

After completing Step 1, the instructor directs students to the final slide on the Describe a sink google slides and asks students to complete items 1-3 with a partner. The instructor sends students into breakout groups of 2-3 students for 3 minutes. The instructor will be able to see the labels, descriptions, and edits students are making in real time on the Describe a Sink Google Slides file.

  • Describe a Sink final slide contents:
    • Step 2: Discuss and edit with a partner
      Show and discuss your sink labels and descriptions with a partner
      Add labels and descriptions that improve your sink explanation
      Discuss and write down (in a new text box) what sink parts might be missing from this diagram.


Part 2 - Systems Thinking Vocabulary (15 min)

The instructor asks students to open the Student Handout Activity 1 in their google classroom folder. Students should view the handout on half of their screen and view the instructor screen shared powerpoint on the other half of their screen. For example, the instructor might say:

"Now that you are thinking about the different elements and functions of those sink elements, I'm going to walk you all through how we would describe those sink elements with systems thinking vocabulary words. Everyone, please go back to your class folder and open the Student Handout Activity 1.
Now I am going to walk through the vocabulary definitions. Please use half of your screen to view the powerpoint I'm screen sharing and half of your screen for your handout so that you can fill in the examples of the vocabulary words as I walk through each vocabulary word definition."

The instructor walks through slides 4-18, defining basic systems vocabulary and providing examples of the vocabulary terms with the simple sink diagram provided on the slides. Students type the sink system examples of the vocabulary terms in the 'example' text boxes in Section A of the student handout.

Part 3 - Students Brainstorm Examples of Systems (5 min)

The instructor uses slide 19 to explain the relevance of systems diagrams in systems thinking. Then on slide 20, the instructor prompts students to brainstorm what other systems exist in the world around us. Students can comment their ideas in the zoom chat or raise their hands to offer an example. When students offer examples, the instructor asks the student to identify some of the flows and reservoirs in the example system. The instructor asks students to add these examples in the example text box under the system vocabulary term in Part A. The instructor also encourages students to add examples to the reservoirs, flows, and events vocabulary terms based on the system examples discussed as a class.

  • Slide 19: Systems Diagrams useful for thinking about complex problems
  • Slide 20: Brainstorm: "What are other examples of systems?"
  • Slide 21: Student Complete Handout Section B - Add examples of systems, reservoirs, flows, and events to the example text boxes in Section A

 

Teaching Notes and Tips

Depending on how accustomed the students are to accessing student handouts and other teaching materials on Google Drive, a lot of time could be spent in searching for and opening the student materials in this activity. Asking the students to come to the class with these files (Describe a Sink Google Slides and Student Handout Activity 1) already opened on their computers could be the best way to optimize zoom class time.


Assessment

References and Resources

This systems thinking module is based on the undergraduate Systems Thinking module on InTeGrate, created by Lisa A. Gilbert, Deborah S. Gross & Karl J. Kreutz. This rates and quantities experiment relates to Unit 1: Introduction to Systems Thinking: What is a System.

Systems Thinking Vocabulary Glossary

Why teach systems thinking or the water supply chain in Middle School?

"Appendix G - Crosscutting Concepts." 2013. Next Generation Science Standards. https://www.nextgenscience.org/sites/default/files/Appendix%20G%20-%20Crosscutting%20Concepts%20FINAL%20edited%204.10.13.pdf

Learn about why we should teach Systems Thinking in Earth Science:

Learn more about teaching systems thinking:

Learn more about systems thinking:

  • Meadows, Donella H., and Diana Wright. 2008. Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction, Vt: Chelsea Green Pub. https://wtf.tw/ref/meadows.pdf