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Holistic Education Network ...
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Practical Ways of Encouraging
Systems Thinking in the Classroom
- teaching the principles of
systems thinking… emergent properties, holarchies, feedback, diversity,
interdependency, cycles, energy flow, flexibility, sustainability,
partnership, coevolution...
- encouraging thinking skills
which take students beyond brainstorming into more network orientated ways of
understanding information…. mind maps, association maps, concept maps, feedback loops.
- Encouraging students to ask questions. Going beyond standard
questions which seek information to ones which:
- explore how things might change under different circumstances
- seek different points of view
- look at possible associations and connections beyond what is specifically
being studied
- seek explanations and relationships
- explore feelings and values.
A Questioning Toolkit
- Examining case studies of
different systems
- Using computer simulations
using the principles of System Dynamics - For students to see how systems
behave over time,
and to design and test their own simulations.
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The following
System Dynamics
Software
sites have examples of system dynamics
applications, papers, demonstrations and resource networks. The
on-line tutorials teach students how to use the software to design
their own simulations.
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- Using computer games like the
'Sim' series that allow students to explore effects of decisions made
within a
complex system.
- Learning ways of handling complex
data … eg. Statistics, spreadsheets, phase space, chaos theory....
- Becoming aware of all the social,
ecological systems that students are part of. Bringing understanding of
systems to understanding everyday life.
See sites on this page: Systems Thinking
in Education Sites
- Working within a classroom
environment that operates like a system. Experiencing group work that
enables the group to gain emergent understandings.
Designing a learning
community based on ecological principles
- Participation in class role plays
that allow students to see how complex relationships unfold over time with
various inputs.
Holistic Education Network of Tasmania, Australia
www.hent.org
Free
to use for educational purposes but please acknowledge source.
Page last updated:
19-Sep-2004
