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Project 4: Systems ThinkingCreated by Sofia LevchakNJCUEducational Technology Department

+What is “systems thinking”?

Systems thinking is a term coined by Peter Senge (1990). It is one of the five disciplines identified by Senge in The Fifth Discipline. It is a framework for the following:

Seeing the inter-relationships between complex problems and interactions as a web, rather than a simplistic chain-reaction

Encourages teams to seek underlying problems, before they surface and become even greater problems

Analyzing problems/solutions, events, possible cause/effects to find better solutions

+Systems Thinking Model

+Systems Thinking Model

The previous slide models how “Systems Thinking” encompasses the other four disciplines described by Senge:

Personal Mastery

Mental Models

Building Shared Vision

Team Learning

It is essential for these four disciplines to be present for the systems thinking model to be complete.

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Think Different

Interconnectivity – YES!

Linear Thinking – NO!

+Personal Mastery

Continuously deepening and clarifying our own personal vision

Self-awareness of ourselves and how our actions impact others

Recognizing areas of needed growth

Constant state of learning– the individual is never finished

Seeing reality through an objective lens

Harnessing and focusing our energy

+Mental Models

Deeply ingrained assumptions that shape how we understand individuals, the world, and our interaction with others

Learning to unearth the way we look at others from within ourselves and hold them to rigorous scrutiny

A balance between inquiry and advocacy when conversing with others in an effort to learn more about an individual or organization

Thinking must be “open” to the influence of others

Being closed minded would not contribute to growing in this discipline

+Shared Vision

A genuine vision shared by all stakeholders for the future they wish to create

Increased clarity, enthusiasm, and commitment encourage others and helps the vision grow in strength

As people talk, the vision gets stronger

Commitment vs. compliance: Commitment is defined as truly buying into the vision Compliance is defined as going along with the vision

because it is what is required of someone

+Team Learning

The process of aligning and developing the capacities of a team to create the results its members truly desire

Individuals must be able to act together

Teams who learn together not only experience good results, but individual members will grow more rapidly as a result of the other members

Dialogue is essential. Should be genuine conversation that leads to addressing/solving problems before they become too complex.

+Comparisons

The following slides will strive to compare Peter Senge’s systems thinking model with the 3 concepts:

Universal design for learning (UDL)

Constructivist Technology Curriculum

Flipped Classroom

We will begin by defining the 3 aforenamed concepts and giving examples.

+Universal Design for Learning

(UDL)

What is UDL?

Universal design for learning is an educational framework that gives learners multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement.

The overall goal of UDL is to make the material presented in the lesson accessible to all learners by making minor modifications that benefit all students.

Examples of UDL:

Classroom videos: Allow student access so they can pause, rewind, take notes, or use subtitles

The use of digital photography to document the steps of a lab experiment

Flexible grouping to allow students to learn from each other

+Constructivist Technology

Proposal

What is constructivist technology curriculum?

This is a curriculum anchored in Papert’s concept of “powerful ideas.” Powerful ideas are described by Papert as “new ways of thinking, new ways of putting knowledge to use, and new ways of making personal and epistemological connections with other domains of knowledge” (as cited in Bers, 2007, p. 23).

Examples:

Use of the following mediums to enhance curriculum:

Video editing

Audio editing

Green screen

Digital photography

Robotics

Legos

+Flipped Classroom

What is the flipped classroom?

The flipped classroom is a method of instruction developed by two teachers, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams. The model generally requires that students watch an instructional video as homework before class along for class time to be dedicated to hands-on learning and a high degree of student-instructor interaction.

A prime example of videos used in this form of instruction is Khan Academy.

Examples:

4th grade math – Multiplying two-digit factors

5th grade science – Lab safety

6th grade ELA – Grammar lesson on compound sentences

7th grade science – Ecological succession story board

10th grade ELA – Listen to “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe

+Systems Thinking and UDL

Project Description: A 6th grade “UDLified lesson” that challenges students to compare and contrast the experience of reading a story to the experience of viewing a story in video form.

Correlation to the Five Disciplines: The predominant correlating disciplines are systems thinking and team learning.

Systems thinking is evident, because the teacher is producing lesson plans and classroom assignments by viewing the classroom as an ecosystem. While one student or group of students benefit from differentiated instruction, other students are benefiting as well.

+Systems Thinking and UDL

(cont’d)

Team Learning is evident in UDL, because students are working in groups and learning from one another.

Personal mastery, mental models, and shared vision are not necessarily represented in UDL. The argument could be made that these disciplines are evident during the planning stage of a lesson (i.e. the teacher needs to be open minded to UDL principals or if UDL is being implemented school wide, there needs to be shared vision) , but they are not necessarily evident during the implementation of the lesson.

+Systems Thinking and

Constructivist Technology Proposal

Project Description: A curriculum proposal to integrate the use of video editing into the district’s 8th grade English Language Arts classrooms. Video editing will serve as a tool that will aid students in demonstrating that they have reached the grade level CCCS objective.

Correlation to the Five Disciplines: The predominant correlating disciplines are systems thinking, personal mastery, shared vision, and team learning. Mental models is not necessarily present in constructivist curriculum.

Systems thinking is present, because students are learning the concept of interconnectivity. For example, if students are learning with Legos, they are learning about problem solving, planning, three dimensional thinking, critical thinking, math, geometry, and engineering (the list could certainly go on).

+Systems Thinking and

Constructivist Technology Proposal (cont’d)

Personal mastery is present, because students engaged in a constructivist-rich curriculum have the motivation to learn and build on their previously acquired skills (whether they realize it or not).

Shared vision is present among the students and teachers. Returning to the example of the Legos, when students and teachers are working together on a project, there is a common vision that is slightly shaped by each individual members.

Team Learning is probably the clearest of the five disciplines that is present. Students work together and learn from each other. “Expert” students take the lead in particular areas allowing students to learn from each other.

+Systems Thinking and Flipped

Classroom

Project Description: A series of instructional videos developed with the intentions of being used in a middle school level ESL class.

Correlation to the Five Disciplines: The disciplines that are most predominant are systems thinking and personal mastery. While students participate in the flipped classroom, it is a model that requires the most dedication from instructor, not necessarily the student.

Personal mastery is clearly evident, because the instructor has made a commitment to making a change in his or her classroom that is not common in most classrooms. They have looked within themselves and have made a change for the benefit of their students.

+Systems Thinking and Flipped

Classroom (cont’d)

Systems thinking is a major component to the flipped classroom. By having students engage in the lesson outside of class, and put the skills acquired to use during class, the interconnectivity of the classroom is improving. There is engagement and interaction, as opposed to single-sided teacher-directed instruction.

Team learning is also part of the flipped classroom, but in a sense, it is the bi-product of model. The amount of class time conserved by students watching the lesson outside of the class allows for flexibility during class. As a result, students can engage in more hands-on learning, which has the potential to create an environment that fosters team learning.

+References

Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class everyday. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.

Comindwork.com. (n.d.). Systems thinking [image]. Retrieved from http://www.comindwork.com/weekly/2012-04-16/productivity/fifth-discipline-by-peter-senge-is-systems-thinking

Bers, M. (2007). Blocks to robots: Learning with technology in the early childhood classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Senge, P.M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art & practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Comindwork.com. (n.d.). Systems thinking [image]. Retrieved from http://www.comindwork.com/weekly/2012-04-16/productivity/fifth-discipline-by-peter-senge-is-systems-thinking