Fostering Systems Thinking in Your Students

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This work is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaboration between the
Directorates for Education and Hum...

This work is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaboration between the
Directorates for Education and Hum...

This work is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaboration between the
Directorates for Education and Hum...

http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/syst_thinking/index.html

Systems thinking takes time to
develop• Vocabulary
• Diagrams
– Read
– Create
• Modeling
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrat...

Systems thinking takes time to
develop• Vocabulary
• Diagrams
– Read
– Create
• Modeling
Being explicit about a systems ap...

Why use systems thinking?
To address complex environmental problems,
we need to approach them holistically,
not just one p...

How do you rate your knowledge of
systems diagrams right now?
1. I've never heard of systems diagrams.
2. I've heard of sy...

How do you rate your knowledge
of systems diagrams right now?
32%
32%
18%
7%
11%
0% 10% 20% 30%
1. I've never heard of sys...

Goals
• Define systems terminology.
• Read and interpret simple systems diagrams.
• Evaluate a systems diagram’s fit to a
...

Here is a simple system:
faucet
drain

The water in the bathtub is the
reservoir
faucet
drain
We measure the
amount in the
reservoir
•Water level in cm
•Liters o...

The faucet represents a flux
faucet
drain
We measure the rate
of water flowing
through the faucet
•cm/second
•Liters/second

The drain also represents a flux
faucet
drain
We measure the rate
of water flowing
through the drain
•cm/second
•Liters/se...

Open system
faucet
drain
We haven’t
connected both
ends of the
arrows to the
ultimate sources
and sinks of
water.

Closed
system
faucet
drain
Now we don’t have
any unconnected
arrows!

Closed
system
faucet
drain
Now we don’t have
any unconnected
arrows!
But once the hot
water heater is
empty, no more
baths...

Closed
system with
feedback
loop
To recycle
bathwater, you
might connect a
home water-
purifying
system…
purifier
faucet
d...

Which type
of feedback
loop? faucet
drain
purifier
Balancing (negative)
feedback loops
hold a system to an
equilibrium sta...

faucet
drain
purifier
20
Balancing (negative)
feedback loops
hold a system to an
equilibrium state and
make it more stable...

Reinforcing feedback loops underlie
many environmental problems
What are some examples?
Type your answer into the chat box...

Recall our goals
• Define systems terminology.
• Read and interpret simple systems diagram.
• Evaluate a diagram’s fit to ...

Recall our goals
• Define systems terminology.
– Reservoir, flux, feedback loop
• Read and interpret simple systems diagra...

Does the diagram fully
represent the complexity
of the system described by
the speaker?
If not, add to the diagram.
Wildfi...

Wildfire
Wind
Deposition
Albedo
Length of
summer
Radiative
heatingOne option
Radiative
heating

Wildfire
Wind
Deposition
Albedo
Length of
summer
Radiative
heating
Radiative
heating
Identify
feedback
loops
melting
+
+

Summary
• Define systems terminology.
– Reservoir, flux, feedback loop
• Read and interpret simple systems diagram.
– Bath...

How do you rate your knowledge of
systems diagrams right now?
1. I've never heard of systems diagrams.
2. I've heard of sy...

How do you rate your knowledge
of systems diagrams right now?
0%
0%
25%
36%
39%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
1. I've never heard of ...

Systems Thinking module
• Units 1 and 2 – designed to be used early in a
course then reinforced later
• Units 3 and 4 – id...

Why use a systems model?

Systems model of the Bathtub
• STELLA (isee systems) is a software package that allows
the user to build and share icon-ba...

Students experiment with model parameters, and discuss results
Fluxes balanced = equilibrium Fluxes unbalanced = non-equil...

Examples of simple inflow – reservoir – outflow systems in your course(s)?
Please type your answers in the chat box

Unit 4 adds feedbacks into the Bathtub model

Students experiment with model parameters, and discuss results
Balancing (negative) feedback loop –
system always returns ...

Next we change the feedback location in the Bathtub model

Students experiment with model
parameters, and discuss resultsInitial value for
Bathtub = 15 liters
Initial value for
Bath...

In Unit 4 assessment, students plot
Arctic sea ice data, complete a
systems diagram, and describe
feedback behavior

How do you teach systems
thinking?
Please share course title + approach,
briefly in the chat box 

Additional ways to foster systems
thinking using InTeGrate materials

A Growing Concern
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/sustain_agriculture/index.html

A Growing Concern
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/sustain_agriculture/index.html

The Wicked Problem
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_security/index.html

The Wicked Problem
From http://www.easterbrook.ca/steve/2013/08/why-systems-thinking/.
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/...

The Wicked Problem
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_security/index.html

Earth’s Thermostat
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/global_energy/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/global_energy/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/global_energy/

InTeGrate Professional Development Webinar Series
http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/workshops
Addressing Food Security Is...

This work is supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaboration between the
Directorates for Education and Hum...

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