The title Now What? - A Call to Action draws us into one of the most important questions of our time. The world faces a decision point in the 21st Century. Major “Environmental Systems” are becoming so stressed that our future quality of life may decline after hundreds of years of growth and development. But strategies and choices exist that lead to a happier outcome.

These environmental systems lessons contain activities and research about sustainability, land, air, and water for students to explore. Systems thinking tools help them discover ways to create an environment for the future that has the ability to regenerate as well as sustain. Because “the environment” is not a single, isolated system, all aspects of civilization are bound together in an interconnected web. Social justice, public health, and economic prosperity all depend on a healthy environment that is consistently regenerating.

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The CLE is creating short, micro-lessons that are easily accessible for students of all ages. Each lesson distills key concepts and helps encourage the use of systems thinking to solve problems.

Beyond the In and Out Game (Splash!)

Let it Snow (Splash!)

Making Thinking Visible (Videos)

Thinking about Energy Drinks (adapted from Model Mysteries)

Infection Game
from the Shape of Change

As we deal with a world-wide pandemic, there are many ways to help our students cope. One of them is just talking about what is going on, how they are feeling, the practicalities of their lives in a quarantine situation, and how to think about infections from a 10,000 foot perspective (meta-cognition.) Another is figuring out what useful enrichment activities would be helpful and fun.

This simulation, especially for younger students, is a start in meta-cognitive understanding. This CLE simulation and others are available on the isee Exchange - a great resource for accessible simulations.

COVID-19 Modeling

COVID seems to be an on-going and persistent issue that has a lifecycle far longer than anyone thought when it emerged on the scene. An interesting initiative was started by Maurice Glucksman and Kim Warren in the UK. They created a contest for students to look at the spread of COVID within their localized areas. They created a system dynamics model and on-line courses for students to learn and utilize the model without needing to learn sophisticated modeling skills.

These courses and articles are available at The COVID-19 Localization Modelling Group.

Resources that may be of interest to students who are on home-stays:

• Splash! - a simulation app for hand-held devices. Fun to play with and helpful for learning to create little, simple models. A guide called SplashCards is available for purchase from the CLE website.
• Making Thinking Visible Videos - short videos demonstrating the building blocks of systems thinking.
• Model Mysteries - An Exploration of Vampires, Zombies, and Other Fantastic Scenarios to Make the World a Better Place. Available to purchase in book format or downloadable.