Subject: Creating learning environments for systems thinking

Posted by Nancy Southern on 11/29/2004

Message:

The conversation about the relationship between teachers and students in public education gets to the core of what needs to change to develop learning environments in which systems thinking becomes a core practice. The challenge is tremendous as a change in the relationships and the supporting organizational, family, and government structures requires a change in core beliefs and assumptions about education. Working models are helpful in supporting this cultural change. The Montessori Method provides us with an epistemology that supports children learning through discovery, embracing diversity, and being stewards of the environment. It is a successful long-term working model that is used in some public school settings.

My nine-year old daughter has been learning in a Montessori classroom since she was three years old. The private school she attends currently extends through eighth grade. She and her fellow students do not see the teachers as the "authority" who passes on "the truth". The Montessori teachers learn that their role is to support the development of the students as individuals who can pursue their own interests and passions and discover the meaning of what they are learning. My daughter naturally thinks systemically, as the Montessori curriculum teaches from a relational perspective. Students take responsibility for their learning and behavior problems in the classroom are surpassingly rare.

I would like to see more of the systems dynamics tools used in the Montessori classroom as I think they could enhance the understanding of complex systems. I am working with my daughter's school to provide an introduction to the available resources. I know the students are ready to work with these tools and that the learning environment will support it.

If you want to find out more about the Montessori method and schools in your area, visit the website of the American Montessori Society at http://www.amshq.org. I'm hopeful that if more of us learn about this method we can better influence change in K-!2 public education.


Nancy L. Southern, Ed.D
Saybrook Graduate School
www.nlsouthern.com

Follow Ups:

Creating learning environments for systems thinking - Oren Zuckerman 11/30/2004