Subject: Communicating with educators

Posted by Tracy Benson on 5/19/2005
In Reply To:Communicating with educators Posted by Lees Stuntz on 5/17/2005

Message:

Here are several resources (www.watersfoundation.org) available to educators interested in systems thinking that address some of the responses to Lees' query.

1. The Systems Thinking in Schools project, sponsored by the Waters Foundation offers year-round systems thinking training, including 4-day level one summer sessions in Portland, OR, Tucson, AZ, Brunswick, GA and Cedar Rapids, IA. The training is very reasonable ($75 in most cases) and is also available for graduate credit through Portland State University. See www.waterfoundation.org for dates and training information.
Participants leave the Level I training with an sound systems thinking foundation and an ability to independently apply systems thinking strategies to classroom instruction (for teachers) and school leadership (for administrators). For example, 45 Level I participants (teachers, principals, and pre-service teachers) from across the Tucson area were a part of one level I course which ended this past spring. By the end of the 30 hour training, 100% of the participants were able to design lessons which aligned with state and district standards, and apply strategies to classroom teaching and school improvement. In addition, the majority expressed interest in continuing with the level 2 training next fall. Here is one level I testimony from an 8th grade science teacher:
"The incorporation of systems thinking has made a substantial difference in the quality of my classroom instruction. I have never felt more positive in my ability to assess student understanding. Through utilization of systems thinking, I know not just what my students are thinking, but how they are thinking."
We have found that student work samples and teacher testimonials such as the one above, serve as the most powerful marketing tools for peaking systems thinking interest. In addition, over the past 15 years, we have been working on perfecting our ability to teach others about systems thinking. We have found that the subject alone is difficult to adequately capture in a lone article or even in some of the existing best-selling books. We have discovered that sound connections and alignment with research-based educational best-practices along with illustrations of student effects (in terms of work samples, and a variety of traditional and performance-based assessments) effectively communicate the power of systems thinking, thus encouraging educators to voluntarily invest the time necessary for learning.

2. As a part of the Systems Thinking in Schools project, during the past 5 years, over 100 trained- systems thinking teachers from across the country have been involved with a coordinated systems thinking action research project. This project generates teacher-as-researcher data about the effects of systems thinking on a variety of measures of student learning. The first 5 years of data were compiled, and aggregated using a qualitative meta-anlaysis, and the preliminary findings are posted on the Waters Foundation website (action research link). This aspect of the Systems Thinking in Schools project builds professional learning collaboratives both within and between sites across the country. The documentation also serves as a comprehensive learning journal that honors the work of K-12 systems thinking educators who work with students of varying backgrounds and abilities.

3. Lastly, a variety of teacher-created lessons, both those in development and those that have been systematically field-tested; various samples of student work (K-12); and valuable systems thinking links can also be found on the Waters Foundation website.

I hope some of this is helpful. . .

Tracy Benson Ed.D.

Tucson Area Co-Coordinator
National Director of Research
Systems Thinking in Schools
A Waters Foundation project

Follow Ups:

Communicating with educators - Anne Gallagher-Boswell 5/19/2005 
Communicating with educators - Lonni Gill 5/23/2005
Communicating with educators - kschold@austin.rr.com 5/24/2005