Subject: Science Communication

Posted by Michael Skelly on 7/14/2009
In Reply To:Science Communication Posted by Richard Turnock on 7/13/2009

Message:

I see system dynamics as a lens to view situations and problem solving through. This way teachers and students alike can use the vocabulary, concepts, methods, and respective visualizations and apply them to numerous situations and problems. The educational system has done such an effective job of reductionism and atomizing what is learned, that what is learned is frequently plucked out of all context and any role or relationship with almost anything else. This type of teaching/learning (in a vacuum) has the utility of simplicity, but it also adds a very high cost to connecting concepts (synthesis) or performing analysis or application later. Once something (or many somethings) have a role or relationship with anything else it can usually be learned better and that learning applied better when it is viewed through the lens of system dynamics. When "learning" stays stuck in "silos" and "teaching methods" go no further than rote memorization, repetition, and compliant mimicry, systems dynamics is irrelevant and ineffective. Once "learning" goes beyond the foregoing, systems dynamics is both relevant and enhances the entire experience.

I have taught system dynamics in K-12 public and private educational settings as a visiting teacher/trainer. This adds the complexity. It requires teaching the teacher at nearly the same time as the students and doing so within an existing curriculum framework and course of study. It also usually requires leaving the teachers and students with enough ability and motivation to continue to use system dynamics after I leave. I don't have the luxury of creating two distinctly different learning experiences for the teachers and students. (Although the teachers are given some more resources and methods to use after I'm gone.) I usually shape my selection of resources and build a few examples based on their particular field of study/teaching and next few concepts they are likely to address in their curriculum.

The first step for me is to have the students (whether they are teachers or students) focus on topics within their curriculum that are relevant, recent, and memorable and show how systems dynamics provides an additional lens to view and address these topics. With this as a basis, the students/teachers are very often reasonably successful at using systems dynamics on the next curriculum topic (regardless of the field of study: science, math, language arts, history, etc.)

The article about public understanding of science and poor communications with the public is largely correct and has been confirmed in 10 annual studies by Roper for National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (see http://www.neetf.org/pubs/ELR2005.pdf).

The article cited by Turnock below shows how effective persistent, active manipulation of the public and media by energy companies and others through a well-funded public relations advertising and "scientific" disinformation campaign have been.

I continue to support systems dynamics being integrated into K-12 curricula and serve on the Board for the State Science and Mathmatics Coalition. My current application of systems dynamics involves business and alternative energy systems.

Best regards,

Mike