| Connected Wisdom: Living Stories about Living Systems Chapter 10: Reinforcing Feedback |
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Author(s):
Schlumberger , & Linda Booth Sweeney |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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"Connected Wisdom: Living Stories about Living Systems" is a book of 12 stories from fables and folktales that illustrate twelve principles that guide living systems. The principle of the story in Chapter 10 is "reinforcing feedback." |
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| Connected Wisdom Teacher's Guide |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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The Connected Wisdom Teacher’s Guide is designed to guide educators through lesson plans that will explain living systems principles for their students. The guide was created with students aged 10-18 in mind, but the lessons can be adapted for younger students. It is a companion to "Connected Wisdom: Living Stories about Living Systems." |
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| Children's Misconceptions as Barriers to Learning Stock-and-Flow Modeling |
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Author(s):
Oren Zuckerman, & Mitchel Resnick |
Subject:
Research |
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Research has shown that people have difficulties understanding dynamic behavior. In an attempt to better understand the nature of these difficulties, we have developed a new modeling tool and
conducted an exploratory study with young children. The modeling tool, called System Blocks, is a set of communicating plastic boxes with embedded computation that facilitates hands-on modeling and simulation of stock & flow structures. In the study, 5th grade students were asked to perform several assignments with System Blocks, dealing with concepts such as rates, accumulation, net-flow, and positive feedback. Our initial findings suggest there are common patterns in the way children think about dynamic behavior, which might account for some of the difficulties children as well as adults have when faced with dynamic behavior in general and stock & flow models in particular. These patterns include a tendency to prefer: quantity over process (stock over flow), sequential processes over simultaneous processes, and inflow over outflow. |
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| Bumbles and Woofs: A Population Model |
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Author(s):
Rachel Henry |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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This high school math lesson progresses from a simple population model to
a predator-prey model with an understandable and explicit sequence. The
teacher used Vensim simulation software for the class, but the lesson could
easily be modified for other simulation software such as Stella and Splash! |
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| Building the Behind Closed Gates Model |
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Author(s):
Anne LaVigne |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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The Behind Closed Gates simulation/model is loosely based on an experiment conducted at Stanford University in 1971. The psychologist who designed that experiment, Phillip Zimbardo, wanted to see how typical people would act if they were asked to take on roles of prisoners and guards.
The experiment and model are certainly about a prison environment, but they are also relevant to many other similar scenarios. The experiment is frequently referenced when trying to understand current and historic situations involving power and control.
Now you can build most of the underlying model and explore questions and situations beyond those presented in the simulation. |
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| Building Slightly More Complex Models: Calculators vs. STELLA |
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Author(s):
Diana M. Fisher |
Subject:
Research |
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If students are to develop the potential to effectively manage ubiquitous complex systems, it is becoming increasing important to develop systems thinking concepts and model building skills formally at the pre-college level. This paper describes an experiment conducted in two secondary school classrooms in the Pacific northwestern United States to determine the importance of access to a relatively new modeling tool for students to enable them to successfully create and analyze simple models that are slight extensions of traditional models, as compared with using graphing calculators to build and analyze the same extended model scenarios. |
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| Behind Closed Gates: Potential dynamics when one group or individual is given complete control over another |
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Author(s):
Jen Andersen, Anne LaVigne, Jeff Potash, & Lees Stuntz |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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This lesson with accompanying simulation is loosely based on an experiment that was conducted at Stanford University in 1971. Phillip Zimbardo wanted to see how typical people would act if they were asked to take on roles of prisoners and prison guards for a two-week period. The experiment was stopped after only six days because of escalating, abusive behavior of the guards and concerns about the well-being of the prisoners.
In the simulation, students take on the role of a social scientist, trying to understand how a similar situation (with guards having complete control over prisoners)can create specific human responses, such as fear,repression, and resistance. They can then compare this situation to a host of other similar situations, fictional or real. |
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Link to the simulation: http://www.clexchange.org/curriculum/simulations/prison_simulation.asp
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| Behind Closed Gates - Paper from the 2015 System Dynamics Conference |
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Author(s):
Anne LaVigne, & Lees Stuntz |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE), conducted at Stanford University by Philip Zimbardo in 1971 is a powerful example of seeing how people respond in highly stressful situations in which one individual or group has power over another. Although this type of experiment no longer meets the ethical standards for human study, the learning that has resulted impacts current understanding and, in some cases, decisions about how to structure systems, such as penal institutions. |
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| Banzai Barbie! STELLA Model Building and Graph Analysis in Math and Science Using Bungee Jumping |
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Author(s):
Mary Memmott, & Becky Hadden |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Using a STELLA model and then designing an actual bungee jump, students take Barbie bungee jumping.
Complex Systems Connection: Cause within System
This lesson presents a fun way to experiment with an oscillating system. It can be used as a precusor to the Oscillations curriculum designed for the Characteristics of Complex Systems project. |
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 Zipped (Models & PDF)
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| Bacteria Sandwich - Mini App |
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Author(s):
Anne LaVigne |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Bacteria Sandwich is a free, engaging, easy-to-use app for students and others to explore how exponential growth can occur when temperatures are optimal for the bacteria. Students can change the initial number of bacteria and temperature to see what happens over 12 hours. How can this bacteria be stopped before it creates a very dangerous lunch? Students can change the elements to determine how to keep those lunches safe!
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