Using System Dynamics Skills and Expertise to Teach Students (Your Own and Others) the Critical Thinking Skills of SD
A CLE packet created for SDSC Participants

The perpetual challenge of introducing system dynamics into K-12 education stands before us. With over twenty-five years of experience facing this challenge, the Creative Learning Exchange has developed a resource guide.

This packet is designed to help those conversant with system dynamics become involved with the education of students ages 3-19.

Download the SDS Resource Guide

From the Packet

Introduction

There are many paths for advocating system dynamics in the world, but none of them has the potential that engaging our youth promises. You, as a knowledgeable SD practitioner, could help interest and inspire the decision makers of tomorrow in several ways. In this introduction, we will briefly show you two:

• Using your own SD tools and principles with your own children; and
• Interesting and encouraging educators in your local area to use ST/SD.

We cannot stress enough that if you have specific questions about any of this material, shoot us an e-mail or give us a call here at the Creative Learning Exchange.

Talk to your own children and help them learn the power of using systems thinking and system dynamics

Starting with your own children when they are young is as easy as reading them The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. (See the lessons on The Lorax on the CLE website.) Linda Booth Sweeney's books, When a Butterfly Sneezes and Connected Wisdom, offer many suggestions and stories that have "systems"lessons embedded within them.

The critical thing about introducing some of these concepts to your kids is to talk to them after reading the stories about the connections, the feedback loops and the stocks and flows. You can start them out very early on behavior-over-time graphs. Any system dynamics facilitator knows how imperative a good debrief is. Children are no different.

Read and learn more....

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Suggested Creative Learning Exchange Materials

• System Dynamics Apps
• Making Thinking Visible Videos
• Shape of Change including Stocks and Flows
• Dollars and Sense: Stay in the Black, Spending and Saving
• Communicating Critical Thinking: Visual Tools for Student Projects
• Making Thinking Visible Videos
• Model Mysteries
• Systems in Motion
• Coming soon: Splash!