Here are the presentations and documents from the CLE conference in June of 2002. If you missed the most recent conference and you want to make sure that you do not miss the next one please registerwith the Creative Learning Exchange.
Conference Program
The program for the System Thinking and Dynamic
Modeling Conference hosted by the Creative Learning
Exchange in June, 2002.
Essex
Report
A paper entitled "The Future of System Dynamics
and Learner-Centered Learning in K-12 Education"
that was presented at the International System Dynamics
Society Conference (Palermo, Italy July 2002)
Conference keynotes (introduced by Lees Stuntz,
top left)::
PETER SENGE (bottom left): "The
Hidden Business-Education Link: how long will we be
victims of the prevailing system of management?"
BARRY RICHMOND (right): "Working
Toward a Unifying Vision"
Richmond Keynote
Presentation
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Scenes from the conference
Session Handouts and Presentations:
Listed below are the 47 sessions from the 2002 CLE conference
and any affiliated handouts and presentations.
Saturday Sessions
Saturday
Sessions - Sunday
Sessions - Monday Sessions
1. Systems Thinking: Visual Tools for Increasing Student
Learning - Mary Scheetz, Portland, OR and Joan Yates,
Tucson, AZ
Learners of every age can benefit from using visual tools
to map their thinking. This session will introduce the concepts
and mechanics of an array of systems thinking tools and will
demonstrate how K-12 educators and students have used the
tools to increase student learning. Participants will have
opportunities to use some of the tools in an experimental
practice field.
Session
Handout
2. Introduction to Dynamic Modeling - Ron Zaraza,
Wilson High School, Portland, OR
This session will introduce novices to dynamic modeling software
most commonly used in K-12 education, STELLA. Participants
will build simple models that demonstrate linear and exponential
growth. They will expand the exponential growth model into
a population model, the core model used in many k-12 models,
and finally into S-shaped growth. If time allows, participants
will also be given an opportunity to explore several models
in common use. Please bring a laptop computer for this session.
Email us if this is impossible, and we will try to supply
one.
Session
Handouts
3. Using the World3 CD for Teaching Limits to Growth - Dennis Meadows
While revising the book, Beyond the Limits, to include new
data through the year 2000, Dennis Meadows created a CD version
of the World3 model. It includes the World3 equations, a STELLA
runtime package, and a user's manual. This wonderful new resource
offers students a convenient and inexpensive way to reproduce
all the scenarios in the classic book and to carry out experiments
with new policies and different assumptions. Dennis will briefly
describe the goals, structure, and results of World3 and demonstrate
the CD version of the model. He will offer suggestions for
assignments that can be given to students to facilitate their
understanding of the model, and he will list a few caveats
to observe when assigning students complex models.
4. The Thoughtful Integration of Systems Technology in
K-12 Education - Barbara A. Hopkins, Co-Director, UNH
IMPACT Center
The NSF National Computational Science Leadership Program
has developed a cadre of trained science and mathematics teachers
to promote a variety of visualization tools within the context
of effective lessons. Software tools available to schools
were used to visualize models of systems, and coordinated
lesson plans were developed for specific disciplines. This
session will include an overview of the program, resources,
and demonstrations of systems modeling using Inspiration,
Model-It, Microsoft-Excel, JAVA applets, and STELLA. The development
of thoughtful models for technology integration in schools
will be an ongoing theme during this presentation.
5. Building and Modeling Rockets, The Arms Race, Rocket
Boys, and Right Triangle Trigonometry - Larry Weathers,
Harvard Public Schools, Harvard MA
Teachers from the Harvard Public Schools, Harvard MA, will
display a seventh grade unit which uses behavior-over-time
graphs, causal loops, archetypes, a STELLA model, and a simulation
game to explore some of the dynamics of the cold war era through
Science, Literature, Math and Social Studies.
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6. "So, how do we know this is working?"
Teachers research the effects of ST/DM on student learning. Presentations on: Elementary Literature, High School
Thinking Skills, Middle School Math, High School Science
- Waters Foundation Teachers and Mentors: Gayle Richardson,
Ann Arbor; Dave Mason, CFSD; Laura Stepanek, CFSD; Tim
Taber, Portland; Dave Hamilton, Portland
Teachers who have engaged in an action research process
in K-12 classrooms throughout the U.S. will present what
they have learned about the effects of systems thinking
and dynamic modeling on student and teacher learning.
This coordinated action research effort sponsored by the
Waters Foundation encourages reflective practice as teachers
use ST/DM as an instructional method to increase student
learning. During "poster sessions," session
attendees will have the opportunity to circulate among
the presenters and will be encouraged to ask questions,
share insights, and engage in reflective conversation
with participants.(Note: This
poster presentation was continuous throughout the conference.
It is listed on the conference program as sessions 6,10,
22, 31, 47) |
7. Modeling Workshop - Jeff Potash, John Heinbokel,
Paul Newton, Gordon Kubanek, Deb Lyneis, Jim Lyneis
Model building is best undertaken as a collaborative exercise:
defining the problem and objectives, technical construction
issues, reality checking, etc. All benefit enormously from
multiple perspectives and review. In that spirit, this workshop
is designed for individuals who either have completed models
or are in the process of completing models and who desire
an opportunity to solicit "feedback" from more experienced
modelers. (Note: This modeling workshop
was also listed in the conference program as session 11,32)
8. System Dynamics Primer, Introducing SD to Elementary
Students - Jan Mons, currently an Elementary Teacher and
a former mentor for GIST, a Waters Foundation Project
For the last three years, work has been going on to introduce
ST/SD to elementary students in Glynn County through the GIST
project with a Waters Foundation grant. First, a classroom
atmosphere of a learning community is established through
the use of Systems Thinking concepts. Then, the fundamental
tools and concepts of System Dynamics are taught. After the
fundamentals are taught, students and teachers practice their
use with a variety of activities. With this method, ST/SD
becomes a natural part of the teachers' and students' teaching
and learning styles. Both the students and teachers then incorporate
the tools and concepts in a variety of ways in many learning
activities. This workshop/presentation will share basic introductory
activities used and discuss the concepts behind this method
of introducing ST/SD to students.
9. Pencil Simulation - Jim and Deb Lyneis
Use simple pencil and paper activities and a bank balance
problem to teach students the basics of system dynamics: What
does the computer do with your equations? How do stocks and
flows work? What is dt? Also learn how to use pencil simulation
to debug models.
10. "So, how do we know this is working?" Teachers
research the effects of ST/DM on student learning. Presentations
on: Elementary Literature, Elementary and Middle School Thinking
Skills, Middle School Math, Middle School Health, High School
English, High School Environmental Studies, High School Economics
- Waters Foundation Teachers and Mentors: Pat Fontaine, CFSD;
Greg Orpen and Janan Hamm, Murdoch; Judi Lampi, Portland;
Tim Joy, Portland; Kristen Mahoney, Vermont; Alan Ticotsky
and Rob Quaden, Carlisle
See Session 6.
11. Modeling Workshop - Jeff Potash, John Heinbokel,
Paul Newton, Gordon Kubanek, Deb Lyneis, Jim Lyneis
See Session 7.
12. Creating Content Specific Lessons Incorporating
System Dynamics Models - Diana M. Fisher
Examples of system dynamics lessons will be explored.
These lessons fall into one of four categories: Introductory
SD lessons that reinforce simple core content; Second
level lessons to study more sophisticated behavioral interactions
over time; and two additional levels that require students
to create original models.
Session
Handout |
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13. Traffic Safety: Marrying Systems Modeling & Risk
Analysis - Gordon Kubanek
Students from Brookfield have worked to develop a presentation
for the school principal to use in his case to the school
district to make changes in the traffic flow to reduce the
risk of an accident between a car and a student. The students
collected traffic and student flow data, brainstormed to decide
what factors to include, learned about and incorporated risk
analysis in the recommendations and put together a presentation
that could be used by the principal to convince the School
Council and School District to make changes recommended in
the report to reduce the risk of student injury.
Session
Handout 1
Session
Handout 2
Saturday Night - Fireside Chat with Jay Forrester (right),
moderated by George Richardson (left)
Sunday Sessions
Saturday Sessions - Sunday Sessions - Monday
Sessions
14. Connection Circles: A New Tool for Students. What
are connection circles and how can they be used in class? - Rob Quaden and Alan Ticotsky, Carlisle (MA) Public Schools,
Waters Foundation Project
Learn how to draw causal connections among elements in a story
or situation. Practice the next step of building a causal
loop diagram. Participate in a conversation about how to enrich
student learning and understanding using connection circles,
a tool, which helps develop skills necessary for reading and
creating causal loop diagrams.
Session
Handout 1
Session
Handout 2
15. Systems Tools in the Social Studies Classroom - Brett Goble and Dave Mason, Social Studies Teachers, Catalina
Foothills High School, Catalina Foothills School District,
Tucson, AZ
The presenters will share results of their action research
regarding how the use of systems tools and structures impacted
student learning. Participants will see examples of systems
tools used in a variety of high school Social Studies courses,
specifically: a computer simulation on F.D.R.-U.S. History
; uses of the iceberg as a way to analyze current issues-Economics
and the Political Process; causal loops used to investigate
connections and circular causality to understand how certain
actions and structures could address problems faced by a developing
nation-Global Studies. Participants will first have an introduction
to each of the three classes and then have the opportunity
for deeper experiential learning in the area of their interest.
16. Year-Long Integration of Systems Thinking in a Language
Arts Class: A Case Study - Steve Kipp and Sheryl Davis,
Glynn County Schools, Brunswick, GA
Steve and Sheryl will share their experience using behavior-over-time
graphs, stock/flow diagrams, causal loop diagrams, and Stella
models to teach systems concepts of change over time, accumulation,
thresholds, and balancing and reinforcing feedback. The presentation
will include an overview of the year, then participants will
role-play the students in a demonstration of one of the activities.
17. Put Modeling in Its Place - Larry Smith, Tim Joy
This session will look at ST/DM courses and ST/DM enhanced
courses and their relationship to schools and community. The
presenters will focus on the experiences in Door County, WI
and the Northwest Lasallian efforts in the larger San Francisco
District. What are the lessons learned and what are future
actions to bring schools, communities and classes forward
with a common focus?
Session
Handout 1
Session
Handout 2
18. Beyond Boxes and Spreadsheets: Facilitating Administrative
Decision Making Using Dynamic Modeling - Ralph Brauer,
Jeff Potash and John Heinbokel
Have you ever wished there was a SimSchool? The MinSIM (Minnesota
System Information Modeling) is the first major project to
apply System Dynamics to school district data-driven decision-making.
MinSIM is designed to: help administrators better understand
how their systems operate, allow users to explore the allocation
of resources and other planning scenarios, and to build accountability
tools that allow schools to assess their performance against
their resources and population. This presentation will describe
the process used to create the MinSIM simulator and explain
the structure of the underlying model, which contains over
two dozen sub models. A highlight of the presentation will
allow participants to "run" a school district, making
decisions about budgeting, staff, facilities, and students.
19. "Just A Spoon Full of Medicine" - Judith
A. Lampi, Health Sciences Teacher, Harriet Tubman Middle School,
Portland, OR and Dr. David Hamilton, Physics Teacher, Franklin
High School, Portland, OR
This session will focus on a computer simulation that incorporates
Dr. Edward J. Gallaher' ( Oregon Health Sciences University)
Oral Pharmacokinetic Model. Learn how a high school physics
teacher(an authority on modeling) and a middle school Health
Science teacher (knowledgeable about medications and diseases)teamed
to construct a problem based computer simulation that focuses
on drugs as medicine and helps students understand how prescription
and over the counter medicines can be used safely.
20. Systems Thinking and Dynamic Modeling: An Overview
of Introductory Training - Mary Scheetz and Tim Taber,
Portland, OR
This session will provide an overview of a 30 hour training
developed in Portland, Oregon. Topics addressed in the training
agenda include: o Creating a context with teacher experience
with visual tools o Developing understanding of systems thinking
and dynamic modeling o Providing guided practice with classroom
and organizational applications o Allowing time for study
and adapting of lesson plans. Participants will participate
in discussion of the sequence and format of the training sessions.
Persons willing to participate in piloting and feedback of
the training will receive a CD containing related PowerPoint
slides, agenda, activity sheets, and resource materials.
21. Using ST/SD tools to Analyze Current Events -
Gary Howard
In the attempt to make current events meaningful and understandable
by middle school students, I used the beginning steps of a
system analysis with my class this fall. We brainstormed topics.
They ranged from terrorism to trash, from soccer fans to foods.
After a successful multi-vote process, two topics of interest
were chosen - Afghanistan and faux food. The instructional
piece that I brought to the work was the order of analysis:
definition of purpose, change over time, interdependence,
feedback, and leverage. We approached our two subjects in
this order. We defined what we knew and what we wanted to
find out. Students found they knew very little of the lengthy
history of aggression and turmoil in the Middle East. They
were amazed at how much "food" they consumed that
had never been grown or raised in the light of day. They formulated
questions and timelines. The changes identified brought about
more questions. Research into what factors influenced the
changes and what feedback loops created balancing or reinforcing
situations brought us to the final step (for these groups).
As the closing exercise, the students were asked to analyze
what they had learned and to make a prediction. This prediction
contained the opinions they had, the evidences they gathered,
and as a conclusion, what they thought would be the leverage
to make lasting change.
22. "So, how do we know this is working?" Teachers
research the effects of ST/DM on student learning. Presentations
on: Elementary Reading Non-Fiction; Elementary Music; Middle
School Language Arts/Social Studies; Middle School Math; Elementary
Articulating about Change - Waters Foundation Teachers and
Mentors: Kathie Cink, Susan Dubishar, and Lori Florence, College
Community; Vicki Davis, CFSD; Michael Bishop, Portland; Barb
McArthur, Portland; Kathy Kittredge, Arlene Sullivan, and
Donna Piche, Harvard
See Session 6.
23. Butterfly Sneezes Workshop - Linda Booth Sweeney
This workshop explores how some children's stories may be
used by educators as part of efforts to integrate systems
concepts and tools into K-12 curricula. It is also suitable
for parents looking to incorporate systems-based inquiry into
every day conversations with children of all ages. In this
workshop, we will review the basic story line of several children's
stories (including both picture and chapter books), surface
targeted systems concepts within each story, and identify
practical "debrief" questions for educators and
parents. Please come prepared to read out loud and to share
your own "systems thinking stories".
Session
Handout
24. Topic Discussions In Science-Technology-Society/World
Issues: Scope and Sequence - Scott Guthrie, Portland,
OR
In this session, I'll share what I've done with systems
in teaching an STS/WI class. This class does not expect
students to be (or become) modelers, but they learn to
interpret modeling diagrams and use models to make policy
decisions. The class has been taught for five years now,
and the curriculum is now starting to mature. Population,
Agriculture, Energy, Urbanization, and Sustainability
issues are covered in this class. It's cross disciplinary
(social studies, science), a good class in which to introduce
people to systems, and a good class to foster the growth
of systems use in schools. |
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25. Learning Science and Other Subjects with a Semi-quantitative
Computer Modeling Tool - Fábio Ferrentini Sampaio,
Ph.D., Computers in Education Researcher at Federal University
of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Laercio Ferracioli, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor at Post-Graduation Program in Physics
at Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil
This work intends to present a semi-quantitative computer
modeling tool called WlinkIt Modeling System and discuss its
use in K-12 and undergraduate education from a System Dynamics
perspective. In Brazil we developed a semi-quantitative computer
modeling system - WLinkIt - to be used in classroom activities
to explore ideas in science and other subjects. WLinkIt gives
to the student the possibility of thinking about problems
by constructing and simulating models using a causal diagram
representation [Roberts, 1983]. A model in WlinkIt contains
boxes (which represent variables) with vertical levels inside
that represent qualitative values and links that represent
the relationship between variables. When a model is being
simulated (running) the system calculates at each time step
the new value of the variables and animates the vertical levels
according to them. During the simulation, it is also possible
to produce colored simultaneous graphical output of variables.
Session
Handout
26. Integrating System Dynamics with the Visual Arts:
A Feast for Both Sides of the Brain - Maureen Byrne, Art
Department Chairperson, Catalina Foothills High School, Tucson,
AZ
This presentation will demonstrate how systems applications,
including computer simulations, can be made in the disciplines
of studio art, aesthetics and art history. Through the use
of three established curriculum pieces, participants will
learn how one can address the needs of right and left brainers
in a visual arts class. Also presented will be exemplars of
students' work from each unit, and reflective responses from
students sharing their new knowledge and understandings. It
is my goal to demonstrate the effectiveness of systems tools
in these disciplines and hopefully inspire additional exploration.
27. Meeting Challenges through Systems Thinking and Dynamic
Modeling - Holly Cluff, Assistant Principal, Green Fields
Country Day School Tucson, AZ
Stuck with big questions about the direction of your program/school?
Need to get everyone on the same page? Not sure how to structure
a meeting to get meaningful results? In this session, examples
of using systems thinking tools will be shared to illustrate
their utility with committees and faculty/staff. These administrative
applications allow for creative, interactive, productive meetings.
See how the tools have been used in a large school district
and a small independent school.
28. Using a System Dynamics Tool Set to Enrich a 9th Grade
course In Human Geography - Rob Skiff, Jr. and Amy E.
Rowe, Center for System Dynamics, Vermont Commons School,
South Burlington, VT
During this past year, an interdisciplinary team of Vermont
Commons School teachers has worked to develop students' skills
in using systems tools to reconstruct three important transition
points in the human past (involving Easter Island, hunter-gatherer
civilizations in the past and present, and the role of cod
in the European and American experiences during the last five
hundred years and beyond) and to hypothesize and simulate
alternative pasts ("What if..."). By engaging participants
in a "hands-on" tour of the materials and a review
of classroom experiences, workshop facilitators seek to illuminate
how, where, and why the social sciences are a powerful vehicle
for developing students' systemic thinking.
29. Balancing Feedback - A Flashlight and Thermostat -
Physical Demonstration of the Dynamics in Action - Larry
Weathers, Harvard Public Schools, Harvard MA
A demonstration workshop where a physical device in all of
our homes is used to physically demonstrate how balancing
feedback leads to goal seeking behavior.
30. Building Community, Trust and Shared Vision -
Doug Stilwell, Principal, Crestview Elementary School, and
Donna Wilkin, Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning,
West Des Moines Community School District, West Des Moines,
IA
As our society transitions beyond an industrial-based system,
what must school districts do to move beyond their industrial-based
model? We'll share some of the successes and challenges we
have found as we have looked at schools, learning, and our
roles as educators in fundamentally different ways. Examples
include viewing classrooms as "learning cafes" where
students build community through meaningful conversations;
understanding how "trust" and "mistrust"
impact everything we do as educators; and creating a shared
vision for the future with staff, students and community members.
By learning how schools, businesses and other aspects of our
society can flow together towards a more humane, energized
and creative future, we hope to attain our district's shared
vision to know and lift every child and inspire joy in learning.
Session
Handout
31. "So, how do we know this is working?" Teachers
research the effects of ST/DM on student learning. Presentations
on: Elementary Social Development; Elementary Inventions;
Middle School Language Arts/Social Studies; Middle School
Current Events; Middle School Interdisciplinary - Waters Foundation
Teachers and Mentors: Gloria O'Neill, Ann Arbor; Donna Holm,
CFSD; Gaylen Brannon, Portland; Gary Howard, Vermont; Dick
Maki and Robin Goldstein, Harvard
See Session 6.
32. Modeling Workshop - Jeff Potash, John Heinbokel,
Paul Newton, Gordon Kubanek, Deb Lyneis, Jim Lyneis
See Session 7.
33. Can School Reform Get in the Way of Reforming Education?
A Simulator for Exploring Reform Strategies - Gary B.
Hirsch
School reform poses great challenges for school systems. This
workshop will present a simulator that school systems can
use to understand the dynamics of education reform and, at
an aggregate level, examine different strategies for implementing
reform. It is based on a System Dynamics model that represents
key causal relationships among elements of reform and between
reform and a system's ongoing operations. The simulator is
not intended as a forecasting tool or "how to" guide,
but a framework for helping school systems identify unanticipated
and potentially damaging consequences of reform efforts. Participants
will be able to suggest different combinations of reforms
to examine which ones can work well together and which ones
work at cross-purposes to produce undesirable results.
Session
Handout
34. Simulating a Disease Outbreak in Your Home Town - Ron Zaraza
Participants will learn how to stage a simulated disease outbreak
through the use of student activities and models. They will
participate in a shortened version of the Smallpox simulation
held in Portland in the spring of 2001. Copies of all models
and materials will be provided. Suggestions will also be provided
for modifying the activity for other diseases, as well as
for varying time length. The session will include a discussion
of the insights about building and using models with students
gained through the Portland simulation.
35. The Art & Science of Storytelling with STELLA® - Barry Richmond
Purpose of session: Train teachers, administrators on the
use of Storytelling features associated with the STELLA®
software, as well as the principles associated with telling
good stories. Participants will learn Storytelling software
mechanics and storytelling principles in the context of building
an interactive lecture. Participants then will be able to
work on a project of their own choosing, using a model that
they have brought along, or one of the more than twenty models
that HPS supplies.
36. Paper, Scissors and Glue: Making Sense of Systems.
A hands-on approach to ST/SD when computer technology is scarce - Cheryl Dow, Carson Middle School, Tucson, AZ and Tracy Benson
- Waters Foundation
Using a variety of paper shapes, folds and glue, participants
will learn how to make representations of systems commonly
taught in K-12 classrooms. Teachers will learn how to help
students develop and make 3-dimensional pop-up style books
that can enable students to represent their understanding
of the dynamics and interdependencies of systems. This approach
is supported by multiple intelligence research and activates
the right side of the brain in a seemingly left brain-dominant
field. This session is appropriate for educators of all ages.
Session
Handout
37. Hands-on Systems Applications in Elementary Classrooms - Joan Scurran and Julie Guerrero, Waters Foundation Systems
Mentors, Catalina Foothills School District, Tucson, AZ
A hands-on workshop where participants will experience current
elementary school activities that use systems concepts and
tools to reach the school district's curricular standards,
derived from national standards, in Social Studies, Literature,
and Science. Each activity will be presented as it has been
used in the classroom, including the teacher language and
classroom management strategies used to promote students'
learning. These activities are embedded in lessons that have
been used in classrooms for two years or longer.
Session
Handout
38. How to Coach Yourself and Your Students to Create
Better Models - Michael Radzicki, Worcester Polytechnic
Institute
This session with a practiced system dynamicist will focus
on how to recognize the flaws in a model. Modeling experience
either individually or in the classroom is necessary. Some
of the topics which may be covered: (1) Model Boundary issues
(i.e., conceptualizing the model, deciding what to include
and at what level of aggregation), (2) Representation (i.e.,
how well have the flow equations been formulated? have feedback
loops been closed?), (3) Numeration/testing (is there a good
testing regimen? has the model been initialized in steady-state?
are the gf's appropriately formulated, and (4) Communicating
(how well has the understanding been "made available"
for someone else to rediscover?).
39. Systems Thinking Playbook - Dennis Meadows and
Linda Booth-Sweeney
A new edition of the Systems Thinking Playbook is now available.
260 pages in Vols. I, II, & III tell teachers how to introduce,
conduct, and debrief 30 games that convey important insights
about paradigms, system structure, and behavior. Co-authors
Linda Booth-Sweeney and Dennis Meadows will offer their views
on principles for using these exercises in teaching, and they
will demonstrate the best of their new games with concrete
guidelines for facilitation. There will be time in the workshop
for participants to share their own experiences-triumphs and
problems- in using Playbook games from Vols I&II.
Session
Handout
Monday Sessions
Saturday
Sessions - Sunday
Sessions - Monday Sessions
40. Making Better Decisions Using System Dynamics And
Computer Modeling - Daniel D. Burke, Deputy Director for
Education CNA Corporation
School systems are continually faced with the need to use
their limited resources wisely to meet critical needs. System
dynamics and computer modeling represent largely untapped
tools that could help district leaders determine the most
effective use of their resources. This example addresses the
need of most school districts to offer professional development
opportunities that increase teachers' capacity to use the
new curriculum content standards and student-centered instructional
techniques. Use of the model allows us to develop answers
to the following questions: Can a district build capacity
in a critical mass of teachers in a reasonable time period
by using workshops to deliver professional development? What
are some of the factors that impact this? What are the costs
associated with workshops?
41. Teaching Environmental Systems - Kristen Mahoney
Environmental issues related to many aspects of sustainability
are readily accessible with a systems approach. Students employ
BOTG's, CLD's and models to examine the "big" ideas
in environmental studies: population and resources, food and
land, energy, pollution, and sustainable futures. In this
one semester course, high school students study the principles
of systems in class and at home, employing MSST lessons (Heinbokel
and Potash). Students learn the SD methodology and how it
can be employed to understand complex issues and ask better
questions. The course is project based and includes a "make-a-difference"
component, where students study and propose policies that
impact a local or school issue.
42. Using Dynamic Simulation as a "Real-World"
Laboratory to Better Understand Physics - Gary B. Hirsch
Dynamic simulation has great potential as a tool for teaching
physics and science in general. This presentation will demonstrate
a family of simulators designed to teach topics in physics
including circular motion, collisions, energy storage, and
heat flow. These simulators provide students with laboratories
for doing experiments in the context of real-world situations
such as driving, home energy conservation, and sports. Examples
of experiments that students might do with each of the simulators
will be presented and discussed. The simulators were designed
to serve as companions to a curriculum called Active Physics
(AP) which was created with NSF support to make the subject
more appealing and understandable to the majority of high
school students who otherwise do not study physics.
Session
Handout
43. Uncharted Territory: Facilitating Systemic Change
in Public School Districts - Charles M. Reigeluth and
Roberto Joseph, Indiana University
The focus of this presentation will be on ideas, principles,
and guidelines for facilitating systemic change in public
school systems. Much of the presentation will revolve around
the Guidance System for Transforming Education (GSTE) developed
by Jenlink, Reigeluth, Carr-Chellman, and Nelson. The GSTE
provides guidelines to a facilitator engaging in a district-wide
change process. The guidelines are organized into Discrete
and Continuous Events that have been found to be fundamental
to any systemic change effort in public school systems. Since
November 2000, the presenters have been conducting developmental
research on the GSTE in a small urban school district in Indianapolis.
The research results, as well as recommendations for improving
the GSTE, will be presented. These results have the potential
to inform the theory base on how to best work with school
districts in a systemic change effort.
44. History and Biology of Smallpox: Large-Scale Integrated
Curriculum for High School Application - Jeff Potash and
John Heinbokel, Center for Interdisciplinary Excellence in
System Dynamics, South Burlington, VT
Recently we were challenged to develop curricular materials
to explore system dynamics as a foundation for engaging high
school students in interdisciplinary studies. We needed to:
engage student interest, be responsive to the schools' need
to meet specific learning standards, foster an appreciation
for crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries to address
"real-world" issues, and provide students and teachers
with opportunities to develop system dynamics mind-sets and
tool-sets that could transfer to other scenarios. We revised
our collegiate course, "Plagues and People," that
focused on the impact of epidemic disease on human history.
Here we chose to focus consistently on a single disease, smallpox,
that has, over millennia, killed more than 100 million individuals.
The package consists of 10 case studies; four of the cases
have a primary biological focus, four focus on history, and
two are interdisciplinary. Each is designed to be free-standing,
but to also draw on the insights from other cases and to lead
into yet others. Each utilizes a variety of system dynamics-based
explorations and provides opportunities for students and teachers
with widely differing system dynamics exposure and ability.
Collectively, they provide a rich mosaic of intellectual explorations
that bridge traditional but limiting barriers separating academic
disciplines.
Session
Handout
45. Bathtub Dynamics: What do people know about stocks,
flows, and other important systems thinking concepts? - John D. Sterman (with Linda Booth Sweeney and Ron Zaraza)
In a world of accelerating change, educators, business leaders,
environmentalists and scholars are calling for the development
of systems thinking. Courses in the K-12 grades, universities,
business schools, and corporations seek to teach people to
think systemically. But how do people learn to think systemically?
What systems concepts are most readily understood? Which tend
to be most difficult to grasp? We will present results experiments
designed to assess important systems thinking concepts such
as feedback, delays, and stocks and flows. For example, people
are shown a picture of a bathtub and a graph showing the rate
at which water flows into and drains out of the tub. They
are then asked to sketch a graph showing the amount of water
in the tub over time. We found that students from elite business
schools with essentially no prior exposure to system dynamics
concepts did extremely poorly, showing weak understanding
of stock and flow concepts. Ron Zaraza will give the results
of asking the same questions to high school students who have
had exposure to system dynamics. We will discuss implications
of these results for important real world issues including
global warming. We hope to start a dialogue with the participants
at the conference about the implications of these results
for systems thinking curricula in the K-12 setting and beyond.
We will also make the tasks we used available for participants
to use in their own teaching.
Session
Handouts
46. Understanding a World of Change-in the Northwest and
in Canada - Tim Joy and Gordon Kubanek
Two systems courses and their genesis and evolution will be
presented: Northwest Rhythms: Understanding a world of change
describes the six-year evolution of a systems course from
predominantly system dynamics simulation to the use of various
systems and writing tools to understand the rhythms and patterns
of the Pacific Northwest. Hear a story fraught with troubles
and possibilities: politics, gender, technology, storytelling,
and moral dilemmas. A new system dynamics course in Ontario:
Inspired by a student from DynamiQueST, the author wrote a
course in collaboration with the University of Ottawa Economics
and Systems Science Departments using a series of historical
case studies. Each case study highlighted the application
of a particular systems tool or method in understanding an
economic, political, environmental, psychological or historical
event. Building from an understanding of the systems worldview,
students then learn basic computer modeling skills and use
a group research project to focus and further develop their
skills on a current event of their choice. The author will
highlight the challenges faced when trying to integrate a
new SD course into a very rigidly controlled curriculum and
a school district in transition.
Session
Handout
47. "So, how do we know this is working?" Teachers
research the effects of ST/DM on student learning. Presentations
on: Elementary Social Development; Middle School Writing;
High School Social Studies; Elementary Literature; Middle
School Math - Waters Foundation Teachers and Mentors: Marie
Lemmer, Ann Arbor; Steve Kipp, Georgia; Brett Goble, CFSD;
Linda Phelan, CFSD; Anne Boswell, Portland
See Session 6.
Simulating a Disease Outbreak in Your Home Town -
Ron Zaraza
Participants will learn how to stage a simulated disease
outbreak through the use of student activities and models.
They will participate in a shortened version of the Smallpox
simulation held in Portland in the spring of 2001. Copies
of all models and materials will be provided. Suggestions
will also be provided for modifying the activity for other
diseases, as well as for varying time length. The session
will include a discussion of the insights about building
and using models with students gained through the Portland
simulation
Workshop
Handouts
