Getting started

The Creative Learning Exchange has created a packet of six articles that introduces the use of system dynamics in K-12 Education. These articles touch on the important concepts of system dynamics: How to implement SD in K-12 Education, and How to explain systems thinking in 25 words or less.

A Behavior-over-time Graph (or BOTG) is a line graph that shows a pattern of change over time. This foundational tool is instrumental in modeling and understanding many systems. By teaching how to create, use, and understand BOTGs, teachers can help students understand both simple and complex concepts in a more robust way. 

Stocks and Flows are the basic building blocks of system dynamics maps and models. By diagraming accumulations (stocks) and changes to these accumulations (flows) within a system, stock/flow diagrams allow people to visualize concrete and abstract concepts. 

Connection Circles are thinking tools that help us think about the underlying causes of complex issues. By tracing webs of causal relationships within systems, Connection Circles are used to uncover the causal loops beneath the observed problem. 

In Systems thinking, Causal Loop Diagrams (also known as CLDs) are used to show the feedback within a system. They diagram a problem using two types of loops -  balancing and reinforcing - which represent how changes in the starting variable can affect the system. 

Systems - especially complex ones - do not always act the way that we would intuitively expect them too. By applying common characteristics to complex systems, understanding of these systems becomes easier.