Subject: Looking for a systems makeover

Posted by Niall Palfreyman on 10/2/2009
In Reply To:Looking for a systems makeover Posted by Linda Booth Sweeney on 10/1/2009

Message:

Linda Booth Sweeney schrieb:
> I have the good fortune to be spending the day with a group of K-12
> teachers exploring ways to integrated systems concepts and tools into
> their curriculum.
> As part of our time together, we will be doing ³systems makeovers² of
> an existing piece of curriculum e.g., integrating systems thinking
> content into curriculum.
>
Hello Linda,
I don't know if it's of use, but I have in the past introduced SD at three different points to my undergraduates:

1. For one year I consistently used SD for first-year undergraduate physics, however in the end I dropped it because I found it too difficult to marry the modelling with the syllabus I had to cover. The SD approach led to much greater depth and (I am convinced) understanding, but this also made it difficult for me to find time to cover all of the syllabus in the allotted time. So my problem was not so much with SD as with the external constraints on the course - I'ld love to try it again one day. Oh, and an additional problem was that Stella didn't cope too well with spatial change, so for instance while I found SD beautiful for introducing a discussion of vibrations, I never did manage to create a good SD introduction to waves (because they move through space).

2. Towards the end of the first year, when we're covering differential equation, I use the lovely scenarios from Steven Strogatz's book "", where he uses different kinds of relationship between Romeo and Juliette to illustrate differential equations. We do that using a graphical SD editor. I used to just introduce differential equations, but Romeo and Juliette is much more fun for all of us, and emphasises the storytelling character of dynamical systems.

2. Halfway through the second year we then look at the strange things like oscillations, chaos and bifurcation which can occur in dynamical systems. Again I used to analyse the differential equations, but using SD makes it so much more accessible, and above all makes the relationship to the real world much clearer.

In both of these cases I could provide Before and After versions of the course scripts, if they're of use to you.

Best wishes,
Niall Palfreyman.

Follow Ups:

Looking for a systems makeover - Niall Palfreyman 10/2/2009 
Looking for a systems makeover - David Wheat 10/2/2009
Looking for a systems makeover - Lascelles Anderson 10/2/2009
Looking for a systems makeover - Gene Bellinger 10/2/2009