Systems Are Dynamic
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© 2006 FACING THE FUTURE: PEOPLE AND THE PLANET www.facingthefuture.org
SYSTEMS ARE DYNAMIC
ENGAGING STUDENTS THROUGH GLOBAL ISSUES
Students experience the dynamic,
interconnected, and self-organizing nature of
systems through an exercise in which they
move around an open space trying to keep
an equal distance between themselves and 2
other people.
OVERVIEW
• What is the inherent nature of a system?
• How can understanding the nature of
systems help us find solutions to large,
complex problems?
INQUIRY/CRITICAL
THINKING QUESTIONS
OBJECTIVES
Students will:
• Experience and discuss the dynamic,
interconnected, and self-organizing
nature of systems
• Consider how understanding the
nature of systems can help us find
sustainable solutions
• Social Studies (Geography,
Economics, Global Studies)
• Science (Life, Environmental,
Physical)
SUBJECT AREAS
GRADE LEVEL: 5–12
NATIONAL STANDARDS
CONSISTENCY
• NCSS: 3, 7, 8, 9
• NSES: A, C, E, F
• Systems dynamics
• Interconnectedness
• Self-organizing systems
KEY ISSUES/CONCEPTS
TIME REQUIRED: 30 minutes
Activity
Introduction
1. Ask students to define a “system”.
What are some of the defining features
of a system? (e.g. a system has
many parts that work together; if you
change 1 part it affects other parts; if
you remove or add something it can
change the whole system; a system
is made of interconnected parts; a
system can be something in nature,
or it can be mechanical or human).
Ask for examples of systems that they
encounter, use, or are a part of.
2. Explain to the students that they are
FTF Related Reading
• Intermediate: Chapter 1 from
Global Issues and Sustainable Solutions
• Advanced: Unit 1 from It’s All Connected
Materials/Preparation
• No materials needed, but you will need a
large open space to conduct the activity
• This activity works best if students have
a very basic understanding of systems.
Facing the Future related readings
(above) provide more than enough
background to conduct this activity.
(Variations of this activity have been used for many years, in a variety of educational
settings, to provide a direct experience of the dynamic nature of systems.)
LESSON
7
Systems Are Dynamic
going to do an exercise to help them
understand the dynamic nature of
systems.
Steps
1. Have the students stand randomly in
a large open space either indoors or
outside.
2. Give the following 2 instructions:
• Mentally select 2 other people in the
group, without indicating whom
you have chosen.
• Move so as to keep
an equal distance
between you and
each of these
2 people at all
times. This does
not mean simply
remaining at the
midpoint between
them.
3. To pursue this
objective, students
will begin to circulate,
each movement
triggering many others
in an active, interdependent
fashion. Movement may speed
up for a while, then may abate,
accelerate, and again slow down toward
equilibrium, but it rarely reaches stasis.
4. Let the movement continue for 3 or 4
minutes, then, as activity lessens, have
students pause where they are and
begin the reflection questions.
Lesson Variation: Have 2 students stay
outside the room during instructions,
then call them in at a certain point
during the activity and ask them to try
to detect what is happening. When
the process halts and they learn
(or have discovered) the principle
guiding people’s movements, ask the
observers if they could organize this
complex process from the outside. This
highlights the principle that relations
within systems are so complex that
they can only self-regulate. You can
also invite the observers to walk
quietly through the game
while it is in progress.
The observers and the
players will notice that
this pass-through
does not affect or
disrupt the game,
since the players
are moving solely
in relation to each
other. This models
how humans can pass
through a system (such
as a forest or a swamp)
and not disrupt its defining
relations.
Assessment
Reflection Questions
For Intermediate and Advanced Students
• Have the students describe what happened.
Begin by asking, “What did you experience?”
Their reflection may bring out some key
features of self-regulating systems, such
as the interdependence of all parts and
the continuous process of seeking and
maintaining balance. Students may realize
that they thought the point of the game was
to achieve stasis, whereas in fact the game
demonstrated that self-regulating systems
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© 2006 FACING THE FUTURE: PEOPLE AND THE PLANET www.facingthefuture.org
SYSTEMS ARE DYNAMIC
ENGAGING STUDENTS THROUGH GLOBAL ISSUES LESSON
7
Systems Are Dynamic
Action Projects
• Have students identify a local system (e.g. your
school or classroom, watershed, park, or forest)
and the changes that could be introduced to
that system to make a positive difference.
• Visit www.facingthefuture.org, click on Take
Action, then Fast Facts and Quick Actions
for information and action opportunities on a
variety of local and global issues.
Additional Resources
Films
• MindWalk, Bernt Capra (based on the book
The Turning Point by Fritjof Capra), 1990,
112 minutes. A U.S. politician, a poet, and a
scientist discuss their philosophies of life while
walking through an island off the coast of
France.
http://www.fritjofcapra.net/mindwalk.html
Books
• The Web of Life: A New Scientific
Understanding of Living Systems, Fritjof
Capra, Anchor, 1997. Capra sets forth a
new scientific language to describe the
interrelationships and interdependence of
psychological, biological, physical, social, and
cultural phenomena.
Websites
• www.pegasuscom.com - Pegasus
Communications’ website provides systems
thinking resources to help individuals, teams,
and organizations understand and address
the challenges and complexities of a changing
world.
• www.sustainabilityinstitute.org –
The Sustainability Institute focuses
on understanding the root causes of
unsustainable behavior in complex systems
and, through projects and training, helps
people shift their mindsets and restructure
systems in ways that move us toward a
sustainable society.
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© 2006 FACING THE FUTURE: PEOPLE AND THE PLANET www.facingthefuture.org
SYSTEMS ARE DYNAMIC
ENGAGING STUDENTS THROUGH GLOBAL ISSUES
require constant internal activity.
• Where was your attention focused when you
were doing this activity? Were you focused on
the big picture or the small details? Were you
focused on your own actions or the actions of
others? Why is this perception important?
• What other systems can you think of that are
interconnected, dynamic, and self regulating?
(e.g. the human body, an automobile, a natural
habitat, etc.)
• Why and how is it helpful to understand
these aspects of a system? How can this
understanding of systems help us to figure out
solutions to large and complicated global issues?
• How far-reaching are the effects of one small,
intentional change within a system? What
might the implications of this be for making
positive changes to a system?
For Advanced Students
• What kinds of feedback helped us to fulfill the
function of the activity (staying equidistant
from 2 others)? Could we have done it with
our eyes closed? The ensuing discussion can
address how not only visual perceptions, but
feedback of all kinds, guide us in our daily
lives in the systems we co-create at home,
work, and school.
• Would anyone volunteer to organize this
process? It is obvious that no party or person
on the outside could direct the movements
necessary to keep this system in balance.
Writing Connection
Have students create a “cluster” graphic
organizer following these guidelines: Choose
a global issue and write that in the center of
the paper. Write as many connecting issues
as you can think of around the issue. Write as
many other issues you can think of that affect
or are affected by these issues and connect
them with lines. Write a short summary
explaining the cluster.
LESSON
7