Integrating Systems Thinking into Science Education and Curriculum
April 24, 2024 at 9 am NY | 2 pm London | 9 pm Beijing | Time Converter
Integrating Systems Thinking into Science Education and Curriculum
For teaching and learning science through rich-contexts and complex real-world scenarios, application of systems thinking approaches offers convenient platform. This framework can be well integrated into problem-based learning, learning from case studies, project-based approaches etc. Compared to reductionist approach, systems approach will also facilitate students’ holistic and interdisciplinary understanding about a complex problem. Along these lines, this seminar focuses to explore the scope of applying systems thinking concepts into science teaching and curriculum with a focus in the context of chemistry teaching and learning.
About the Presenter
Dr. Bellam Sreenivasulu, Senior Lecturer and Resident Fellow at the Residential College-4 (RC4), National University of Singapore (NUS), holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ASTAR, ICES). He has extensive teaching experience in chemistry and applied chemistry such as supramolecular chemistry. Currently, at RC4, Dr. Bellam specializes in systems thinking and system dynamics (ST&SD) curriculum with a focus on modeling real-world complex problems in relation to energy systems- sustainable energy, renewable energy, carbon emissions etc. He also teaches topics such as ‘Sleep Health for Holistic Wellbeing’ applying systems thinking approach. His educational research interests include chemistry education, ST&SD education exploring students’ learning and misconceptions in these areas.
Hands-On Workshop: Modeling Non-Renewable Resources Dynamics
Feb 21, 2024 at 9 am NY | 2 pm London | 10 pm Beijing | Time Converter
Hands-On Workshop: System Dynamics Modeling Non-Renewable Resources Dynamics
This session about modeling the depletion of non-renewable resources is intended to enable participants to understand the problem holistically through systems approach. First, they will learn to construct causal loop diagrams (feedback loops) by applying systems thinking concepts, and then learn to develop stock and flow diagrams as models for simulations to study how a system structure generates the behavior of overshoot and collapse of non-renewable resources. At the end of this session, the participants will be enabled to:
- Identify the cause and effect interactions among the key variables in the given system scenario to develop feedback loops
- Build stock and flow diagram to quantify the model on Vensim
- Run the simulations on Vensim to observe predicted dynamic behavior
- Propose policies for sustainable use of resources
This hands-on practice session is intended to engage beginners in the field of systems thinking and System Dynamics. It is expected to run for 2 hours.
About the Instructor
Dr. Bellam Sreenivasulu, Senior Lecturer and Resident Fellow at the Residential College-4 (RC4), National University of Singapore (NUS), holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ASTAR, ICES). He has extensive teaching experience in chemistry and applied chemistry such as supramolecular chemistry. Currently, at RC4, Dr. Bellam specializes in systems thinking and system dynamics (ST&SD) curriculum with a focus on modeling real-world complex problems in relation to energy systems- sustainable energy, renewable energy, carbon emissions etc. He also teaches topics such as ‘Sleep Health for Holistic Wellbeing’ applying systems thinking approach. His educational research interests include chemistry education, ST&SD education exploring students’ learning and misconceptions in these areas.
Navigating Client Dissatisfaction
11 am NY | 3 pm London | 11 pm Beijing | Time Converter
Navigating Client Dissatisfaction
Every consultant has their share of success stories, but what happens when the client doesn’t like the analysis? Dive deep into the realities of professional consultancy where not every project ends with a fairy tale conclusion. In this session, Dennis Sherwood will share his personal journey of a decade-long engagement with a government client. Through this lens, he will shed light on the complexities and challenges faced when results don’t align with client expectations.
Join us to:
- Delve into the intricate dynamics of client relationships beyond conventional success narratives.
- Unpack strategies to manage, navigate, and turn around situations when clients are dissatisfied with the outcomes.
- Engage in an open forum to share your own experiences of when project outcomes diverged from client expectations.
About the Presenter
Dennis Sherwood has championed organizational innovation and creativity for over 20 years through his UK-based consultancy. A fervent advocate of systems thinking, Dennis’s vast experience ranges from being a consulting partner at Deloitte to holding pivotal roles at establishments like Goldman Sachs and SRI Consulting. An acclaimed author, Dennis has authored 15 books on topics spanning innovation, creativity, and systems thinking, with titles such as “Seeing the Forest for the Trees” and “How to Be Creative: A Practical Guide for the Mathematical Sciences.” Join us as Dennis unravels the nuances of client relationships, providing invaluable insights from his distinguished career.
Systems Thinking Through Storytelling
1 pm NY | 6 pm London | 2 am (Nov 16) Beijing | Time Converter
Systems Thinking Through Storytelling
Join us for a free seminar with Linda Booth Sweeney and Philip Ramsey, systems educators and authors whose books help teach about systems thinking through storytelling.
Linda will share “Curious about Connections,” a simple, inquiry-based teaching framework that fosters collaborative, inclusive dialogue while promoting systems thinking, critical thinking, communication skills, and empathy. She’ll demonstrate how to use this facilitation method using picture books as well as everyday scenarios. She is excited to share this facilitation method with our System Dynamics community and to explore ways families, teachers, and professionals can use it in a variety of settings.
Phil will share about his newly published Billibonk and Frankl book series, a collection of captivating jungle-based fables that showcase principles of systems thinking through the experiences of various animal characters. The stories are engaging and relatable to both children and adults, as they demonstrate how different species in the jungle learn to collaborate and solve problems together. The Billibonk and Frankl stories aim to help children see systems and interdependencies in the world around them.
About the Speakers
Linda Booth Sweeney is an educator, writer and strategist for healthy socio-ecological systems change, Dr. Linda Booth Sweeney is internationally recognized for her efforts to make systems thinking actionable by a wide range of audiences. In her Systems Leadership Labs, Linda creates experiences for leaders to think differently, and to experiment with language, visualization tools and knowledge architecture that better mirrors the complexity they are navigating. She is co-author of The Systems Thinking Playbook, The Climate Change Playbook, and numerous other books and journal articles. Her next book, Apart Together, is a gentle introduction to systems thinking for children and will be published by Balzer & Bray in October 2023. Linda holds her doctorate from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and lives outside of Boston where she enjoys swimming in Walden Pond and amateur farming. For more information, see:
(systems), www.lindaboothsweeney.net
(children’s) www.lindaboothsweeney.com
(metaverse) https://togglelab.com
Phil is a Senior lecturer at Massey University in New Zealand, where he teaches Organizational Learning, Leadership, and Teamwork. He also works as a Director of Incite Learning, a consulting company that mainly works with schools, helping school leaders apply Organizational Learning concepts to solve tough problems.
Digital Twin Business Models for Strategy and Operational Management
11 am NY | 4 pm London | 12 am Beijing | Time Converter
Digital Twin Business Models for Strategy and Operational Management
In the business field, dynamic models have long been used for simulating long-term plans (3+ years) and medium-term challenges and issues playing out over a few months or quarters. But models have also been used to understand shorter-term phenomena, such as in supply-chain and service-delivery cases. Often, though, the same structures and mechanisms operate over both short and long-time scales. Examples include customer acquisition and retention, and staffing (hiring, promotion, and turnover), and performance-improvement programs. This webinar will show how a single model can capture both short-term and strategic views of the same issue, enabling management to have a coherent long-term plan and to check the impact of that plan on short-term tactical episodes. Taken to the extreme, this approach can get close to offering a “digital twin” of a business or some part of the business, that closely matches its actual performance as well as the development of the wider system that drives that performance. Similar considerations may well apply to plans and challenges in other domains. In this webinar, you will learn:
- The benefits of using System Dynamics to capture both short-term and long-term perspectives of a business issue.
- How to design and implement effective digital twin architectures that can improve organizational performance.
- Real-world examples and case studies of how System Dynamics and digital twins have been used to optimize business performance and drive competitive advantage.