System Dynamics in Education: Commonality of Structure and Behaviour

System Dynamics In Education :

Commonality of Structure and Behaviour

By Mario deSantis, March 29, 1999

In our past articles on System Dynamics we have emphasised the need of educational reform under

building models of the real world and simulate their behaviour over time the understanding that knowledge is constructed and that learning is a natural extension of living and

relating to one another. We also mentioned that schools must become Learning Organizations and

use the related comprehensive discipline of System Thinking⁽¹⁾ for increasing the learning capacities

of our students. As a consequence, the role of the teacher would not be one of transferring his

knowledge to the students but one of providing the proper different environments for facilitating the

natural learning of all the students. Students must become engaged⁽²⁾ in their studies and use the

new technologies, including the Internet, along with the educational approach of System Dynamics

for building models of the real world and simulate their behaviour over time.

System Dynamics⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾, as a generic methodology to build complex models, provides a common

knowledge has always been presented as a series of static facts disassociated from time denominator for learning many academic disciplines, such as mathematics, biology, chemistry,

ecology, physics, history, and literature. Models can be constructed from the microworlds of these

disciplines and the understanding of their structures and behaviour transcends any particular

discipline. It is important to point out that one of the major failures of our school system, and

indirectly of our social decision-making processes, is the neglect of the time element associated to

the learning of our academic disciplines. In schools, knowledge has always been presented as a

series of static facts disassociated from time. And, it is not an understatement to say, that this static

view of the world has produced the many current incompetent leaders, who are paid the big buck

to make the so called tough decisions: black or white, shoot or not shoot⁽⁵⁾, pro-life or

pro-abortion, and so forth.

I have provided in this article the documentation of the model "SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF

The model is made up of variables,
which are the components of the system, and of arrows describing the interrelation
-ships between the variables. EXPONENTIAL GROWTH-COMPOUND INTEREST" developed through the effective

Vensim PLE⁽⁶⁾ software. The purpose for presenting this model is to describe the basic

terminology used in System Dynamics and at the same time appreciate the kind of fundamental

basic learning it provides. The model represents the accrual over a 10 year period of an initial

$100.00 saved in a bank account at the fixed interest rate of 12% compounded annually. The

model is made up of variables, which are the components of the system, and of arrows

describing the interrelationships between the variables. Variables which are stocks⁽⁷⁾ are

defined by a box, and variables representing flows are defined by a directional valve. In our

case, the variable "Savings" is a stock and it is expressed in $, while the variable

"interest flow" is a flow and it is expressed in $/year; that is the variable "Savings" is the sum

of the initial deposited of $100.00 and of the related interest flows over the next 10 years. All

the variables have numerical formulations through equations; in this case the "interest rate" is

set at .12 and the variable "interest flow" is found by multiplying the variable "Savings" by the

"interest rate" at the end of every year for the 10 year period.

The concepts of stock and flow are omnipresent in our daily lives and provide an earlier

structure and behaviour can be found in the study of other parts of the real world understanding of the mathematical concepts of integral and derivative⁽⁸⁾. The building of

models is an interative and creative process. Further, the setting of relationships and equations

for the variables is a critical thinking process which includes particular attention to the units

of measure of all the variables in the model. The exponential behaviour of the accumulation of

the variable "Savings" is a very common phenomenon in our biological and social

environments and therefore the same model, stucture and behaviour can be found in the

study of other parts of the real world. This is the beauty of System Dynamics, the

opportunity to have a comprehensive, multi disciplinary, participative and unambiguous

approach to address our realities and learn how to learn together.

---Endnotes:

1.
-
Systems Dynamics in Education: Systems Thinking and Systems Dynamics, by Mario deSantis, February 26, 1999. Published in the North Central Internet News

2.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
We have today, the technologies to produce "virtual realities", where people can feel, see, and experience "real realities". We can specifically refer to the current flight simulators to train pilots of commercial or military plane jets. We can also refer to the virtual realities available on CD-ROM such as SIMCITY 3000, by Electronic Art, EMERGENCY ROOM 2, by Legacy Software, and TITANIC: CHALLENGE OF DISCOVERY, by Robert Ballard, who envisions virtual explorations conducted on the Internet. Says Ballard "...We could replicate your head... You can hear, you can see,... and you can talk..." (Playing Games on the Internet, by Suzanne Kantra Kirschner, Popular Science Magazine, December 1998). However, Barry Richmond clarifies that "...no matter how advanced the technology gets, it will always be only part of the solution. If people are to make sense of their experiences in virtual realities, they must have the capacity for understanding the underlying closed-loop framework that is generating these experiences. They must be capable of thinking both systemically and dynamically. In short, they must be systems thinkers..." (Systems thinking: critical thinking skills for the 1990s and beyond, Barry Richmond, Road Maps 6, System Dynamics in Education Project, MIT http://sysdyn.mit.edu)

3.
-
-
A general definition of System Dynamics would be the discipline for learning the real world through feedback computer modelling and simulation, and it would certainly include the mentioned virtual realities.

4.
-
System Dynamics in Education Project, System Dynamics Group, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology http://sysdyn.mit.edu

5.
-
Regina Police Shoot and Kill 15 Year-Old, by Timothy Shire, September 12, 1998. Article published in the North Central Internet News

6.
-
Vensim PLE is the free of charge introductory educational package published by Ventana Systems, Inc. http://www.vensim.com

7.
Stocks are also called accumulators or levels.

8.
At any time the derivative of the stock is equal to the related flow.

System Dynamics In Education :
Commonality of Structure and Behaviour
*By Mario deSantis, March 29, 1999*

	In our past articles on System Dynamics we have emphasised the need of educational reform under
building models of the real world and simulate their behaviour over time	the understanding that knowledge is constructed and that learning is a natural extension of living and
	relating to one another. We also mentioned that schools must become Learning Organizations and
	use the related comprehensive discipline of System Thinking⁽¹⁾ for increasing the learning capacities
	of our students. As a consequence, the role of the teacher would not be one of transferring his
	knowledge to the students but one of providing the proper different environments for facilitating the
	natural learning of all the students. Students must become engaged⁽²⁾ in their studies and use the
	new technologies, including the Internet, along with the educational approach of System Dynamics
	for building models of the real world and simulate their behaviour over time.

	System Dynamics⁽³⁾ ⁽⁴⁾, as a generic methodology to build complex models, provides a common
knowledge has always been presented as a series of static facts disassociated from time	denominator for learning many academic disciplines, such as mathematics, biology, chemistry,
	ecology, physics, history, and literature. Models can be constructed from the microworlds of these
	disciplines and the understanding of their structures and behaviour transcends any particular
	discipline. It is important to point out that one of the major failures of our school system, and
	indirectly of our social decision-making processes, is the neglect of the time element associated to
	the learning of our academic disciplines. In schools, knowledge has always been presented as a
	series of static facts disassociated from time. And, it is not an understatement to say, that this static
	view of the world has produced the many current incompetent leaders, who are paid the big buck
	to make the so called tough decisions: black or white, shoot or not shoot⁽⁵⁾, pro-life or
	pro-abortion, and so forth.

	I have provided in this article the documentation of the model "SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF
The model is made up of variables, which are the components of the system, and of arrows describing the interrelation -ships between the variables.	EXPONENTIAL GROWTH-COMPOUND INTEREST" developed through the effective
	Vensim PLE⁽⁶⁾ software. The purpose for presenting this model is to describe the basic
	terminology used in System Dynamics and at the same time appreciate the kind of fundamental
	basic learning it provides. The model represents the accrual over a 10 year period of an initial
	$100.00 saved in a bank account at the fixed interest rate of 12% compounded annually. The
	model is made up of variables, which are the components of the system, and of arrows
	describing the interrelationships between the variables. Variables which are stocks⁽⁷⁾ are
	defined by a box, and variables representing flows are defined by a directional valve. In our
	case, the variable "Savings" is a stock and it is expressed in $, while the variable
	"interest flow" is a flow and it is expressed in $/year; that is the variable "Savings" is the sum
	of the initial deposited of $100.00 and of the related interest flows over the next 10 years. All
	the variables have numerical formulations through equations; in this case the "interest rate" is
	set at .12 and the variable "interest flow" is found by multiplying the variable "Savings" by the
	"interest rate" at the end of every year for the 10 year period.

	The concepts of stock and flow are omnipresent in our daily lives and provide an earlier
structure and behaviour can be found in the study of other parts of the real world	understanding of the mathematical concepts of integral and derivative⁽⁸⁾. The building of
	models is an interative and creative process. Further, the setting of relationships and equations
	for the variables is a critical thinking process which includes particular attention to the units
	of measure of all the variables in the model. The exponential behaviour of the accumulation of
	the variable "Savings" is a very common phenomenon in our biological and social
	environments and therefore the same model, stucture and behaviour can be found in the
	study of other parts of the real world. This is the beauty of System Dynamics, the
	opportunity to have a comprehensive, multi disciplinary, participative and unambiguous
	approach to address our realities and learn how to learn together.

---Endnotes:

1. -	Systems Dynamics in Education: Systems Thinking and Systems Dynamics, by Mario deSantis, February 26, 1999. Published in the North Central Internet News

2. - - - - - - - - - - - - -	We have today, the technologies to produce "virtual realities", where people can feel, see, and experience "real realities". We can specifically refer to the current flight simulators to train pilots of commercial or military plane jets. We can also refer to the virtual realities available on CD-ROM such as SIMCITY 3000, by Electronic Art, EMERGENCY ROOM 2, by Legacy Software, and TITANIC: CHALLENGE OF DISCOVERY, by Robert Ballard, who envisions virtual explorations conducted on the Internet. Says Ballard "...We could replicate your head... You can hear, you can see,... and you can talk..." (Playing Games on the Internet, by Suzanne Kantra Kirschner, Popular Science Magazine, December 1998). However, Barry Richmond clarifies that "...no matter how advanced the technology gets, it will always be only part of the solution. If people are to make sense of their experiences in virtual realities, they must have the capacity for understanding the underlying closed-loop framework that is generating these experiences. They must be capable of thinking both systemically and dynamically. In short, they must be systems thinkers..." (Systems thinking: critical thinking skills for the 1990s and beyond, Barry Richmond, Road Maps 6, System Dynamics in Education Project, MIT http://sysdyn.mit.edu)

3. - -	A general definition of System Dynamics would be the discipline for learning the real world through feedback computer modelling and simulation, and it would certainly include the mentioned virtual realities.

4. -	System Dynamics in Education Project, System Dynamics Group, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology http://sysdyn.mit.edu

5. -	Regina Police Shoot and Kill 15 Year-Old, by Timothy Shire, September 12, 1998. Article published in the North Central Internet News

6. -	Vensim PLE is the free of charge introductory educational package published by Ventana Systems, Inc. http://www.vensim.com

7.	Stocks are also called accumulators or levels.

8.	At any time the derivative of the stock is equal to the related flow.