Welcome to the 2017 InTeGrate Professional Development Webinar Series Free and open to the public, this series aims to help faculty teach about the earth in the context of societal issues. The series incorporates InTeGrate principles into teaching practices, provides materials available for adoption, and creates a forum for participants to learn and share teaching strategies. Rory will introduce the series and say a few words about InTeGrate http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/workshops/webinars/2016_2017/systems_thinking/index.html

Fostering Systems Thinking in Your Students Lisa Gilbert Karl Kreutz John McDaris Williams College University of Maine SERC (Substitute moderator)

What does Systems Thinking mean to you? Please type your answers in the chat box 

http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/syst_thinking/index.html

Systems thinking takes time to develop Vocabulary Diagrams Read Create Modeling http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/syst_thinking/index.html

Systems thinking takes time to develop Vocabulary Diagrams Read Create Modeling Being explicit about a systems approach helps students generalize and apply the approach to other classes, problems. http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/syst_thinking/index.html

Why use systems thinking? To address complex environmental problems, we need to approach them holistically, not just one piece at a time. http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/syst_thinking/index.html

How do you rate your knowledge of systems diagrams right now? I've never heard of systems diagrams. I've heard of systems diagrams, but cannot elaborate. I could explain a little about systems diagrams. If given a systems diagram, I could explain it. I could create a systems diagram and then explain it.

How do you rate your knowledge of systems diagrams right now?

Goals Define systems terminology. Read and interpret simple systems diagrams. Evaluate a systems diagram’s fit to a description of a complex problem.

Here is a simple system: Water in bathtub faucet drain

The water in the bathtub is the reservoir Water in bathtub faucet drain We measure the amount in the reservoir Water level in cm Liters or Gallons

The faucet represents a flux Water in bathtub faucet drain We measure the rate of water flowing through the faucet cm/second Liters/second

The drain also represents a flux Water in bathtub faucet drain We measure the rate of water flowing through the drain cm/second Liters/second

Open system Water in bathtub faucet drain We haven’t connected both ends of the arrows to the ultimate sources and sinks of water.

Water in hot water heater Closed system Water in bathtub faucet drain Now we don’t have any unconnected arrows! Basement tank

Water in hot water heater Closed system Water in bathtub faucet drain Now we don’t have any unconnected arrows! But once the hot water heater is empty, no more baths…? Basement tank

Closed system with feedback loop Water in hot water heater Closed system with feedback loop Water in bathtub faucet drain To recycle bathwater, you might connect a home water-purifying system… purifier Basement tank

Which type of feedback loop? Water in hot water heater Balancing (negative) feedback loops hold a system to an equilibrium state and make it more stable. Reinforcing (positive) feedback loops tend to move a system away from equilibrium and make it more unstable. Which type of feedback loop? Water in bathtub faucet drain purifier Basement tank

Which type of feedback loop? Water in hot water heater Balancing (negative) feedback loops hold a system to an equilibrium state and make it more stable. Reinforcing (positive) feedback loops tend to move a system away from equilibrium and make it more unstable. Which type of feedback loop? Water in bathtub faucet drain purifier Basement tank

Reinforcing feedback loops underlie many environmental problems What are some examples? Type your answer into the chat box  Recall: Reinforcing feedback loops tend to make a system more unstable.

Recall our goals Define systems terminology. Read and interpret simple systems diagram. Evaluate a diagram’s fit to a description of a system.

Recall our goals Define systems terminology. Reservoir, flux, feedback loop Read and interpret simple systems diagram. Bathtub example Evaluate a diagram’s fit to a description of a system. Now we’ll do this

Dry trees, plants in Canada Length of summer Heat in the atmosphere Dry trees, plants in Canada Smoke over Minnesota Wildfire Does the diagram fully represent the complexity of the system described by the speaker? If not, add to the diagram. Radiative heating Feel free to type ideas into chat box while we listen http://www.mprnews.org/listen?name=/minnesota/podcasts/climate_cast/2015/07/millerclimatecast_20150709 (until Eric S. Kasischke begins speaking)

Dry trees, plants in Canada Length of summer Heat in the atmosphere Dry trees, plants in Canada Smoke over Canada Wildfire Wind Radiative heating Radiative heating One option Smoke over Minnesota Albedo Dirty/sooty ice Deposition

Identify feedback loops Length of summer Heat in the atmosphere Dry trees, plants Identify feedback loops Smoke over Canada Wildfire Wind + Radiative heating Radiative heating melting + Smoke over Minnesota Albedo Dirty/sooty ice Deposition

Summary Define systems terminology. Reservoir, flux, feedback loop Read and interpret simple systems diagram. Bathtub example Evaluate a systems diagram’s fit to a description of a complex problem. Wildfires in Minnesota and climate

How do you rate your knowledge of systems diagrams right now? I've never heard of systems diagrams. I've heard of systems diagrams, but cannot elaborate. I could explain a little about systems diagrams. If given a systems diagram, I could explain it. I could create a systems diagram and then explain it. https://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/pFen9tQ3UJEhXVd

How do you rate your knowledge of systems diagrams right now?

Systems Thinking module Units 1 and 2 – designed to be used early in a course then reinforced later Units 3 and 4 – ideally used after systems thinking concepts are introduced in Units 1 and 2; goals include using systems models to explore equilibrium/non-equilibrium behavior and feedbacks Units 5 and 6 – Application and synthesis at the end of a course

Why use a systems model?

Systems model of the Bathtub STELLA (isee systems) is a software package that allows the user to build and share icon-based dynamical systems models isee Player is free software that allows students to manipulate and run STELLA models provided to them

Students experiment with model parameters, and discuss results Fluxes balanced = equilibrium Fluxes unbalanced = non-equilibrium Linear change in reservoir size with time

Examples of simple inflow – reservoir – outflow systems in your course(s)? Please type your answers in the chat box

Unit 4 adds feedbacks into the Bathtub model

Students experiment with model parameters, and discuss results Balancing (negative) feedback loop – system always returns to equilibrium value Change in Bathtub reservoir is non-linear (exponential)

Next we change the feedback location in the Bathtub model

Students experiment with model parameters, and discuss results Initial value for Bathtub = 15 liters Reinforcing (positive) feedback loop – system displays either runaway behavior or crashes Change in Bathtub reservoir is non-linear (exponential) Initial value for Bathtub = 5 liters

In Unit 4 assessment, students plot Arctic sea ice data, complete a systems diagram, and describe feedback behavior

How do you teach systems thinking? Please share course title + approach, briefly in the chat box 

Additional ways to foster systems thinking using InTeGrate materials

A Growing Concern http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/sustain_agriculture/index.html

A Growing Concern http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/sustain_agriculture/index.html

The Wicked Problem http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_security/index.html

The Wicked Problem From http://www.easterbrook.ca/steve/2013/08/why-systems-thinking/. http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_security/index.html

The Wicked Problem http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/food_security/index.html

Earth’s Thermostat http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/global_energy/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/global_energy/index.html

http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/teaching_materials/global_energy/

InTeGrate Professional Development Webinar Series http://serc.carleton.edu/integrate/workshops Addressing Food Security Issues in Your Course Systems Thinking and Earth Modeling February 9, 2017 March 22, 2017 Water and Food Sustainability Incorporating Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration in Your Course February 15, 2017 Sustainability Across the Curriculum March 30, 2017 March 2, 2017 Map Your Hazards April 7, 2017 Adapting InTeGrate Materials to Biology Courses and Online Courses GETSI: Active Tectonics and Earthquakes March 8, 2017 April 13, 2017

Upcoming opportunities Next InTeGrate webinar: Incorporating Environmental Data-Driven Inquiry and Exploration in Your Course Thursday, March 30th 12:00 pm Pacific | 1:00 pm Mountain | 2:00 pm Central | 3:00 pm Eastern Registration deadline: Tuesday, March 28th Consider your department or course for NAGT’s Traveling Workshops Program Earth Educators’ Rendezvous 2017 in Albuquerque, New Mexico Registration is now open! Join the InTeGrate Webinar Series Community Discussion Help us…help you… Webinar evaluation