The Six-Step Approach to Looking at a Problem Or, How to Provide Students with a Method for Composition

The Six-Step Method Let’s call it “The Six-Step Method.” It involves taking any kind of object, task or experience within your discipline and asking a series of questions about it that look at it through three different angles: Let’s call it “The Six-Step Method.” It involves taking any kind of object, task or experience within your discipline and asking a series of questions about it that look at it through three different angles: what it is what it is what it’s made of what it’s made of what its place is what its place is Let’s take a look at a model of how this would work using a familiar object, or unit, like the planet Earth.

Unit in Contrast – Static View the unit holistically as an undifferentiated isolated entity. What feature(s) serve to differentiate the unit from other similar things? What feature(s) serve to differentiate the unit from other similar things?

Unit in Contrast – Dynamic View the unit as a dynamic process, object, or event. What process of change occurred to create the unit? What process of change occurred to create the unit? How is it changing currently? How is it changing currently? What will happen to it in the future? What will happen to it in the future? What feature(s) serve to differentiate the unit from similar processes, objects or events? What feature(s) serve to differentiate the unit from similar processes, objects or events?

Unit as a System – Static View the unit as composed of separable component parts. What are the components of the unit? What are the components of the unit? How are the components organized in relation to each other? How are the components organized in relation to each other? What is the structure of the system? What is the structure of the system? Copyright Sebastian Mahfood

Unit as a System – Dynamic View the unit as composed of dynamic separable component parts. How were the parts formed? How were the parts formed? What will happen to each in the future? What will happen to each in the future? Do different parts change at different rates? Do different parts change at different rates? What does change in a particular part do to the overall system? What does change in a particular part do to the overall system? How is the structure of the system changing? How is the structure of the system changing? Copyright Sebastian Mahfood

Unit in a System – Static View the unit as part in a larger system. What are the other components in the larger system? What are the other components in the larger system? How are these components organized in relation to each other? How are these components organized in relation to each other? What is the structure of the system? What is the structure of the system?

Unit in a System – Dynamic View the unit as dynamic part of a larger dynamic system. How was the larger system created? How was the larger system created? How is it currently changing? How is it currently changing? What will happen to it in the future? What will happen to it in the future? How does change in the larger system affect the unit? How does change in the larger system affect the unit? How does change in the unit affect the larger system? How does change in the unit affect the larger system? How is the structure changing? How is the structure changing?

Now, Let’s Substitute The “unit” of planet Earth can be substituted for any object, event, experience or idea you have in your own discipline. The “unit” of planet Earth can be substituted for any object, event, experience or idea you have in your own discipline.