Systems Thinking in Schools

Systems Thinking is not just for adults! By integrating systems thinking into all aspects of a school system, and perhaps most importantly classroom instruction and school culture, students are able to engage with each other and their broader community with purpose and empathy. The Waters Center for Systems Thinking has a 30-year history of leading and collaborating with school systems in diverse settings to deliver the benefits of a systems thinking perspective to students of all ages and in all content areas. When school cultures and classroom instruction are imbued with systems thinking Habits and tools, students are more able to situate themselves as active and engaged members of their school community, demonstrate leadership skills, and learning flows across disciplines more naturally. Additionally, in this era when educators are tasked with developing social-emotional learning competencies, and struggling to find time to do so, systems thinking Habits and tools are a proven method to facilitate students’ sense of connection with each other and belonging in their communities.

The outcomes provided below serve to illustrate possible outcomes based on the particular needs of, and desired results, of our engagement:

1. Develop opportunities to build teacher understanding of the Habits and tools of systems thinking Use ST habits and tools as instructional strategies that support relevant curricular standards, problem-solving skills and student learning to learn capabilities.
2. Build positive classroom environments and communities that maximize the quality of student relationships, collaborative learning experiences and abilities to mediate when interpersonal challenges surface.
3. Apply ST habits and tools as strategies to support social and emotional learning and stress reduction.
4. Apply ST habits and tools to positively influence the school culture, including but not limited to, parent/community engagement, student conduct and behavior systems, school appearance and environment, etc.