Abstract for:Systems Thinking and the Individual: Habits and Learning Approach

This paper presents an analysis of systems thinking interventions in an educational setting. Although these interventions have been implemented in classrooms since the 1980s, there is still no clear understanding of whether or not the use of systems thinking interventions are effective for all types of learners. The goal of this paper is to answer the question: how can we best implement systems thinking interventions in educational settings while considering an individual’s learning approach? This question leads to sub-questions: (1) what are key components and tools of systems thinking (2) what systems thinking interventions work for different types of learners, and (3) how can the effect of different systems thinking interventions be measured for different learners? The purpose of answering these questions was to propose a method for implementing systems thinking interventions so as to meet all learning approaches within the classroom. The analysis of systems thinking acquisition, when mapped with individual learning approaches, yielded an initial set of guidelines for instructing and increasing a person’s level of systems thinking skills.