[net-gold] What's Worth Learning?
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Other Net-Gold Lists -- Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K-12ADMINLIFE <K12ADMIN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <NetGold_general@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Health Lists -- Health Diet Fitness Recreation Sports Tourism <healthrecsport@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Health Diet Fitness Recreation Sports <healthrecsport@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, HEALTH-RECREATION-SPORTS-TOURISM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:59:06 -0400 (EDT)
.
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:23:33 -0700
From: Richard Hake <rrhake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: AERA-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Net-Gold] What's Worth Learning?
.
.
If you reply to this long (12 kB) post please don't hit the reply
button unless you prune the copy of this post that may appear in your
reply down to a few relevant lines, otherwise the entire already
archived post may be needlessly resent to subscribers.
.
This is a somewhat improved version of a previous post "Bernstein's
Review of Brady's 'What's Worth Learning' " transmitted to several
discussion lists earlier today (29 March 2011).
.
*******************************************
.
ABSTRACT: Kenneth Bernstein <http://huff.to/gAtYnU> has recently
reviewed system thinker Marion Brady's (2010)
<http://www.marionbrady.com/> book "WHAT'S WORTH LEARNING."
Bernstein quotes Brady as follows:
.
"Systems are what learners must understand, and that understanding
comes from learners themselves investigating many different systems,
looking for general principles. This requires (1) noting significant
parts of the system being studied, (2) identifying important
relationships among those parts, (3) deciding what forces are making
the systems operate, (4) noting the interactions between the system
and its environment, and (5) tracking changes to the system over
time. . . .. . . . If learners apply these five general analytical
categories over and over, to systems of all sorts, the categories
will give them a mental framework - a way of organizing what is
learned."
.
For references on systems thinking see "Over Two-Hundred Annotated
References on Systems Thinking" [Hake (2009)] at
<http://bit.ly/9gZdXU> (1.8 MB), and Linda Booth Sweeney's website
<http://bit.ly/goPTkC > listing books and research articles on
systems-thinking for children.
.
*******************************************
.
Some discussion-list subscribers might be interested in Ken
Bernstein's (2011) review of system thinker Marion Brady's (2010)
<http://www.marionbrady.com/> book "What's Worth Learning."
.
Among the passages from Brady's book that Bernstein quotes are
[bracketed by lines "BBBBBBB. . . . . "]:
.
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
.
We take our systems of organizing for granted, but it's no
exaggeration to say that systems of exploration make civilization
possible. (p. 15)
.
Systems are what learners must understand, and that understanding
comes from learners themselves investigating many different systems,
looking for general principles. This requires (1) noting significant
parts of the system being studied, (2) identifying important
relationships among those parts, (3) deciding what forces are making
the systems operate, (4) noting the interactions between the system
and its environment, and (5) tracking changes to the system over
time. . . .
.
If learners apply these five general analytical categories, over and
over, to systems of all sorts, the categories will give them a mental
framework - a way of organizing what is learned. That framework will,
of course, be enhanced by the addition of appropriate analytical
sub-categories expanding the learner_s mental "filing system." (p. 19)
.
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
.
For a bibliography of references on systems thinking see "Over
Two-Hundred Annotated References on Systems Thinking" [Hake (2009)].
.
At the time I compiled those references I was unaware of the
marvelous books on systems thinking for children by Linda Booth
Sweeney and co-authors - see e.g., Sweeney (2001a,b; Sweeney &
Sterman (2001), Sweeney & Meadows (2001, 2010). For information on
these books and on research articles on systems-thinking for children
see Sweeney's website <http://bit.ly/goPTkC >
.
.
.
Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University
Honorary Member, Curmudgeon Lodge of Deventer, The Netherlands
President, PEdants for Definitive Academic References which Recognize the
Invention of the Internet (PEDARRII)
<rrhake@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~hake>
<http://www.physics.indiana.edu/~sdi>
<http://HakesEdStuff.blogspot.com>
<http://iub.academia.edu/RichardHake>
.
.
.
"The ability to reduce everything to simple fundamental laws does not
imply the ability to start from those laws and reconstruct the
universe. In fact, the more the elementary particle physicists tell
us about the nature of the fundamental laws, the less relevance they
seem to have to the very real problems of the rest of science, much
less to those of society. The constructionist hypothesis breaks down
when confronted with the twin difficulties of scale and complexity.
The behavior of large and complex aggregates. . . .[[he could have
used the word "systems"]]. . . of elementary particles, it turns out,
is not to be understood in terms of a simple extrapolation of the
properties of a few particles. Instead, at each level of complexity
entirely new properties appear, and the understanding of the new
behaviors requires research which I think is as fundamental in its
nature as any other. "
- P.W. Anderson in "More is Different" (1972)
.
.
.
REFERENCES [All URL's accessed on 29 March 2011, some shortened by
<http://bit.ly/>.]
Anderson, P.W. 1972. "More is Different: Broken symmetry and the
nature of the hierarchical structure of science,"
Science 177 (4047): 393-396; online as a 1.2MB pdf at <http://bit.ly/e4Dv8D>.
.
.
Brady, Marion. 2010. "What's Worth Learning." Information Age
Publishing, publisher's information at <http://bit.ly/fAaI6Z>.
Amazon.com information at <http://amzn.to/hV9irc>. An expurgated
Google book preview is online at <http://bit.ly/hWpklM>.
.
Bernstein, Kenneth J. 2011. Education Review 14, 17 March. Review of
"What's Worth Learning" by Marion Brady, online as a 307 kB pdf at
<http://bit.ly/htqJQN>
.
Hake, R.R. 2009. "Over Two-Hundred Annotated References on Systems
Thinking," online as a 1.8 MB pdf at <http://bit.ly/9gZdXU>. The
abstract and link to the complete report were transmitted to various
discussion lists on 19 December 2009 and also appear on my blog
"Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/duhqLE> with a provision for
comments. See also Hake (2010a, b).
.
Hake, R.R. 2010a. "Re: How can we make people fall in love with
systems ideas?" online on the OPEN AERA-L archives at
<http://bit.ly/9xg49D>. Post of 16 Nov 2010 09:38:10-0800 to AERA-L,
Eval-Sys, & Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post are
being transmitted to various discussion lists and are online on my
blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/du4MJL>.
.
Hake, R.R. 2010b. "Books for Laypersons on Systems Thinking," online
on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at <http://bit.ly/aFSVL7>. Post of 9 May
2010 15:40:23-0700 to AERA-L and NetGold. The abstract and link to
the complete post were transmitted to various discussion lists.
.
Sweeney, L.B. 2001a. "When a Butterfly Sneezes: A Guide for Helping
Kids Explore Interconnections in Our World Through Favorite Stories
(Systems Thinking for Kids, Big and Small, Vol 1)." Pegasus
Communications, publlisher's information at <http://bit.ly/crXJ6i>.
Amazon.com information a <http://amzn.to/aRc4kQ>. See also Sweeney &
Meadows (2010).
.
Sweeney, L.B. & J.D. Sterman. 2001. "Bathtub dynamics: initial
results of a systems thinking inventory," System Dynamics Review
16(4): 249-286; online as a 430 kB pdf at <http://bit.ly/dghECV>.
.
Sweeney, L.B. & J.D. Sterman. 2007. "Thinking About Systems: Student
and Teacher Conceptions of Natural and Social Systems," 50th
Anniversary issue of "The System Dynamics Review," an abstract is
online at <http://bit.ly/djmpHm>.
.
Sweeney, L.B. & D. Meadows. 2010 (first printed in 2001). "The
Systems Thinking Playbook: Exercises to Stretch and Build Learning
and Systems Thinking Capabilities." Chelsea Green Publishing;
publisher's information at <http://bit.ly/aoVwNy>, wherein it is
stated: "This book has become a favorite of K-12 teachers, university
faculty, and corporate consultants. It provides short gaming
exercises that illustrate the subtleties of systems thinking. The
companion DVD shows the authors introducing and running each of the
thirty games. The thirty games are classified by these areas of
learning: Systems Thinking, Mental Models, Team Learning, Shared
Vision, and Personal Mastery. Each description clearly explains when,
how, and why the game is useful. There are explicit instructions for
debriefing each exercise as well as a list of all required materials.
A summary matrix has been added for a quick glance at all thirty
games. When you are in a hurry to find just the right initiative for
some part of your course, the matrix will help you find it."
Amazon.com information at <http://amzn.to/bYjjwl>, note the
searchable "Look Inside" feature.
.
.
Other related posts:
- » [net-gold] What's Worth Learning? - David P. Dillard
