Primary-Grade Teachers and Students Incorporating Systems Thinking in the Curriculum to Address a Statewide Drought

• In Event: Pedagogical Applications of Systems Thinking

Abstract

In a globalized context, and, relatedly, to the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, educators acknowledge the need for developing new student competencies. A systems-thinking pedagogy which recognizes the interdependence and interconnected relationships among concrete elements and abstract concepts (Meadows, 2008; Senge et al., 2012) has potential to transform the classroom into a space of observing, theorizing, discovering, and analyzing, thus linking academic learning to the real world. In a qualitative case study in one urban school, primary grade teachers and students used systems thinking in an interdisciplinary project-based curriculum. Through reflection and investigations, students devised solutions and used innovative approaches in publicly engaging peers and family members in taking action to address a current environmental crisis.

Authors

• Margaret Sauceda Curwen, Chapman University

• Amy L. Ardell, Chapman University

• Laurie MacGillivray, The University of Memphis