Systems for a six year old
What’s an easy way to talk about systems without people’s eyes hazing over? How can I talk about systems every day with my six year old (without him having to know I am!)
Systems for a six year old
Key idea: none of the parts have can fulfill the purpose the system.
Example 3: A planet is a system containing many systems the purpose of which is to maintain life.
Example 3: A planet is a system containing many systems the purpose of which is to maintain life.
The Fish Discipline | Teaching kids Systems thinking | What is a system — Ahmad Fahmy
Here are six questions to contemplate when dealing with systems:
- What is the system in question and how are we defining what belongs to the system and what does not?
- What is the wider context that the system in question operates in?
- What are the key agents whose interactions and relationships define the system structure and drive the system’s
Six key questions in whole systems thinking, set out by Daniel Christian Wahl
Key Idea: Systems are usually contained within systems.
Ahmad Fahmy • The Fish Discipline | Teaching kids Systems thinking | What is a system — Ahmad Fahmy
Key idea: the connections are as important as the parts.
Example 2: A human is a system that is made of many connected parts (heart, lung, veins) and the primary purpose is life.
Example 2: A human is a system that is made of many connected parts (heart, lung, veins) and the primary purpose is life.
“None of the parts live, only you live. That is easily provable, cut off your hand and see what it does” Russ Ackoff.
The Fish Discipline | Teaching kids Systems thinking | What is a system — Ahmad Fahmy
collaboration and clear communication go hand in hand—and we have to be deliberate about both
Kippy Joseph • How to Explain Systems Change to a 13-Year-Old
As we began to describe what a system is, Eilidh quickly compared it to the way her school works. Using that analogy, the abstract idea of systems maps became much more concrete. We discussed the people who influence her “system”—parents, teachers, principals, and other students. She talked about the issues within the system that she’d like to... See more
How to Explain Systems Change to a 13-Year-Old
Local optimization hurt the whole
If you focus on a part of the system and ignore the whole system, bad things tend to happen. A body builder optimizes accelerates muscle growth and negatively impacting the other organs ultimately impacting the systems very purpose.
A young gamer over clocks their new computer so it can go faster which will raise... See more
If you focus on a part of the system and ignore the whole system, bad things tend to happen. A body builder optimizes accelerates muscle growth and negatively impacting the other organs ultimately impacting the systems very purpose.
A young gamer over clocks their new computer so it can go faster which will raise... See more
Ahmad Fahmy • The Fish Discipline | Teaching kids Systems thinking | What is a system — Ahmad Fahmy
- Break abstract ideas down into actions. It’s often easier to understand a tool if we describe how it works, rather than what it is. We believe innovation is a deliberate practice, so it follows that we should articulate the actions that make up that practice.
- Use concrete examples. Most social innovation tools are forged through