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STEP

 BPA's Systems Thinking in Education Program

 

 Learning by Doing 

 

Purpose

This site is dedicated to providing systems thinking tools for use in college preparatory curriculum in Northwest secondary schools. Professional educators have recognized "Systems Thinking" as a key skill for preparing students for life in the 21st century, providing skills for understanding the complex issues of the day. This site will provide material on subjects relevant to the role and responsibilities of the Bonneville Power Administration in the Pacific Northwest, e.g., energy, environment, and fish and wildlife. Comments and suggestions on this site are welcome.

 

Introduction

  • What is System Dynamics?  from the System Dynamics Society

  • Learning Environments from High Performance Systems Inc.

  • Systems Thinking from Peter Senge's "The Fifth Discipline"


    Activity Page

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      Reading Material on Systems Thinking in Education

    Modeling in the Educational Environment - Moving from Simplicity to Complexity
    from Ron Zaraza, Tim Joy and Scott Guthrie, teachers in the Portland Area High Schools

    Systems Thinking: Four Key Questions
    from Barry Richmond, HPS Inc.

    System Dynamics and Learner-Centered-Learning in Kindergarten through 12th Grade Education 
    from Jay Forrester, MIT

    Examples of System Dynamics Models 
    from Mike Bull, BPA

    NOTE: Some of the above files are in PDF format, which requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader program to view. The Acrobat Reader program can be downloaded free from the Adobe web site.

    Content for the STEP curriculum was originally converted to the web in the summer of 2000 by Mike Bull, Bonneville Power Administration, (503) 230-3811.
    Page updated September 14, 2001 by BPA Communications, (503) 230-5131.