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Peter Senge has commented that we are all
natural systems thinkers until we go to school and
have it drummed out of us. If this is true, it presents
those of us who believe in the power of holistic
thinking with two imperatives. First, we need to put
systems awareness back into our teaching so that
students are supported in their natural learning
impulses. Second, we need to continue to find ways to
recapture our own natural ability to think systemically,
through regular exploration and practice. This month,
you'll meet a pioneering educator and learn about a
number of opportunities to build your skills and
reinforce your systems thinking capacity.
| Diana Fisher Receives Barry Richmond Scholarship |
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Diana Fisher has been
selected as the 2007 recipient of the Barry
Richmond Scholarship from Pegasus
Communications. An award-winning teacher at
Wilson High School in Portland, Oregon, Diana is the
author of numerous resources on system dynamics
modeling in the classroom. In a recent
interview with Leverage Points editor
Vicky Schubert, she reflected on Barry's
influence and on the pressing need for more
systems thinking in our schools.
LP: How did you come to know Barry
Richmond?
DF: I have a very soft place in my
heart for Barry Richmond because he was so critical
to my early development. When I first discovered
system dynamics and these modeling tools in 1990, I
was the only teacher in my area who was trying it. I
attended a workshop at Stanford in order to get some
training so that I could use these methods with my
students, and Barry was there, providing modeling
support. He was such an open person; he gave me all
kinds of ideas about other resources for continuing my
study. And not long after that, I got a National Science
Foundation (NSF) grant for training teachers in the
use of his STELLA software. Barry came to deliver
workshops and was very generous with his time and
willingness to work with those of us who were eager
to move beyond the basics.
Barry and Steve Peterson helped me polish
the materials that I had used in my classes
into a product that could be made available
to other people. A couple of years ago, after
he had passed away, I led a plenary session at the
System Dynamics Society conference celebrating how
much he had offered the K-12 community as an
evangelist for this work. The last sentence in the
presentation was something that Barry had said to a
colleague associated with our NSF grant: "Teach so
others can see and understand." You can see that
principle in his software, which he made so easy to
use. He included communication features that help
you explain your models to other people who may not
be interested in seeing the diagrams themselves. He
built software with a "Help other people understand"
mentality.
Clarity is so important because I don't think you
can bring these ideas forward unless you can
help the average person see the reason for using
models. We must continue to work toward using a
technology-enhanced modeling approach to
education because we can't keep oversimplifying our
math classes. Kids need a way to understand more
complex problems. We have computers; we have to
use them optimally--not to just write papers, but to
help us think. Models--even simple, baby models--
expand the toolset that students can choose from
when they set out to study a problem. It's an exciting
time to be here. I just wish I could figure a way to
expose more teachers to this approach.
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| New Workshop and Evening Activity Expand Conference Options |
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Additional
Pre-Conference Workshop
 PRE04-Theory U in
Action: Leading from the Future As It
Emerges
Sunday, November 4, 2007, 9:00 am
to 5:00 pm
We are pleased to announce
that we have added a new, one-day
pre-conference workshop that broadens your
options with regard to learning about a
powerful methodology known as the U-Process
and its applications. The workshop,
PRE04-Theory U in Action: Leading from the
Future As It Emerges, will be led by Dr.
Otto Scharmer, one of the principal
architects of this approach. The session
provides the chance to go deeper into the
material that Otto will introduce in his
keynote presentation during the
conference.
Click here for more information on this and the other
pre-conference workshop options.
Click here for post-conference workshop
information.
Optional Evening
Activity
 Story
Waves: Surfing Memory, Imagination, and
Meaning
Monday, November 5,
2007
6:30-9:30pm, $55
A relaxing evening of stories, laughter, and
refreshment.
On Monday
evening, alumni and members of Seattle
University's Organization Systems Renewal
program will create a playful environment
at beautiful Seattle University, where Pegasus
Conference participants can unwind and further
explore the power of relationship. Beginning with a
solo performance by acclaimed Seattle actor and
improvisationalist Matt Smith, the evening will
provide an opportunity to engage in improvisational
storytelling and informal conversation. There will be
plenty of time to mingle and munch.
Transportation will be provided for the short
ride from the Westin Seattle to Story Waves and back.
Register for Story
Waves...
Register
before October 23 to save $200 off your
individual conference registration...
Significant team discounts are available
for groups of 4 or more. Send us
an email with your questions about team
registration options or call
1-800-272-0945.
REMINDER: The block
of sleeping rooms we have reserved in the
conference hotel are selling out fast. If you
have registered for the conference but
haven't yet reserved your hotel room, please
click here to make your reservation,
while there are still rooms available at a
discounted rate.
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| The Five-Point Check-in |
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by Richard Holloway
 In our daily work life, we often
find it easier to practice the five
disciplines of organizational learning, as
defined by Peter Senge in his bestselling
book, The Fifth Discipline, to reflect on
what has happened rather than to use them "in
action." The "Five-Point Check-in," developed
by family therapist Virginia Satir, can be a
valuable learning process that reinforces our
practice of personal mastery, mental models,
shared vision, team learning, and systems
thinking.
The Check-in encompasses five social
interactions which Satir observed that great
performers engage in regularly:
- Appreciations: Affirmations of someone
else's good performance
- New Information: Something that I
know,
and you don't, but you should
- Questions: Something that puzzles me
about you or anyone or anything else around
here
- Complaint with a Request for Change:
Always presented with an openness to dialogue
toward a solution
- Wishes, Hopes, and Dreams:
Expressions of
my goals, aspirations, and objectives, with
which I need help to accomplish them
The real skill is in practicing the
Check-in with sincerity and authenticity.
When practiced with team members individually
or collectively at the beginning and end of a
work cycle--that is, a day, a month, or a
quarter--I find that it helps me put each of
the five disciplines into action.
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Bring System Modeling Into Your Classroom |
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Modeling Dynamic Systems: Lessons for
a First Course
by Diana Fisher
This book captures the system modeling
assignments that Diana Fisher created and
used to teach a year long course in system
dynamics modeling at the high school level
from 1992 - 2005. The guide contains
introductions to each unit and answers to
each problem.
Order
#OL029 Softcover, 262 pages, teacher's
guide, $99
Lessons in Mathematics: A Dynamic
Approach with Applications Across the Sciences
by Diana Fisher
This teacher's guide captures the system
models/assignments that Diana Fisher created
and used in various algebra, pre-calculus and
calculus courses at the high school level from 1991 to
2005. The guide contains introductions to each unit
and answers to each problem.
Order
#0L028 Softcover, 342 pages, teacher's
guide, $99
Purchase
both books at 20% off!
Set of 2 books only $158.00
Order
#OL02829SET
Included with each book is a CD-ROM that
contains student lessons in PDF format, and
an installer that will enable you to put the models
and/or a copy of the STELLA® Runtime software
(produced by isee systems) onto your hard disk.
Summer
Savings Extended on The Systems
Thinker
 The Systems Thinker
is a powerful, practical e-newsletter that helps you
act with the confidence that comes with systems
understanding. Now, for a limited time, you can easily
access all the leading-edge articles, case studies,
tools, and team tips from the newsletter's last
eight years at a special low price. This invaluable
resource is fully-indexed and searchable in PDF
format for quick reference.
Through September
30, get the whole 8-year collection plus a
one-year subscription for just $250!
Order
#ST1017CDn · $250
Already a subscriber?
Order by September 30 to get the 8-year collection for
just $199!
Order
#ST1017CDr · $199
This collection is intended for individual
use and includes easy instructions for
purchasing distribution rights for specific
articles. You can also
gain organizational access to all back issues
for as little as $599 by purchasing a site license
subscription before September 30.
Call 1-800-272-0945 for more information.
Click here for subscription options
for individuals and organizations.
"The
result of long-term relationships is better
and better quality, and lower and lower costs."
--W. Edwards Deming
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