Standing Still
“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” If staying the same requires change, then what good is standing still? Actually, quite a lot. A mindful look at the systems around us.
systems thinking
Order and the Problem of Change
Learning, when done to its fullest, is a disruptive activity that changes the way things are done. Yet, our education system is designed for change on a modest scale. With school back in swing, it is time to welcome the headaches brought by those who truly learn.
Back to School and the Lesson of Accumulation
As we go back to school it is time to consider how the stresses of teaching and education build up over time and why it might be worth re-thinking its impact.
The Food Bank Model of Education and the Tyranny of Resiliency
Resiliency enables us to bounce back from adversity, but like an elastic band too much stretching can lead to breakdown. Food banks, once a stop-gap for food security are now a model for education. Are we stretching a little too far?
Cohesion vs. Diversity
Systems function well at the ‘edge of chaos’. In social systems that means balancing diversity with cohesion, but there are aspects to both that are troubling and may be highly incompatible. Can we have both or do we have to sacrifice one for the other?
Making the Invisible Visible
Hurting your back really changes how you see the world, including the boundaries and assumptions of the systems we live in and design. This post looks at how a simple problem led to some complex revelations about systems thinking.
Specialized and Generalized Systems Thinking and Action
Health promotion is largely focused on large scale social systems, while counseling psychology looks at the individual. Is there a way to bring these two perspectives together and have both specialized and generalized systems thinking and action models?
The limits to individual action
The decision to order a drink is simple — with very complex potential outcomes when you look at the bigger picture
Doing important things
Do important things with our lives: how can systems dynamics help?