It Is the Process Whereby We Become Aware of Our Thinking

T205 A

Block 1, Week 2

Reflection

It is the process whereby we become aware of our thinking

and able to change and adapt our ideas and understandings

When students pause to do their own thinking, they are reflecting on what they have learnt. reflection is `the mind's conversation with itself '. Reflection requires two distinctive kinds of thinking:

1. direct our attention onto our own thinking and abilities.

2. critical analysis of ideas and experiences

It is essential for the development of understanding and of the ability to make use of complex ideas and concepts and raising awareness about how we learn and might improve our learning

What is learning?

It is an interactive process between people (learners) and their social and physical environment which results in changes to people’s knowledge, attitudes and practices.

Two dim. of learning:Process: through which it happens.Outcomes: to which learning leads.

Types (approaches) of learning (MUD):

1. Memorizing 2. Understanding. 3. Doing

Memorizing

We sometimes have to remember words, names, symbols and other signs. To help us to work something for the first time.

Understanding

It is more important than memorizing, this is the kind of learning which requires a willingness by the learner to work with ideas and concepts, making mistakes can reveal what it is that is not understood.

Doing

Learning how to act or perform in particular ways is important for the development of intellectual and physical skills. For example learn how to be able to present complex information in a clear diagram.

What are the three models of learning?

1. The acquisitive model of learning:

1.Focuses on: The behavior of the learner and changes by feedback from learning env.

2.Learning is not undertaken for its own sake, but for what enables us to achieve our goals

3.Is seen as: a process of accretion.

4.This approach has some similarities to an input/output model.

-Limitation of the model:

• Focuses on the desirable outcome or results
• Ignore the role of the learner during learning process

1. The constructive model of learning:
2. Focus on what happens during the process of learning.
3. Learners are involved in processing what is taught, and as a result, the same ‘input’ is perceived differently by different learners and may well have quite different outcomes.
4. Is seen as: a product of relationship between 3 interconnecting factors:

{Teaching activity + Learner + Teacher}

1. The experiential model of learning (David Kolb): It focuses on the production of knowledge through the transformation of knowledge. There are four kinds of knowledge:
2. Concrete experiencing.
3. Reflective observation.
4. Abstract analysis.
5. Active experimentation.

Comparison of Kolb model and T205's '4 phases of analysis': The 'T205’s four phases' diagram is similar (but not identical) to Kolb’s model. In practice, any problem-solving process for complex situations is likely to involve Kolb's four elements of learning. So T205 'sensing' is similar to Kolb's 'experiencing', T205 'understanding' is similar to Kolb's 'reflective observation' but about Kolb's 'analysis', T205 'deciding' falls between Kolb's 'analysis' and 'experimentation', and T205 'acting' is similar to Kolb's 'experimentation'.

Ways of thinking?

-1. Logical thinking:

It attempts to be objective.

It is necessary.

It is sequential.

-2. Causal thinking:

Links events or activities together.

It is sequential.

Might include multiple causes

-Logical and causal thinking aren’t so good at helping us to think about systems for 4 reasons:

• 1. Tend to design a pattern for similar situations
• 2. Attempt to be rational and objective, and ignore subjectivity
• 3. Not easy to predict the behavior of ‘complex systems’.
• 4. Very simple and lack interconnectedness and feedback loops.

-3. Reductionism thinking: Breaking whole picture to smaller parts which leads to simple cause-and-effect relationships.

4. Holistic thinking:

Deals with wholes rather than parts.

The problem is that it is not always clear what is whole and what is part. A person is a whole, and can be a part in another situation.

Start with looking at the whole, and if this doesn’t make sense look at the bigger whole of which it forms a part.

-5. Multiple partial views:

-Partition the whole into sections to understand how the whole looks.

-The point of this approach is that the more slice or views you have the more you will know about the whole.

-they are simply more or less helpful in understanding the whole. This approach is use to simplify the holistic thinking

-6. Perspectives:

looking from point of views, it is better way of looking to multiple partial views

Three different ways to gain new perspectives to get a helpful picture of the whole:

-To be clear and explicit صريح about your point of view.

-To see the system through the eyes of others (role playing).

-To look for unintended consequences. Look at what the system actually does, then assume that is its purpose, then describe the system as one to achieve that purpose

-7. Distinguishing ‘worldview’ from ‘perspective’: Both work with differences of opinion.

• Perspective: how things look from your current position.
• Worldview: how you see the world, regardless of your current position.

Block 1, Week 3

What main characteristics of systems thinking and why held to be of positive benefit?

1. Changing one’s perspective on an issue or problem. This leads to change in attitude and approach which make it easier to identify the social components to solve complex situations.
2. Holistic thinking.To avoid losing issues which are associated with connectedness of situation.
3. Simplifying by making more abstract. This helps to make a problem tractable.
4. Using standard systems and diagrams.

What is the difference between Systematic and systemic?

Systematic thinking:

• having a plan or a method
• deals with orderly, methodical thinking
• It is a reductionism, it reduces the overall activity to a set of discrete parts
• limited

Systemic thinking:

• affecting entire body or organism
• deals with the behavior of wholes
• responds to external influences
• it is a holistic thinking

Two terms associated with a System?Environment of the system + Boundary of a system.

Complexity and interconnectedness: Reductionism thinking cannot help to cope with problems that arise as a result of the complexity and interconnectedness between components in a system. Holistic is one of the strongest characteristics of systems thinking.

Compare Difficulty & Mess?Both of them are problems and complex situations, but messes are "bigger" and "larger" than difficulties.

Difficulties:Simpler + Short time-scale+ Priorities clear+ Limited applications+ limited number of people involved+ Know what needs to be done+ Know what the problem is - Bounded + Know what would be the solution+ More certain + Well-defined.

Messes:Nastier + Long time-scale+ priorities called in question+ Uncertain but greater implications worrying+ More people involved+ Don’t know what needs to be done+ Undefined problem+ Unlimited – Unbounded + Bigger than difficulties + More complicated and more difficult to tackle + Fuzzy.

For each of the following problems decide whether it is a difficulty or a mess?

1. A buyer faced with the choice of which supplier to use. The choice is from a list of regular suppliers each of which is subject to uncertainties. (Difficulty).Because the buyer must be faced with this choice over and over again. So he will be experienced in these situations.
2. A small business proprietor trying to decide whether to expand her business into a new area of activity. (Mess). It will be hard to establish the scope or impact of the decision, it is very unclear how to make the decision, and the time-scale is unknown.
3. A civil servant face with setting a quota for the number of cod that can be caught in the North Sea in the coming year.(Mess).The chain of potential consequences could extend to unemployment in fishing villages, international relationships, ecological disasters, all of an unknown magnitude and unknown time-scale.
4. A farmer deciding whether or not to apply a particular type of herbicide to a field sown with wheat.(Difficulty).The farmer has faced this decision many times before and has gained a lot of experience about the cost, benefits and other consequences of applying the herbicide or not.

Differentiate between the two sorts of complexity (Hard and Soft)?

Hard complexity:

• Difficulties involve more hard complexity.
• Involves rational factors.
• Generating difficult computational problems: (illustrated by the game of chess).

Soft complexity:

• Messes involve soft complexity
• Involve emotional factors.
• The description of events is ambiguous – unclear.

Which of the following cases primarily involve Hard / Soft complexity? Briefly explain?

1. A historian trying to account for particular social changes.Historical records and documents are incomplete, and certainly open to different interpretations. Definitely a matter is a soft complexity.
2. An insurance underwriter trying to decide rates for motor insurance.Hard complexity, essentially this is a matter of calculating the relative frequency and costs of different sorts of claim in deciding a scale of premiums.
3. An engineer choosing between different possible designs for a bridge.Hard complexity, concerned with costs, reliability, effectiveness and the like. Some soft complexity might be involved in the relation to the aesthetic value of the different designs.
4. A planner deciding how big a bridge is needed and where it should be located.Soft complexity,different interests and perspectives are to be involved. No doubt someone will wonder whether a bridge is even necessary, or if tow small bridges aren't a better idea.

System definition:A system is a set of components interconnected for a purpose, and cannot be divided into independent parts.

A system is an assembly of components connected together in an organized way.

The components are affected by being in the system and the behavior of the system is changed if they leave it.

This organized assembly of components does something.

This assembly as a whole has been identified by someone who is interested in it (Namer).

Ackoff: a system is a set of two or more elements that satisfies the following three conditions:

The behavior of each element has an effect on the behavior of the whole.

The behavior of the elements and their effects on the whole are interdependent.

Subgroups of the elements are formed, each has an effect on the behaviour of the whole.

Checkland: a system is a set of elements connected together which form a whole, so the properties are properties of the whole, rather than properties of its component parts.

Which of following do you recognize as a system, according to definition given above?

1. The houses in an old village.(Not System), they are a collection of things.
2. Your personal computer.(System), have a set of components interconnected for a purpose, however it only become systems if we have an interest in doing something with it.
3. Activities needed to get this course to you on time.(System), have a set of componentsinterconnected for a purpose, however it only become systems if we have an interest in doing something with it.
4. A small wood.(Not System)
5. The spare parts in the store of garage. (Not System), they are a collection of things.
6. Mathematics. (System), have a set of components interconnected for a purpose, however it only become systems if we have an interest in doing something with it.

Numbers 2, 3 and 6 appear straightforward, all have a set of components interconnected for a purpose. In one case the components are objects, in other activities and in the 3 they are ideas, but they are all familiarly called system. However, these only become systems if we have an interest in doing something with them.

Block 1, Week 4

Systems concepts, characteristics, properties, notions: {purpose+ environment+ boundary+ namer+ Inputs & outputs+ Transformational processes+ Parts (subsystems) that interact+ Hierarchy+ Dependency+ Communication and feedback+ Control+ Dynamism}.

Why we have unintended outcomes (mistakes)?

• Because of wrong interpretation of the information present in the connections
• Due to ignoring the effects of feedback.

Types of feedback:

ONegative Feedback (Balancing): Information about the outcome of the process is being fed back to the beginning of the process in order to control it. It is “Negative” because it leads to a dampening down or check of the effect caused by the input.

OPositive feedback (Reinforcing): exaggerates and reinforces the process. “Positive” because it acts to reinforce the effect either as a vicious circle or a virtuous one.

Block 1, Week 5

How models help systems thinking?The “Model” is a simplified representation of certain aspects of a ‘real’ situation, constructed for some defined purpose’.Modeling is an essential part of systems thinking because it is main way to represent a system within a complex situation. Models can be qualitative or quantitative and range from metaphors, through diagrams to mathematical models. Whichever type of model is used it is the construction of the model and its comparison to the real situation that brings understanding of the structure and behavior of the system. Models are useful in clarifying and organizing our thinking.

How does a quantitative model differ from a qualitative model?

Qualitative Models: emphasize the relationship between entities without trying to quantify the relationships or entities in any way. E.g.: metaphors and diagrams:

• Metaphor: try to understand unfamiliar things by reference to familiar things. The less obvious the use of metaphor, the more powerful its impact
• Diagram:Such as system maps, multiple cause diagrams and so on. The great advantage that diagrams have over words for representing systems is that they can show interconnections visually, rather than verbally.
• It forces you to be clear and specific about your view of a system.

Quantitative Models:useful for predicting what might happen as well as describing what does happen, e.g.: mathematical models.

• Quantitative models have advantages over quantitative models:
• quicker and easier to build.
• you can ask the question ‘What would happen if …’ over and over again simply by changing the numbers in the model.
• The big disadvantage of quantitative models:
• Only people with a mathematical education could understand and use them.

Block 1, Week 6

What are the two or three most important features of a model?

1. The purpose for which the model is constructed.
2. The context in which the model is applicable.
3. Model is always a simplification of a real situation.

Block 2, Week 1, Summary 7

Kirton's inventory has three sub-scales or the Adaptor-Innovator distinction:

• The flow of ideas:
• Adaptors produce small numbers of well-focused ideas,
• while Innovators produce a large spread of ideas.
• The value placed on efficiency:
• Adaptors tend to focus on one task, value efficiency and give attention to detail.
• Innovators tend to work on multiple tasks, value a wide overview, and give less attention to detail.
• The value placed on rule and group conformity:
• Adaptors prefer working within existing practices and group structures.
• Innovators tend to bend the rules and challenge the status quo.

Each extreme tends to have a poor view of the other:

• Innovators are generally seen by adaptors as being abrasive and insensitive. This misunderstanding usually occurs because innovator attacks adaptor's theories and assumptions.

• Adaptors can be viewed pejoratively by innovatorsas stuffy and unenterprising, wedded to systems, rules and norms which are too restricting to their (the innovators) liking.

Kirton’s inventory has three sub-scales which give a useful insight into the three main components of the Adaptor-Innovator distinction. The three sub-scales measure:

• The flow of ideas: Adaptors produce small number of well-focused ideas, while innovators produce a large spread of ideas, expecting many to be discarded.
• The value placed on efficiency: Adaptors tend to focus on one task, value efficiency and give attention to detail. Innovators tend to work on multiple tasks, value a wide overview, and give less attention to detail.
• The value placed on rule and group conformity: Adaptors prefer working within existing practices and group structures. Innovators tend to bend the rules and challenge the status quo.

Block 2, Week 2, Summary 8

What motivates us, five theories according to human nature:

1.People as rational-economic beings

People know where there self-interests lie, and act to maximize this self-interest

The value to someone of any option is its usefulness to them (financial utility)

People are primarily motivated by economic incentives

People are rational – i.e. they can work out what is best for them, and then follow results of that calculation. In this view, feelings are at best a basis for recognizing ‘best interests’

McGregor (Theory X assumptions):

1.People are lazy and must be motivated to work by extrinsic incentives

2.people must be controlled, directed or threatened to work for organizational goals

3.The average human being prefers to be directed

4.‘Theory X’ is very close to the idea of ‘scientific management’, i.e. Taylorism

2. People as social beings: People are primary motivated by their social needs (rest periods, payment scheme and shorter hours and refreshment) to increase in productivity and outputs.