Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching,
November 2015
2015
Systems Thinking in Biology
Active learning
“Learning is a social process that occurs through interpersonal interaction within a cooperative context.
Individuals, working together, construct shared understandings and knowledge.”
— Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (1991).
Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom .
Edina, MN: Interaction Book Co.
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Session goal
Participants will gain a working knowledge of the recurring themes that bridge disciplinary boundaries, unite core ideas in science, and help students develop a coherent and scientifically based view of the world.
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Systems Thinking in Biology
A Framework for K–12 Science Education articulates a broad set of expectations for students in science. It is based on a rich and growing body of research on teaching and learning in science as well as on nearly two decades of efforts to define foundational knowledge and skills for K–12 science and engineering.
— National Research Council. (2012).
A Framework for K–12 Science Education:
Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, pages 1–2.
http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/13165
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The Three Dimensions of Science Education
A Framework for K–12 Science
Education identifies three dimensions of science education:
•   Dimension 1 — Scientific and
Engineering Practices
•   Dimension 2 — Crosscutting
Concepts
•   Dimension 3 — Disciplinary Core
Ideas
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Systems Thinking in Biology
The “Target”
Scientific
Processes
Most Effective
Science
Teaching and
Learning
Recurring
Themes
Science
Concepts
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Systems Thinking in Biology
Recurring Themes
“Some important themes pervade science, mathematics, and technology and appear over and over again, whether we are looking at an ancient civilization, the human body, or a comet.
They are ideas that transcend disciplinary boundaries and prove fruitful in explanation, in theory, and in design.”
— American Association for the Advancement of Science. (1989).
Science for All Americans. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap11.htm
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Systems Thinking in Biology
Crosscutting Concepts / Recurring Themes
1.
Patterns
2.
Cause and Effect: Mechanism and Prediction
3.
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
4.
Systems and System Models
5.
Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation
6.
Structure and Function
7.
Stability and Change
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Systems Thinking in Biology
Plant Cell
•   What is the boundary of the system?
•   What are the components of the system?
•   What processes and interactions are occurring?
•   What are the inputs and outputs?
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Systems Thinking in Biology
Systems — Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
A system is a collection of cycles , structures , and processes that interact. Students should understand a whole in terms of its components and how these components relate to each other and to the whole. All systems have basic properties that can be described in terms of space , time , energy , and matter . Change and constancy occur in systems and can be observed and measured as patterns .
These patterns help to predict what will happen next and can change over time.
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Systems Thinking in Biology
Crosscutting Concepts / Recurring Themes
“ … [T]he crosscutting concepts can provide a connective structure that supports students’ understanding of sciences as disciplines and that facilitates students’ comprehension of the phenomena under study in particular disciplines.
Thus these crosscutting concepts should not be taught in isolation from the examples provided in the disciplinary context. Moreover, use of a common language for these concepts across disciplines will help students to recognize that the same concept is relevant across different contexts.”
— National Research Council. (2012). A Framework for K–12 Science Education:
Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, page 101.
http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/13165
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Contact Information
Shelly LeDoux
Professional Learning Facilitator, Science
Charles A. Dana Center at
The University of Texas at Austin shelly.ledoux@austin.utexas.edu
For information on the Dana Center’s other professional development opportunities, see http://www.utdanacenter.org/pd
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