Thinking in Systems
A mental model, put to the test in a simulation
The programme is offered across school tracks. The first four sessions progressively introduce the language and method of systems thinking — elements, interconnections, stocks and flows, feedback and delays — while the last two are devoted to group work, modelling and simulation. No prior programming skills are required, and the digital tool only comes in once the group has defined its question and built a first representation of the system.
- School level
- Upper secondary school
- Age
- 16-18 years old
- Structure
- 12 hours · 6 sessions
The programme
Seeing relations
2hElements, interconnections, function and boundaries of a system; stocks and flows.
From diagram to behaviour
2hReinforcing and balancing feedback, delays and behaviour observable over time.
Systems and people
2hResilience, self-organisation, hierarchy and bounded rationality.
Traps and opportunities
2hLeverage points and unintended consequences; formation of groups and definition of the question.
Modelling and simulating
2hBounding of the system, construction of the model and formulation of the hypothesis.
Interpreting and revising
2hComparison of expected and simulated behaviour, revision of the model and presentation.
The outcome
A dynamic model built in FlowMind and a short presentation retracing the passage from the initial question to the simulation, setting out the expected behaviour, the observed one, the interventions tested and at least one limit of the representation.
For the school
- The system chosen by each group may concern the school, the territory, the environment or the economy, provided a boundary and a structure that can be modelled are identifiable.
- The programme is also designed to be framed as school-to-work training (FSL, formerly PCTO). In that case we provide the documentation needed for reporting: attendance register, an assessment sheet of the competences reached, and a certificate of participation.
Bringing this programme to your school
This page can be shared with the school leadership without sending the whole catalogue. A twenty-minute conversation defines the calendar, the number of sessions and the adjustments the institute’s context requires.