INCORPORATING SYSTEMS THINKING AND TOOLS INTO UNDERGRADUATE EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE COURSES TO REVEAL RELEVANCE, INCREASE UNDERSTANDING, AND DEEPEN LEARNING

Systems are one of the crosscutting themes in the AAAS Project 2061 Science for All Americans, and systems thinking is increasingly being taught in elementary and secondary curricula. Introductory Earth and environmental science courses present an opportunity to teach systems thinking at the undergraduate level. Popular college-level texts for introductory geology, natural disasters, Earth system science, environmental science, global change, and physical geography contain many instances of implicit systems thinking, in the form of the rock cycle, hydrologic cycle, carbon cycle, nutrient cycles, and so on. What is lacking in many of these texts is a basic toolkit of systems terminology, tools, and techniques that students can use in their daily lives.

Adding an explicit systems thinking component and embedding it within a framework of scientific literacy based on AAAS Project 2061 Science for All Americans and a "Big History" approach creates a comprehensive context for understanding the development and contributions of science, mathematics, and technology. When students are introduced to systems tools such as connection circles and causal loop diagrams, they can begin to construct shared mental models, identify balancing and reinforcing loops, and recognize the patterns of systems archetypes. The systems approach leads naturally into use of diagrammatic or physical models, games, computer models, and simulations, and fosters a better understanding of how such tools are used in modern Earth science investigations.

By structuring Earth science courses around an explicit systems core, any standard Earth science text becomes a reference work filled with relevant and useful information, examples and case studies as students explore solutions to real and immediate problems that directly affect them. A systems approach helps students move beyond the "stamp collecting" model of many undergraduate survey courses in science. For example, natural disasters texts tend toward lengthy lists of event dates and casualties – yet, wrapping these within the context of the emergency response and planning system creates a meaningful context that deepens learning and strengthens understanding.