T 205 System Thinking and Practice Block 1

T 205: System Thinking and Practice Block 1 Learning About Systems

Block 1: Learning About Systems Week 1: Getting Started n Week 2: Ways of Learning and Thinking n Week 3: System Thinking n

Introduction to Week 1: Getting Started Week 1 is about beginning to find your way around - the course materials, the T 205 Web Zone, the First-Class e-mail and conference system, and the Open University's electronic library facilities n You will find that Block 1 refers mainly to Concept File 1 n

Getting Started includes Checking out the T 205 Web Zone n Checking out the supplementary material n Installing the online applications n Linking to First-Class n Scanning the course texts for this block n Linking to the Open Library n

Week 2 Ways of Learning and Thinking

Introduction to Week 2 n n One of the main aims of this week's activities is to encourage you to establish good learning practices. Another aim is to begin to introduce key systems concepts and diagramming conventions During the week you will be practicing active reading skills, setting up a Learning File, learning to draw spray diagrams, finding out about different ways of thinking, reading about the acquisitive model of learning, and exploring the systems concepts of 'perspectives' and 'worldview

To do this, you will need to move backwards and forwards between several of the course texts n Sometimes you will be asked to read the middle or end of a text before reading the beginning, but by the end of Block 1 you should be able to see more clearly how the text fits together n

Week 2: Includes n n Completing TMA (Tutor-marked assignment ) Setting up a Learning File by reading “Learning” (Concept File 1) Giving Priority to learning experiences and issues by reading the “Reading 1”of the concept file 1 “Learning” Learning about study skills which includes the second part of concept file 1 “what is learning”

n n n Using spray diagrams is the form of summary that has many uses, for example to take notes, to help understand a piece of text, and to organize your thoughts before writing an assignment. Finding out about systems in which we have to look through two kind of views the perspective one and the worldview. Identifying perspectives on supermarket issues

Perspective view

World view

Week 3 Systems thinking

Introduction to Week 3 n In this week you will be introduced to more key systems concepts, which you will meet again later in the course and use in course assignments. You will learn how to use a second type of diagram (a rich picture) to begin to make sense of complicated issues, such as those covered by the collection of articles in each case file. You will explore how other people define the term system by searching the worldwide web.

Week 3: Includes n Thinking systemically

n The above was the problem for fuel if we think systematically the problem can be solved as diagram shown below

Distinguishing messy problems from difficulties n Distinguishing 'hard' from 'soft' complexity (smaller-scale like “personal problems e. g. divorce, career choices are soft complexities where as large scale organizational problems like bankruptcy of a financial institution, planning and building a new motorway are hard complexities) n Drawing and using rich pictures for it you will need to refer to Case File 1 Supermarkets and the diagramming pack (T 552). You will need paper (preferably large sheets such as flip chart paper) and pens/pencils (preferably bold and n

n Defining the term 'system'. A system is an assembly of components connected together in an organized form like transport system of a person from home to work

Basic theme of the course

End of meeting