Term

Summer 2019

Capstone

Capstone Project

Degree Name

MAED: NSEE

Facilitator(s)

Melissa Erickson

Content Expert

Rebecca Batchelder

Abstract

In an effort to remain rooted in the intersection of rural education and community engagement, this study endeavors to answer the question, how can systems thinking be applied through community engagement pedagogy to improve student higher-order thinking and foster student self-efficacy in their contribution to rural commons? Systems thinking strategies can contribute to student self-efficacy and improve analytical thinking. Engagement education draws upon disparate instructional methodologies and offers an integrated perspective for curriculum development that is place-based, project-focused, civic-minded, and service-oriented. Systems thinking is a tool for developing higher-order thinking that can enhance the rigor of student learning. During the research for this project, the author discerned a need for educators to gain experience with the models used in systems thinking. As a result, this project includes an examination of the tools and strategies for systems thinking while simultaneously presenting a rationale for educators to learn and use systems thinking strategies as a cross-cutting concept in interdisciplinary learning. Through the implementation of systems thinking concepts in K-12 learning, students can develop the vocabulary and problem-solving structures that contribute to long-term solutions. These thinking tools can be used throughout the lives of any learner who masters them.

Keywords

Environmental Studies, Interdisciplinary Teaching, Systems Thinking, Rural Commons

dc_type

text

dc_publisher

DigitalCommons@Hamline

dc_format

application/pdf

dc_source

School of Education Student Capstone Projects

Included in

Education Commons

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