Teaching systems thinking to 4th and 5th graders using Environmental Dashboard display technology

Area of Science:

• Environmental education
• Systems thinking development
• Educational technology

Background:

• Complex environmental issues necessitate systems thinking skills.
• Systems thinking can be learned, but teaching methods for children are under-researched.
• The Environmental Dashboard (ED) is a sociotechnical tool providing real-time environmental data and pro-environmental messaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of the Environmental Dashboard (ED) on children's systems thinking skills.
• To investigate methods for effectively teaching systems thinking to primary school children.
• To evaluate the influence of active versus passive exposure to ED on learning outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Initial passive exposure of primary school children to ED displays showed no impact.
• Subsequent research involved active integration of ED into 4th and 5th-grade electricity lessons.
• Systems thinking skills and content retention were measured to assess the impact of active integration.

Main Results:

• Passive exposure to the Environmental Dashboard did not measurably impact children's systems thinking skills.
• Active integration of ED into lessons significantly enhanced content-related systems thinking.
• Children demonstrated improved retention of electricity-related content when ED was actively used.

Conclusions:

• Active integration of the Environmental Dashboard is more effective than passive exposure for developing children's systems thinking skills.
• The Environmental Dashboard, when actively used in curriculum, can improve both conceptual understanding and memory retention in young learners.
• This research highlights the potential of sociotechnical tools for enhancing environmental education and systems thinking in primary schools.