Embedded Files
Helpful prior learning and learning objectives
Helpful prior learning and learning objectives
Helpful prior learning:
Section 1.1.1 The economy and you which explains what an economy is and how it is relevant to students’ lives
Section 1.1.2 The embedded economy, which explains the relationship between the economy and society and Earth’s systems.
Section S.1 What are systems?, which explains what a system is, the importance of systems boundaries, the difference between open and closed systems and the importance of systems thinking
Learning objectives:
outline the basics of systems thinking using the DSRP patterns: distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives (DSRP)
In 2021, a massive container ship, the Ever Given, got stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking one of the world’s busiest trade routes for six days. This single event disrupted global supply chains, causing delivery delays in goods from electronics to food. Factories slowed down, shipping costs increased, and products disappeared from store shelves.
It was a powerful reminder of how interconnected our world is. One blocked canal can have ripple effects across the global economy because a ship relies on global trade routes, and businesses and consumers rely on those routes for everyday goods. Understanding these connections and addressing their challenges is what systems thinking is about—seeing the big picture and how each part affects the whole.
Figure 1. The container ship Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal in March 2021
(Credit: NASA, public domain)
How can we think in systems?
How can we think in systems?
Systems thinking looks at how parts connect and work together, not just as separate pieces. Systems thinking is an emergent result of four patterns of thinking: distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives (DSRP). These patterns help us explore systems clearly and deeply.
Figure 2. DSRP is a helpful framework for learning systems thinking.
(Credit: Cabrera Labs, used with permission)
Distinctions: What is it? What is it not?
Distinctions help us define what something is (identity) by also identifying what it isn’t (other). For example, in a football or soccer team, we can distinguish players from the fans, coach, referees, and opponents. Without these distinctions between people, we couldn’t tell who’s part of the team. Rectangles can used to indicate distinctions when drawing systems diagrams (Figure 3).
In the embedded economy model (Section 1.1.2) distinctions help identify different systems in the economy that work to meet human needs (Figure 4):
household: a group of people living together, care for each other and do domestic work;
market: a group of people buying and selling goods and services for a price;
commons: a group of people who self-organise to co-produce and manage shared resources;
state: groups of people who provide essential public services and support and regulate other provisioning institutions.
Figure 3. Thing A (blue rectangle) is distinguished from Thing B (pink rectangle). These can be defined by what they are and/or what they are not.
Figure 4. We can distinguish between four provisioning institutions in the economy, each with different (and some overlapping) roles.
(Credit: Raworth and Mihotich CC-BY-SA 4.0)
The descriptions of each provisioning institution was described above in terms of what it is. Can you also describe it in terms of what it is not, using information about the other provisioning institutions?
Think about it and then click the arrow for some ideas....
The household is NOT a group that exchanges goods and services for a price.
A commons does NOT regulate other provisioning institutions.
A state is NOT a group of people who live together.
But some of the other descriptions might apply to more than one institution. For example, commoners may live together in a dwelling, like families or others who live in cooperative housing. Commoners also sometimes sell products, like community supported agriculture (CSA) (Section 4.2.2).
These different provisioning institutions play unique roles in larger systems. For example, growing vegetables at home (household), in a community garden (commons), and on a commercial farm (market) all support the larger food system differently. Understanding the boundaries between these groups helps us make decisions that make the whole food system stronger and more resilient. But the overlaps are important too because they may reveal where decisions might affect more than one institution and have especially large impacts across the entire food system.
The distinctions or boundaries between things aren’t random—they’re shaped by context. Figure 5 shows that we perceive the size of the orange circle in the centre differently depending on the size of the circles around it. Likewise, a household can be distinguished from markets, commons and the state, but exists and is shaped in relation to those institutions, wider society and Earth systems. Recognising these relationships gives meaning to each system. Relationships are addressed a little later in this section.
Figure 5. Things are distinguished by what surrounds them. The two orange circles in the center are the same size, but the left one looks smaller because your mind compares it to the circles around it. This is known as the Ebbinghaus illusion.
(Credit: Wikimedia, public domain)
Systems: What are the parts and the whole?
Once we define the boundaries of a system and its parts, we explore how the parts form a whole. Systems are made up of smaller components that interact. Focusing only on parts or the whole gives an incomplete picture—we need both. By zooming in and out, we can uncover how systems are interconnected and nested within larger frameworks. Figure 6 shows parts and wholes, where the parts are nested inside of wholes using rectangles to indicate them:
A is a whole
B and C are parts of A, but B and C are also wholes that have parts.
B1 and B2, and C1 and C2 are parts of B and C, but they can also be wholes.
Figure 6. Wholes can be broken down into parts, which themselves may be wholes with parts.
(Credit: Adapted from Cabrera Lab)
Again, let’s consider the embedded economy (Section 1.1.2 and Figure 7). The economy is part of society, which is part of Earth’s systems. A household is part of the economy. The household also has parts including the people who live there, the physical home, and shared resources.
Figure 7. The household is part of the economy, which is part of society, which is part of Earth systems.
(Credit: Raworth and Mihotich CC-BY-SA 4.0)
How might you organise the parts and wholes in Figure 7 into a diagram like Figure 6? Give it a try and then click on the arrow to reveal a solution.
Figure 8. The embedded economy model expressed as parts and wholes
Relationships: How are the parts connected?
System parts don’t exist alone—they’re defined by their relationships to each other. These can be physical (like electricity flowing through a cord) or conceptual (like how teacher feedback affects student motivation). Relationships make systems dynamic, shaping how they work over time.
In the embedded economy (Figure 7), households connect to Earth systems, social systems and other economic systems. For example, households might use solar energy (Earth systems) from a market-purchased panel (market systems) or join community efforts to manage water resources (commoning systems). Visualising relationships—using labeled lines and arrows—can reveal connections that might be invisible at first.
Figure 9. Teachers and students have relationships. Teacher feedback to students can impact their motivation to learn, which also influences teachers’ feedback.
(Credit: Katerina Holmes, Pexels license)
Perspectives: What do different viewpoints reveal?
Perspectives show that how we understand a system depends on our viewpoint. Perspectives aren’t just opinions—they’re lenses that shape how we see systems. Perspectives see different distinctions, system parts/wholes, and relationships.
Each coloured dot in Figure 10 represents one particular point of view. Exploring multiple perspectives deepens our understanding of complex systems.
For example, households may have a perspective that community land is a space for growing food, gathering, and learning about nature. A business might have a perspective that the same land is an opportunity for building and profit. These perspectives highlight different priorities and can explain conflicts—or offer paths to resolve them.
Figure 10. Perspectives involve different points (the observer) and views (what is being observed and how).
Note: Do not confuse the coloured dots with 'points.' The observer's eyes represent the point of view. The three coloured dots on the thing being viewed indicate that the object is being seen from three different perspectives.
Perspectives do not always come from people. Though people are doing the analysis (and therefore themselves have a perspective on the analysis), the analysis itself can involve the two things as the point and the view. For example, the view of the Covid-19 pandemic could come from various disciplines (points) like medicine, politics, economics and sociology. Each perspective point would ‘see’ different distinctions, system parts/wholes, and relationships. Making these perspectives visible enriches our understanding of systems and how we might improve the way they function.
How can we use DSRP to start thinking about systems?
How can we use DSRP to start thinking about systems?
The DSRP framework can be applied to any system to help us understand it better. Let’s use it to analyse a park (Figure 11):
Distinctions: Identify parts, like trees, grass, river, and visitors, as well as the park system’s boundary with other built environments. What are these things, what are they not?
Systems: Understand how these parts together create the whole park. Which parts are smaller components of wholes?
Relationships: Explore how trees, soil, water, insects, and air and people connect. How is each thing related to other things?
Perspectives: Consider the park from a child’s, park manager’s, and resident’s viewpoint. Which parts and wholes do they interact with? How do they interact with them? How do these perspectives differ?
Using DSRP reveals hidden connections, helping us support what works well and improve what doesn’t. For more explanation, watch the 12-minute video below on systems thinking and DSRP for a visual overview.
Figure 11. Consider distinctions, systems, relationships and perspectives for this park
(Credit: Wencheng Jang, Pexels license)
Activity S.2
Activity S.2
Concept: Systems
Skills: Thinking skills (transfer)
Time: varies, depending on option
Type: Individuals, pairs or group
Option 1: Using questions to explore systems thinking
Time: 40 minutes
On your own, with a partner or in a small group, visit Cabrera Lab’s Thinkquery. The site asks you to input two things/ideas/concepts and it provides you with a list of questions related to distinctions, systems, relationships and perspectives. Use the questions to practice systems thinking, discussing with your partner or group (if possible) as you go.
What insights did you gain about the things/ideas/concepts you engaged with? Be prepared to share these with others if possible, or write or audio record in a reflection.
Option 2: DSRP-ing an object
Time: 25 minutes
Choose an object around you, such as a clock, a plant, or a backpack.
Distinctions: Write down what the object is (e.g., a clock is a timekeeping device) and what it is not (e.g., a clock is not a calendar). Record your ideas.
Systems: Now consider what are the parts of the object, and what is the object a part of. Sketch these whole-part relationships like that in Figure 6 in the section text.
Relationships: Identify something else that the object is related to and state its relationship(s).
Perspectives: Until now you have been considering the object from your own perspective. Now think about it from someone else’s perspective. Might they see distinctions, systems, and relationships differently? If so, how?
Option 3: Thinking about systems in your life
Time: 35 minutes
Note: This can be an extension of Option 1 activity in S.1. The first few bullets are the same as that activity.
Brainstorm: In pairs or groups, list systems you encounter in your daily life. Examples could include a school, a sports team, a mobile phone, or a local park.
Choose a system: As a group, pick one system from your list to explore in more detail.
Describe the system: Write down the system's parts (distinguishing), the relationships between them, and its purpose.
Define the boundary: Draw a simple diagram of the system and its boundary. Decide what is inside and outside the system. Discuss why you chose this boundary and how changing it might affect your understanding of the system.
Perspectives: Choose one of the parts of the system (like food in the school cafeteria), and consider the perspectives of two different people (like the manager of the cafeteria and a student) on that part.
Write down their priorities and concerns.
Discuss how these different perspectives could affect decisions in the system.
Share and reflect: Present your system, the diagram and perspectives to the class or another group and ask for their thoughts and feedback.
Option 4: Browsing the Master the Moves shorts - Jigsaw
Time: 40 minutes
The Further Exploration section further down on this webpage has a list of short (ca. 5 min) videos about various ‘moves’ to practice the basics of systems thinking. They are listed in order from distinctions, systems, relationships and perspectives, with the final one circling back to thinking about distinguishing systems.
Identify a system to analyse - it could be anything, but you may wish to pick a simple object that everyone in the class is familiar with. Or you could choose households as a provisioning institution that all students should know something about.
Form groups and each group takes a different short video from the Further Exploration section. Make sure to include videos that cover distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives among the groups.
Individually or in the group, watch your assigned video twice, taking notes.
In the group, summarise the key ideas of the video, focusing on the ‘move’ it teaches. Clarify any confusion about the video among the group members.
Use that ‘move’ to analyse the system chosen at the start of the lesson. Discuss your ideas and clarify any questions.
Split up and regroup with other students who watched different videos. There should be one student representing each video in the new groupings.
Take turns explaining your moves to each other, discussing how it helps the group better understand the system you’ve been considering.
Discuss what insights you have about systems thinking from learning about all these ‘moves’.
Checking for understanding
Checking for understanding
Further exploration
Further exploration
Systems Thinking: A Little Film About a Big Idea - a ca. 12 minute video from Cabrera Research Lab that explains the DSRP basics. Difficulty level: easy
The four simple rules of systems thinking - A series of articles from Cabrera Research about the DSRP method. Difficulty level: medium
Cabrera Lab Master the Move Shorts - These short (ca. 5 minute) videos explain simple thinking ‘moves’ that are the basis for more complex systems thinking:
Thing - About distinguishing things (focused on the thing)
Not Thing - About distinguishing things (focused on the other)
Zoom-In - About looking more closely at a thing to see its parts
Zoom-Out - About taking a wider view of parts to see how they are related in a wider system
DIO List - About distinguishing things from others by zooming in on their parts
Part a Part - About breaking down wholes into their parts
Part Parties - About identifying relationships between parts of a system
RD Barbell - About identifying relationships between parts
R-Way - About the directionality of relationships through actions/reactions
RDS Barbell - About identifying relationships between things, and understanding that the relationships themselves are systems with parts and wholes
R-Channels - About identifying relationships between the parts in a system
View Me - About identifying perspectives (point/view)
P-Circles - Another video about identifying perspectives (point/view)
PPV Pop-up - A third video about perspectives!
Subpoints - About how points of view can have parts, subpoints of view
Subview - About how the things being viewed can have parts, subviews
Not System - About distinguishing systems (identity/other)
Project Zero Thinking Routines: Perspective-taking - The website of Harvard University’s Project Zero, which has a wide array of thinking routines for students of different age levels. One set is all about perspective-taking. Difficulty level: easy
The Systems Thinking Playbook – A practical guide by Linda Booth Sweeney and Dennis Meadows, offering hands-on exercises to develop systems thinking skills through understanding feedback loops, delays, and interconnected systems in an engaging way. It is widely used in education, leadership training, and sustainability studies. Difficulty level: medium.
Waters Center for Systems Thinking - The website of a nonprofit organisation that provides resources and training for systems thinking in education and leadership. Tools and materials include explanations of stocks and flows, practical classroom activities, and interactive learning strategies. Difficulty level: medium
Sources
Sources
Cabrera, D., & Cabrera, L. (n.d.). The four simple rules of systems thinking. Cabrera Research. https://blog.cabreraresearch.org/the-four-simple-rules-of-systems-thinking
Cabrera, D., & Cabrera, L. (2018). Systems thinking made simple: New hope for solving wicked problems (2nd ed.). Odyssean Press.
Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.
Terminology
Terminology
Coming soon!
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