A World Cafe Starting the Conversation Openning session with all participants

Questions for Reflection & Discussion: 1. What are the challenges you perceive for the classrooms, schools and districts, in our current global and diverse society? 2. In your personal experience, what kind of thinking do you see in classrooms, schools and districts? What does it look like, sound like, feel like? 3. How do we create an environment in which students learn and practice high-level thinking and develop creative thinking?

Title	Description	Presenter
Growing a Systems Thinking Culture in a Primary School	Creating sustainable change in public education takes time.  Over the last 7 years Borton has slowly worked to incorporate Systems Thinking into its instructional practice, and more recently there is growing  evidence that it is impacting culture of the school.   Hear the continuing story of how Systems Thinking is becoming a sustainable part of our practice and the positive results it has on students, teachers and our school district.	Sheri Marlin
A Systems Thinking Perspective on Classroom Practices and Instruction	This interactive workshop uses the concepts, habits and tools of systems thinking to explore the work we do with students in establishing structures for classroom practices and lesson delivery.  We will discuss lesson delivery in the context of middle school writing.  Participants will surface and test their assumptions about the impact of teacher's mental models and the use of learning targets to contribute to student achievement.	Gaylen Brannon
Standards-Based Assessment Using Systems Thinking Tools	This Level II session will focus on using systems thinking tools as content standards assessments. The presentation will include specific examples of the iceberg model, causal loop diagram and connection circles, including student work.	Michelle Parsons
Systems Thinking as a Leverage to Fascinating Education	Fascinating education is based on organizational learning and is connected to multiple intelligences, brain based learning, habits of minds (habits of a systems thinker) and cooperative learning. The learning has to be meaningful and safe. Interconnectedness is the most important part if it.   In this workshop we connect to the different concepts and see, experience and understand the interconnectedness. We will see the examples from the classroom (K-8 grade) and will experience some exercises with the different concepts and tools but always connected to systems thinking. We will reflect on the experience and try to deepen our understanding of the interconnectedness.	Guss Geisen & Karin Geisen
Science	Applications of systems thinking in high schools include teaching students about using systems thinking, using systems thinking tools to teach subject matter, and using systems thinking in educational leadership.  Dave will bring a handful of examples of these three uses of ST and will tailor the presentation to the interests of the session participants.	Dave Hamilton
What's New with STELLA and isee systems	In this session we'll demonstrate the latest version of STELLA Systems Thinking software and isee NetSim Web publishing wizard.  Find out what's happening at isee and the resources available to you.	Joanne Egner
Thinking Beyond the Surface in Elementary Literature & Social Studies	In this workshop, teachers will learn strategies and tools that facilitate students' ability to think beyond the surface of the text.  The focus will be on promoting students' abilities to interpret, extend, and apply content knowledge and skills when working with literature and social studies materials.	Andrea Davidson
Development of Commitment to Initiatives	Participants will learn about and discuss a case study of the use of systems thinking to determine leverage with actions that accelerate and sustain commitment. Following a review of the case study we will apply the systems thinking concepts to initiatives relative to participants.	Rena Rockwell & Mary Scheetz
"Charge it Please" - System Dynamics & Mathematics	Participants will translate a hands-on simulation of accumulating credit card debt into a computer model. Use the model to find and use the leverage points in the credit card system to decrease debt.	Dorothy Geary
Project-Based Learning Through Iceberg Thinking	Presentation of student work through the process, using the tools within the iceberg model to guide their inquiries. A discussion and activity will follow.	William Thompson
Systems Thinking in High School	Presentation of current uses including use with the computer simulation "Peacemaker" and time for sharing and development of individual plans for using Systems Thinking in high school classrooms.	Karl Atkins
System Dynamics for Young Children	How can you help young children develop their own models using all the intelligence there are, working in different ways with other students, developing habits of mind, and finally grow from linear thinking to cyclic thinking. A translation of the Dutch DVD; Systems Dynamic with young children.	Jan Bisschops
Leadership in Living Systems	Schools in the Netherlands are coping with an increasing external pressure to focus on results. This thrives school systems in accountability loops of collecting data, making them presentable and explainable to others. During this presentation we will discover how the situation in the Netherlands relates to the situation in the US. We will think of ways for leaders of how to keep the balance between accountability and learning in our schools so that teachers can keep in touch with their internal sources of how to be available for children and students.  We will use the archetype "fixes that fail" to understand the unintended consequences of data driven measurement and we will start a dialogue about the additional use of feedback as a means to understand how the system works, and in order to discover leverage actions to improve quality of results and relationships.	Hans Leistra

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