Analyzing Education/Learning Systems
I’ve always considered myself to be a process-oriented person. I understand the importance of forward thinking and having procedures in place to avoid problems in various situations. However, over the last several weeks, I have learned that there are so many parts involved in any system, that it can be difficult to truly understand problems within the system and make changes.
I have long felt that the education system in America needs a major overhaul. So much of what we do doesn’t actual benefit our students or the community as a whole. I hear repeatedly that students aren’t prepared for college or the work force. Yet we continue to focus on standardized test results and an outdated education model. Reading through “The Systems-Environment Model”, I thought I had found a possible dissertation topic: creating an education system that coevolves with society. I determined a plan for evaluating the current system based on the needs of society and industry in nineteenth, today, and the future. I was so excited about the prospect that I immediately began discussing it with my husband.
My conversation with my husband reminded me that there are many outside forces that influence the education system in the United States. Companies, like Pearson, make a lot of money creating curriculum and test materials and would likely fight changes that would affect their bottom line. In addition, a systems overhaul would be very expensive for local and state governments. Besides the financial restraints, the amount of planning and thinking involved in a systems change is almost unimaginable.
One of the things I’ve learned about analyzing education and learning systems is that we must understand how the various “components fit together, interact, and depend on one another for the system to achieve its overall function” (Warren, Sauser, and Nowicki, 2019, p.3). As an educator, it isn’t enough for me to understand just my role and function within the education system. I have to expand past my classroom, campus, department, district, etc. to fully understand the innerworkings of the current education system. This can be a messy, complex process, yet it is necessary if we are going to understand the constraints within the system and determine feasible changes for all stakeholders.
Complexity: The Human Factor
I have read a lot over the last several weeks about hard-systems vs. soft-systems methodology, and one key difference between the two involves the complexity of the problem situation. In hard-systems methodology, the goal, and how to achieve it, is known. There is a level of prediction and control. However, when working with soft-systems, we are dealing with real-world problems as well as the human factor. We are not only dealing with the how to make changes, we are also trying to determine what changes to make. This is one of the reasons that making systemic change in education is so difficult. While many people recognize the need for change, most of us aren’t sure where to begin.
When discussing systematic change in education, we often focus on the students and teachers. However, in order to make lasting change, we need to move past the obvious stakeholders and begin to look at who else benefits from public education. We need to examine the situation from a political and social aspect in order to gain support from policy makers and financial backers. This can be difficult to do because it requires us to move beyond the individual classroom or school and begin thinking about how education serves societal functions and purposes (Banathy, 1992, p. 52).
Changing Picture of Systems
As I stated earlier, I have long sensed the need for systemic change in public education. In fact, my dissatisfaction with the system has caused me to seek a career change because I feel as though there is nothing, I can do to change the system. Over the last few weeks, the coursework has helped me to better understand the complexity of the situation. After twenty years working in public education, I thought I had a strong understanding of the education system. However, I now realize that there are many factors that contribute to the organization and learning model of our education system in the United States. Although I want to create a system that better serves our students and society, I am uncertain as to how I can influence that change. It is my hope that as I continue my PhD coursework, I will learn more about my own place in various learning systems and how I can take part in creating an education system that coevolves with our society.
References
Banathy, B.H. (1992). The systems-environment model. A systems view of education: Concepts and principles for effective practice (pp. 25-58). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Khisty, C. J. (1995). Soft-systems methodology as learning and management tool. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 121(3), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9488(1995)121:3(91)
Warren, S. J., Sauser, B., & Nowicki, D. (2019). The historic impact of soft systems methodology on academic research and theory. Systems, 7(10), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems7010010
