🟢 Systems Thinking

🔷 Why Systems Thinking?

The iceberg model

Systems thinking is important because it helps us understand the underlying complexity of a problem or situation by looking beyond the visible or superficial elements, like how an iceberg has a hidden, larger portion underwater that impacts the visible tip. By identifying and analyzing the interconnected parts of a system, we can better grasp the root causes of issues and create more effective solutions.

🔷 UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals

UNESCO Sustainable Development Goals

 

1.   No Poverty

            End poverty in all forms everywhere.

 

2.   Zero Hunger

            End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition,

            and promote sustainable agriculture.

 

3.   Good Health and Well-being

            Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

 

4.   Quality Education

            Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong

            learning opportunities for all.

 

5.   Gender Equality

            Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

 

6.   Clean Water and Sanitation

            Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and

            sanitation for all.

 

7.   Affordable and Clean Energy

            Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern

            energy for all.

 

8.   Decent Work and Economic Growth

            Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth,

            full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

 

9.   Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

            Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable

            industrialization, and foster innovation.

 

10.  Reduced Inequalities

             Reduce inequality within and among countries.

 

11.  Sustainable Cities and Communities

             Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,

             resilient and sustainable.

 

12.  Responsible Consumption and Production

              Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

 

13.  Climate Action

              Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

 

14.  Life Below Water

             Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine

             resources for sustainable development.

 

15.  Life on Land

             Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial

             ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification,

             and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss.

 

16.  Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

             Promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access

             to justice for all, and build effective, accountable and inclusive

             institutions at all levels.

 

17.  Partnerships for the Goals

             Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize

             the global partnership for sustainable development.

 

👉 What are complex problems?

 

🔷 Characteristics of a complex problem

 

When thinking about the complexity of a problem, consider the following attributes:

1.    Definability

·       Complicated problems are easy to define, complex problems are not

·       Existence of unknown unknowns

2.    Reducibility

·       Complicated problems can be broken down into parts, but complex problems cannot

3.    Predictability

·       The outcome of a complicated problem can be predicted, but not in the case with complex problems

4.    Solvability

·       Complicated problems can by solved, complex problems can only be addressed

·       Solvability of complex problems is influenced by external factors

 

👉 How to solve problems?

 

How we think determines how we see the world around us. It also determines our course of action. There are two different ways of thinking, linear and non-linear

 

▪️ Linear thinking

Linear thinking involves analyzing information step by step and using a cause-and-effect approach to arrive at a conclusion. We can get solve a mathematical problem as a example of linear thinking.

▪️ Non-linear thinking

Non-linear thinking involves making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, leading to creative and innovative solutions. Creative inventions using different machines can be taken as an example of non-linear thinking.

🟢 Smart Thinking

    When someone asks you to "think about the issues", "analyse in more depth", "use reasoning", "be rational", "be logical", "think critically", "have a good argument", and "explain in detail", they are essentially asking you to engage in a process of smart thinking. But how do you do that?

👉 Logic and Argument

    The logic is used to assess an argument. A claim meant to prove a point is referred to as an argument. There need to be evidence to support that claim. Premises and conclusion are the two parts of an argument that can be distinguished. The conclusion is the claim that needs to be supported by evidence, while the premises provide that evidence.

 

 

👉 Identifying Claims and Arguments

    Identification of claims and arguments is a critical thinking skill that is necessary in today's world of information. Many people mistakenly believe that stating one's opinions on a subject constitutes providing an argument. A claim presents a viewpoint or assumption, whereas an argument offers evidence to back up that viewpoint. Analyzing the data that supports or contradicts a claim is essential before accepting or rejecting it.

👉 Difference between Arguments and Explanations

 

 

 

   VS

 

    An argument gives reasons for believing that something is true or probably true, while an explanation tells why or how something is the case. Arguments aim to prove a claim's truth, while explanations aim to provide a deeper understanding of a phenomenon. Although claims and explanations differ, explanations could be integral parts of arguments. Understanding the difference between arguments and explanations helps in sound reasoning and analysis of claims.

👉 There are indicator words that can identify a premise or a conclusion

Premise indicators:

            because, as, since, given that, due to, for the reasoning that

Conclusion indicators:

            therefore, so, thus, hence, which implies that, as a result, which means that

• If there are indicators in an argument it is called explicit inference while if there are only a series of premise and a conclusion without indicators those are called implicit inference. 

👉 What do we do with reasoning?

Examples from lecture notes:

•    Arguing:

     'You should not believe what you see on television because ... '

 
•    Explaining:

     'Digital television has been introduced because ... '

 
•    Making decisions:

     ‘I think we should buy a digital television receiver because... '

 
•    Predicting the future:

     'I expect digital television to make pay television better because ... '

 
•    Exploring issues:

     'How will digital television link to the Internet?’

 
•    Finding answers:

     'Why did the government decide on a higher-quality digital television standard?'

 
•    Justifying actions:

     'When first introduced,

      I thought subscribing to pay television was not a good idea because... '

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👥 Group Work

👉 Discuss the benefits and limitations of the concept,

       “Nearest School is the Best School”

    The 7 members of our group came from different parts of Sri Lanka, and most of them had gone to popular schools in Sri Lanka.

When discussing this topic, there were different children of different colors in our group, so various suggestions were made. There, opinions were expressed that this concept is good and that this concept is not practical. Some argued that this concept is good because of low travel costs, less travel time and affordable student capacity, while others, including me, argued that this concept is impractical due to popular schools' infrastructure, teaching methods, etc. Our group also came up with difficult to implement proposals such as closing all the schools in Sri Lanka and creating a limited number of schools for each district.

👉 Learnings from the activity:

    Finally, our group concluded the discussion by deciding that “Nearest School is the Best School” is a good concept, but the government as well as the public should work hard to implement this concept in all provincial schools in Sri Lanka.

🟢 Know you and the other

🔷 Why is it easy to get along with some people than others?

Everything you say to a person is filtered through his frames of reference, biases, and preconceived ideas. What remains is ultimately the message that he understands. For many different reasons, he can interpret what you want to convey in a totally different way than you intended.

Surrounded by idiots

As in "Surrounded by idiots book", we can categorize the people into four colors,

Four colours

With some of your behaviors, you can choose what color are you.

All these people can't stay together, because of their behaviors. The following structure shows what person's colors can identify each other and stay together with fewer conflicts.

 

Blue and Green could be a good combination. Similarly Red and Yellow work smoothly together. Blue and Red or else Green and Yellow also can work together in some aspects. But the diagonal combinations can have a bit of trouble when communicating and contributing together. 

 

If there is a team with all the personality colors that would be easy to do their task. The Yellow comes up with a new idea, the Red makes the decision, the Green has to do all the work, and the Blue evaluates and makes sure that the results are excellent.

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👥 Group Work

👉 Discuss current tax policies in Sri Lanka

Our team consists of seven members. First we identified the color categories that our team members belong to. There, 

🔹I am Green

🔹Charuni - Blue

🔹Naduni - Blue

🔹Navindya - Green

🔹Nipuni - Blue

🔹Vishath - Red

identified as and there was no yellow member in our group, we later realized that it was extremely important to reach an agreement through negotiation.

The tax policies imposed by the Sri Lankan government began to be discussed. After a good discussion our team comes to a conclusion. That is, the government should always be transparent about its spending and the public should know what is happening to their tax money. Also, they should get a good return compared to the tax they pay. Similarly, financial corruption and fraud should be prevented. The government should be trusted by the public.

👉 Learnings from activities

It was very important for us to identify our personal colors when discussing the topic. Some of my buddies got into heated arguments with one another. They might be diagonal hues. Others debated and agreed with the justifications. They may have same colors.

🟢 Characteristics of Critical Thinking

        A framework for classifying different types of critical thinking skills and abilities was invented in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues. The classification is often represented as a pyramid, with lower levels representing more basic skills and higher levels representing more complex and sophisticated abilities. This is called Bloom's Taxonomy.

Bloom's Taxonomy

👉 Major characteristics of critical thinking

    

    1.      Active Listening

      This involves actively paying attention to what others are saying, rather than just passively hearing the words. It requires the ability to understand and process information effectively and respond appropriately.

    2.      Being Curious

      Being curious means having a desire to learn, understand and explore new ideas and concepts. It involves asking questions, seeking clarification, and being open to new perspectives.

 

    3.      Being Disciplined

      Critical thinking requires discipline and structure in order to be effective. This means being systematic and organized in your thought process, using logic and evidence to support your arguments.

 

    4.      Being Humble

      Humility is important in critical thinking as it helps one avoid confirmation bias and resist the temptation to make assumptions without evidence. Being humble means recognizing the limitations of your own knowledge and being open to new information and perspectives.

👥 Group Work

🔷 Discuss the solutions that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board can take to improve the quality of cricket.

 

·       Improving the batting line-up

Sri Lanka's batting has been inconsistent, and they need to find a way to stabilize it. This can be done by identifying the right combination of players and working on their technique.

·       Developing fast bowling attack

Sri Lanka has had a history of producing quality spin bowlers, but they need to work on their pace bowling department to become a more balanced side.

·       Building team culture

The team needs to work on building a strong team culture, which includes trust, mutual respect, and a strong sense of unity. This will help them perform better on the field.

·       Investing in youth development

Sri Lanka needs to focus on developing young talent and creating a pathway for them to reach the national team. This will ensure a steady flow of new talent into the team.

·       Improving mental toughness

      Cricket is as much a mental game as it is physical, and Sri Lanka's players need to work on their mental toughness to handle the pressure of international cricket.