Learning to Dance with Dynamic Systems.

When I began exploring various concepts within integrative learning, Montessori philosophy, and bioregionalism it felt like a daunting task on most days. As I began to settle into the ebb and flow of integrative learning and systems thinking, I gained the confidence to voyage deeper into Montessori philosophy and practice, which unexpectedly managed to guide me into exploring bioregionalism.

Eventually, the intersection of these three regions of consciousness became my metaphorical dwelling place for this culminating project. Along the way I discovered many voices that would guide me, one of which was Donnella (Dana) Meadows, a pioneering environmental scientist, systems analyst and farmer. Meadows (2005) encouraged me to shed the identity of omniscient conqueror and meet the unpredictability of self-organizing, non-linear feedback systems with a dance.

Her detailed start-off dancing lesson can be found in an essay derived from the book Meadows was working on at the time of her death in 2001, Dancing with Systems (2005). As a lover of lists, I appreciated how she set forth a simple choreography to follow. As I begin my dance with the integration of Montessori and bioregional systems, I hope the following steps will guide my wonder:

            THE DANCE

1. Get the beat.
2. Listen to the wisdom of the system.
3. Expose your mental models to the open air.
4. Stay humble. Stay a learner.
5. Honor and protect information.
6. Locate responsibility in the system.
7. Make feedback policies for feedback systems.
8. Pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable.
9. Go for the good of the whole.
10. Expand time horizons.
11. Expand the boundary of caring.
12. Celebrate complexity.
13. Hold fast to the goal of goodness. (Meadows, 2005)

Works Cited

Meadows, D. H. (2005). Dancing with systems. In Stone, M.K. & Barlow, Z. (Eds.), Ecological literacy: Educating our children for a sustainable world (pp. 193-205). Sierra Club Books.