During my studies in systems thinking, I was assigned to create a school system for elementary kids. This project marked the beginning of my deep interest in early-age education. As I delved into the intricacies of designing a holistic and interconnected educational model, I found myself increasingly fascinated by the potential impact of nurturing young minds from the very start.
Later, I became acquainted with the philosophies of Magda Gerber and her approach to respectful parenting, as well as the educational principles of Maria Montessori. These influential figures profoundly shaped my perspective on parenting and education, leading my partner and me to embrace these ideas as we raised our two children. This journey of discovery and inspiration has fundamentally changed how we interact with and educate our kids, fostering a nurturing and respectful environment for them to grow.
My project is designed for the hypothetical country “Terranova,” which means “new land” (an allusion to borderless systems). The name of the school is “Interaction.
Since this school aims to teach systems thinking, it might not be very systematic to start this education from 7 years old and within a school setting. For this reason, in Terranova, it was decided that every two hours from birth to 18 years of age, parents participate in child behavior and systemic thinking training classes. In this way, children grow up with parents who are at least familiar with the concept of systems thinking.
School starts at the age of 4. Kindergartens are all coordinated with the school system. The most important goals from 4 to 7 years old are to strengthen creativity, teach children to interact with each other, respect differences in appearance, ethnicity, and gender, and learn order, queuing, and patience.
The Beginning of 7 Years
On the first day of school, children are told that we are not going to teach them anything. Instead, we are going to go on a 6-year journey of discovery together. During these 6 years, we are supposed to learn the rules governing existence. For this, we must pack and equip ourselves as much as possible because we will never return to this moment.
The managers of Terranova Education believe that children do not need to study systems thinking to understand it. For children to grasp the rules of living systems and find the means to analyze them, they unconsciously become familiar with systems thinking. Nature is the best teacher. Nature is as alive as a school, a city, or even a human body. If children are shown the patterns of nature during this discovery trip, they will gain a holistic view. When children have a holistic view, they are less likely to make foolish decisions in the future.
They also believe that by knowing the laws of existence, children will unconsciously understand the concept of a system. In many American state parks, dogs and bicycles are not allowed to enter because they may scare migratory birds, causing them not to return. When children understand the consequences of bringing a dog to these areas, they will create a mental model of this event and refer to it in similar situations. If we ask them to predict the consequences of this action, we will face even more surprising results.
If children see that nothing in the world is wasted and that every creature becomes food for others, and the remains of living creatures are absorbed into the soil, making it more fertile, they will understand what happens to a piece of plastic in its life cycle and the damage it does to the environment. Knowing this, those children will pay more attention to waste production and littering. They may even develop some concerns and solutions for this problem in the future.
Many friends have heard of the movie and story of the wolves of Yellowstone National Park (this movie can provide content for a school year; children understand this story very well). Instead of tales of the mean wolf and the sly fox, it is possible to show children the important role of each component in the system of existence and how balance affects all components.
In the classrooms of neighboring countries, there are subjects called physics, chemistry, and biology. But in nature, we cannot separate them. When a seed sprouts from the soil, physics, chemistry, and biology occur simultaneously. Such sciences are taught in Terranova.
Every year, the children undertake two projects. The goal of these projects is to improve the world they live in. One project is inside the school, and the other is for the outside world, which can be their city, their country, or even other countries. These projects can be as simple as painting school walls or as large as collecting books for schools in remote areas. Over one school year, children have time to take practical actions. For extracurricular projects, they group with other schools to grow the group, march, and make placards for the movement they have started, standing for a common cause. Children learn that no one will come to solve societal problems; the components of the system each have a role in improving society.
Mathematics and programming are also very important subjects. Code.org projects are used for programming, and children learn to create and play their own games.
Another important school lesson is “What would you do if it were you?” (This lesson is inspired by “What Would You Do?”—a hidden camera show that stages social dilemmas to observe people’s reactions and actions.) This lesson teaches children to protest and act if they witness behavior that is inhumane or cruel. These protests are taught in negotiation lessons so that children can defend their rights with words, not by raising their voices. Every week, a theme is presented to the children, and they are asked to write about what they would do in such a situation.
Today, one of the most important concerns is how to live sustainably on the planet. Teaching systems thinking through the living system of nature is the way to preserve the earth for future generations. In this educational system, children will act more responsibly towards themselves, their families, their school, their city, their country, and the entire universe.