Systems Thinking in Learning and Education

Samir I. Mostafa,"Systems Thinking - Theory and Application in Learning and Education," Journal of Education Research, Cairo University,  April 2005
We deal here with "system" and "system thinking", which are two of the topics that evolved over many years of research and application, with the purpose of highlighting its development, its field of applications, with also its accompanying tools and methodologies. In spite of the wide applications and studies of thinking with its mechanisms and tools in many parts of the world, systems thinking remained during the last fifty years confined and locked in research labs and seminars halls away from the application and practical use in our institutions, and in sporadic cases which came out to the practical application its use suffered either confusion or obfuscation. Perhaps the reason for this is the vital link between thinking and organizational or social culture. Therefore, this research stresses the the fact that successful use of systems thinking with its theories and various applications needs from our teaching and learning institutions in our Arab societies an innovative look to add a cultural dimension to this approach as an essential step toward building a systemic cultural society towards the  rehabilitation of system citizen, who looks to his needs in the context of his society.