- Why are the causal patterns taught such that they are so embedded in the science instead of just teaching them more explicitly?
- Why teach this particular set of causal patterns? Where does this set of causal patterns come from?
- How does the teaching of causal patterns relate to "systems-thinking?"
- Can I teach the causal patterns separately first and then help students think about them in the science concepts that we are studying?
- I see where these patterns apply to science but aren’t they really everywhere? Couldn’t I teach them in Social Studies, for instance?
- Some of the Causal Patterns lessons use social examples. How does this help students?
1. Why are the causal patterns taught such that they are so embedded in the science instead of just teaching them more explicitly?
In the Causal Patterns in Science Series, the causality is taught in service of the science concepts, not vice versa. The lessons are designed this way because the science concepts are in the national standards and students are expected to learn them well. Teaching the embedded causality helps students learn the science well, so it creates a place for the causal patterns in the curriculum. With a little additional attention, students can learn to transfer the patterns beyond the science.
2. Why teach this particular set of causal patterns? Where does this set of causal patterns come from?
This set of causal patterns was developed in the course of our work with students and through extensive conversations with teachers and scientists about the kinds of relationships that are embedded in the science concepts that students are expected to learn. Many of the terms come from the students themselves. While we are not aware of other types of "causal curricula," it is not necessarily the only way to talk about causal patterns. We did find that this set was effective in helping students to learn science and to think about causality in the world. The patterns here are not necessarily exhaustive and we expect that the set will evolve and grow over time.
3. How does the teaching of causal patterns relate to "systems-thinking?"
Systems-thinking is closely related. Analyzing any particular system is likely to include multiple forms of the causal patterns introduced on this site. The most commonly taught curricula for systems-thinking comes from Peter Senge’s work and has been developed by affiliates of the Creative Learning Exchange (CLE). This work introduces "archetypes" for thinking about systems dynamics. For instance, "The Tragedy of the Commons" describes what happens when everyone wants to use a resource such that what made the resource desirable (the beauty of a beach, for instance) is undermined by overuse. This work also introduces the concepts of "stock" and "flow," (commonly known as "bathtub dynamics") within systems. The causal patterns taught here could be used to describe the types of causality acting within systems. For instance, one could think about "the Tragedy of the Commons" as resulting from distributed causality with intention at one level and an emergent outcome at a different level. Hmelo-Silver and colleagues have also introduced ways to think about the complex causality in systems, focusing on structural and functional reasoning and have developed ways to apply this work to the curriculum.
4. Can I teach the causal patterns separately first and then help students think about them in the science concepts that we are studying?
Yes! Some teachers have chosen to do this and it has worked very well. At the request of these teachers, we have developed a set of lessons to introduce the causal patterns separately. You will find these in the Resources section entitled, Reasoning About Causal Complexity in Science and Beyond.
5. I see where these patterns apply to science but aren't they really everywhere? Couldn’t I teach them in Social Studies, for instance?
Yes, and teachers we’ve worked with have done exactly that. They have taught them in social studies to consider the escalating causality in conflict, literature to consider patterns of interaction between characters, and health class to think about how chance in the relationship between cause and effect influences the risks people take. There are many instances across the curriculum where the concepts and the causal vocabulary can be helpful.
6. Some of the Causal Patterns lessons use social examples. How does this help students?
The causal patterns are present in our everyday lives and students often have experiences with them. For example, most kids experience the escalating causality of talking a little louder to be heard over someone else in the cafeteria and when it gets too loud, they lose recess. They each wonder "Why do I have to stay in? It wasn't my fault" as they experience an emergent outcome with distributed, uncoordinated agency. This is not unlike dynamics related to global warming. The curriculum uses this social knowledge, where possible, to build further understanding. The learning goes in both directions. After learning about escalating causality in science, one teacher reported that her students came running in from the playground saying, "Ms. R., we need a cool down, we have escalating causality!" as two students were getting ready to fight.
