Dear Educational Change SIG Members,
This is a quick newsletter to remind you to please apply to be a reviewer for our SIG and to submit your proposals by 7/27/22. We are so excited to see all your wonderful proposals and to celebrate your work! See below for the call…
We also have a call for chapter proposals (see below) -
Title: Reimagining Systems Thinking in a Post-Pandemic World
Editors: M. Elizabeth Azukas, East Stroudsburg University, & Minkyoung Kim, University of West Florida
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the largest systemic disruption in history. While the pandemic was clearly a health issue, resulting in the deaths of over 6 million people, it was much more than a health issue. The pandemic was a complex phenomenon that impacted economic, political, and education systems. The pandemic had widespread economic impacts. Lockdowns forced many businesses to close, and the world is still dealing with the effects of the supply chain disruptions. The pandemic also impacted political systems with disputes over mask mandates, lockdowns, and vaccine distribution. COVID-19 caused the most extensive education system disruption in history, affecting 1.6 billion learners in more than 200 countries. The pandemic has highlighted the world’s complex interdependent structures, and it will require a multidisciplinary systems thinking approach for post-pandemic recovery and future pandemic prevention. Systems thinking is a “system of thinking about systems” (Arnold & Wade, 2015).
Ackoff (1971) defined a system as a set of interrelated elements that affect the functioning of the whole. Systems thinking has been defined in many different ways across various fields. Checkland (1981) referred to a systems approach as taking a broad view of a problem that considers everything and concentrates on the interactions between the different parts of the problem. Richmond (1994) defined systems thinking as the art and science of making reliable inferences about behavior through the development of the underlying structure. Senge (1990) viewed systems thinking as a discipline for seeing the big picture and interconnectedness. He emphasized dynamic patterns of change instead of static snapshots (Senge, 1990). Despite the variety of definitions, there are common characteristics associated with systems thinking including wholes rather than parts, interconnectedness and interrelationships, dynamic behavior, and feedback loops (Arnold & Welsh, 2015). As we attempt to understand and recover from the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, systems thinking provides the complex, multidisciplinary approach needed to plan for the world’s future.
This book will examine the role of systems thinking in a post-pandemic world as practitioners, policy-makers, healthcare providers, business people, and educators tackle the complexity of recovery.
Topics may include (but are not limited to)
· Systems Thinking Redefined/Reinterpreted in a Post-Covid World
· Levels of systems thinking (granularity (global systems thinking down to local levels/communities)
· Common Pitfalls of Systems Thinking (and how the pandemic exposed these pitfalls)
· Structural Problems with Systems Thinking Interconnectivity of systems (supply chain)
· Continuance of Service During the Pandemic Interdependent systems
· Systems Post Pandemic
Proposal Submissions Due: August 17th
Full Chapters Due: December 15th
Read the Full Call here. https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/6085
AERA 2023 Annual Meeting Call for Submissions
We are pleased to officially inform you that the AERA 2023 Annual Meeting Call for Submissions opened earlier this month on the AERA website. We encourage you to consider a paper or session submission to the ED Change SIG!. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM, Pacific Time, on July 27, 2022.
The 2023 Annual Meeting is dual component: place-based in Chicago, Illinois and on a virtual platform. When you advance a paper or session submission, you will also indicate whether you wish your paper or session, if accepted, to be presented in-person in Chicago or virtually. Both components of the meeting will offer participants rich opportunities to present their work and network with attendees.
The overall theme is "Interrogating Consequential Education Research in Pursuit of Truth." We hope that you will consider a submission in response to the Call. The theme advanced by AERA President H. Richard Milner, IV, and Co-Chairs Lori Delale, Mark Gooden, and Ebony McGee, invites AERA members and other Annual Meeting attendees to push the boundaries of ideas, methods, and collaborations to achieve innovations and novelty in studying and advancing quality consequential research.
We are looking forward to creating an Annual Meeting that will attract broad participation worldwide. This meeting will provide an opportunity to share research, assess the state of our knowledge, and explore how our work can become more relevant to diverse communities, publics, practitioners, and policy makers.
Please submit and join us in April 2023 in Chicago or virtually.
Int’l Ed News
Every month, Int’l Ed News (@intl_ed_news) publishes our Lead the Change Interviews. This month, their site features an interview with the founder of Fount for Nations, Patience Mkandawire.
Thank you to our Partners
Educational Research for Policy and Practice
International Education News
International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement
Journal of Educational Change
Journal of Professional Capital and Community
National Principals Leadership Institute
School Leadership & Management
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Warmest Regards,
Jennie Weiner, Chair
Olga Fellus, Program Chair
Corinne Brion, Secretary/Treasurer
Alex Lamb, Lead the Change Editor
Cynthia Wise, Social Media Coordinator
Taylor Strickland, Social Media Coordinator