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This document discusses the systems approach to teaching, covering key concepts such as the definition of systems, characteristics of closed and open systems, and the application of these concepts in educational settings. It outlines the objectives for learners, the components of a lesson as a system, and provides examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The topic concludes with a summary of the systems approach and its relevance to teaching and learning.

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muindekelvin609
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5 views

Topic 2 pdf

This document discusses the systems approach to teaching, covering key concepts such as the definition of systems, characteristics of closed and open systems, and the application of these concepts in educational settings. It outlines the objectives for learners, the components of a lesson as a system, and provides examples to illustrate the principles discussed. The topic concludes with a summary of the systems approach and its relevance to teaching and learning.

Uploaded by

muindekelvin609
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TOPIC TWO

Systems Approach to Teaching


Introduction
This topic covers significant content on systems approach as used in educational institutions.
You will be introduced to the concept of systems, systems approach and types of systems. We
hope that you will enjoy this subject matter. The topic has 4 sections namely:
i. Definition of key Terms.
ii. Concept of Systems Approach.
iii. Closed Systems.
iv. Open Systems.

Topic Objectives

By the end of the topic the learner should be able to:


i. Define the term system.
ii. Explain the concept of systems approach in education.
iii. Describe the types of systems.
iv. Apply systems approach to teaching and learning.

Definition of Concepts

System

Anatol Rapoport (1968):

A whole which functions as a whole by virtue of the interdependence of its parts is called a System;
and the method which aims at discovering how this is brought about in the widest variety of
systems has been called the General Systems Theory.

Immegart and Pilecki (1973):


A System can be defined quite simply as “a set of objects together with relationships between the
objects and between their attributes.” A System is in other words, an entity composed of;
 A number of parts,
 The relationships of these parts,
 Attributes of both the parts and the relationships.
 Or, in another vein, a system can be conceived as “some form in structure or operation,
concepts or functions, composed of united and integrated parts.”
 Is a whole or entity
 Have parts i.e. smaller entities or wholes (components)
 Components are interrelated.
 Relationships have attributes or qualities.

Therefore, the system is greater than the sum of its parts.

General Characteristics of a System


A functional system must have;
 A goal - to drive its activities towards
 Interactivity - interaction among the interrelated components
 Harmony - what enables realization of the overall system goals
 Feedback - communication that indicates how successful the operations or activities are in
the system

Concept of Systems Approach


The following are the basic properties of a system:
Tendency towards Entropy.

Entropy is a measure of:-

- Randomness
- Disorder
- Inertia, or
- Ultimate death.

EXAMPLE: Problems in the school, such as;

 Buildings aging and needing repair.

 Books getting worn-out and needing replacement.

 The teacher and the pupils getting tired. etc.

At the class or lesson level:

 The content gets out-dated.

 The teaching methods become obsolete.

 Pupils’ workbooks get filled-up.

 Instructional materials get damaged through frequent use, etc.


Existence in Time-Space

 We can therefore say; Systems exist in non-reversible time sequence.


 They evolve and grow or degenerate over time.

EXAMPLES; The case of the jilted lover in a diadic system.

 Old schools such as Alliance, Mangu, Maseno, Kagumo, etc.


 The fact that one cannot unlearn what they have already learned.
 To understand any system, one needs to look at its life history.
 However, to do anything with the system, one must project into the future since the
system will not have stagnated.
 The past history and the current state of the system are events that, through system
evaluation, may be used only as sources of data on which future system activity may be
build.

Boundaries.

 These are arbitrary demarcations of what is or is not included in the system in question.
 The points beyond which the unique characteristics of the system are no longer
distinguishable.

EXAMPLE; The Lesson objectives dictate the content to be taught in the lesson in question.

 As it defines the skill (s) to be learned and also determines the method (s) to be used
in teaching it.

The Environment

 All that falls outside of the arbitrarily defined system boundaries but which has the
potential to affect the structure and function of the system is in the system’s environment.

EXAMPLE; the environment of any one lesson is comprised of the other lessons in the
course or subject and the other subjects in the entire curriculum.

The Subsystems

 These are the parts or components of the system under review.


 They can be viewed as systems in their own right depending on one’s frame of
reference.
 They have smaller parts within them.

EXAMPLE; The Instructional Objectives as a component of the lesson have the:

 Action,
 The Conditions, and

 Evaluation Criteria.

The Suprasystem

 This is the larger system of which the system in question is only one of the components.
 The Suprasystem forms the environment of the system in question.

EXAMPLE; The subject or course of which the lesson in question is a part of.

 This could for instance be HISTORY when one is teaching a lesson on the
PEOPLES OF EAST AFRICA.

These are properties which are common to all systems whether they are open or closed. Next we
will examine characteristics of closed and open systems.

Closed Systems

Closed systems have the following characteristics:


 Isolated from the environment.
 Subject to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.
 Do not interact with the environment.
 Amount of input determines the outcome of their activity.
Example: Some chemical reactions in laboratory experiments.

Open Systems

Closed systems have the following characteristics:


 They are in constant interaction with the environment.
 They exchange matter and energy with the environment.
 They combat the natural tendency towards entropy.
 They tend to grow and become more complex.
 They survive and live for long periods of time.

EXAMPLE; Human beings, schools, the learning process, etc.

These are the systems of greatest interest to us as Educators and Teachers.

Main characteristics of an Open System

The following are some of the main characteristics of an open system;

Importation of Matter and Energy.


EXAMPLE; Matter in the case of a lesson is represented by:
 Pupils, and
 Content

Energy in this case is represented by;

 The teacher,
 The methods
 Instructional resources

The Throughput.
EXAMPLE;

 The instructional activities


 The learning experiences

Systems as Cycles of Events


EXAMPLE;

 Success in learning acts as reinforcement for further learning.


 Fast learners used to assist slow learners in peer-tutoring.

Negentropy
This refers to the ability of open systems to tackle and reverse the entropic tendency of all systems.
EXAMPLE;
 Revision to update the information and methods for a lesson.
 Allowing short breaks for rest in double lessons
 Allocating funds for routine maintenance of building and other resources, etc.

Equifinality
Regardless of the beginning, the ultimate goal is achieved through a variety of methods and in
different ways.

Components of a System

A system should have


 Input: whatever is placed into the system from outside so as to make the system to operate
e.g instructional resources, learners, fees are part of the inputs in education
 Process: the activities that the input undergoes before coming our as a finished product
 Output: the end product of the input after undergoing the process. The output should
display the qualities required by the set standard objectives of the system.
THE LESSON AS A SYSTEM

The following can be easily identified as the components of the lesson system:

 The Instructional goal


 The Instructional objectives
 The lesson topic and sub-topic
 The Subject matter or the content
 The Instructional methods
 The evaluation tools or the tests
 The pupils or the learners
 The instructor or the teacher
 The relationships of the parts
 The attributes or qualities of these parts and their relationships

Components of the classroom lesson as a system model.

1. Identifying the instructional goal

2. Conducting an instructional analysis

3. Identifying entry behaviour and general characteristics of the target population

4. Writing instructional (performance) objectives

5. Developing criterion referenced tests

6. Developing the instructional strategy

7. Developing and/or selecting instruction

8. Designing and conducting formative evaluation

9. Revising instruction

10. Designing and conducting summative evaluation

SUMMARY

In this topic you have learnt about the systems approach and how it is applied in teaching and
learning. You considered the meaning and the concepts involved in the systems approach.
You also looked at the properties of a system and the types of systems and their characteristics.
Finally, you also learned how to design a lesson as a system. As an attempt to see the
implementation of systems approach in topic three, we will discuss the development of
educational aims, and instructional objectives.
TOPIC 2 QUIZ
1. Give the meaning of a system (4 marks)
2. List any five examples of systems that you are aware of? ( 5 marks)
3. List five properties of a system (5 marks)
4. Identify five weaknesses of a closed system? (5 mark
5. Name six characteristics of an open system (6 marks)
6. Outline the features of a lesson that will constitute a system (5 marks)

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