[Ous-lp-rp13] EDAD 6020 Answer to Question #1

[Miller, Ashton]

Rational systems are more structured and organized, while everyone inside of the system has the same ultimate goal.  Everyone takes the same steps to achieve this goal, making a rational system comparable to a machine or a factory.  An example of a rational system in a typical school system would be the cafeteria/lunch room.  Each person working inside of the cafeteria has their own specific job to do in order to make sure that meals are prepared and ready to be served at a specific time.  When the food is ready, the cooks line up and serve the students, passing the trays down the line and adding food to them, comparable to a production in a factory.  Drills such as fire drills, tornado drills, and lock down drills are all examples of rational systems, as well.  Each specific drill has specific instructions that are to be followed in order to insure one same goal: keep the students safe.

Natural systems are still structured and the goal is still shared, but everyone working to achieve the goal does so in their own way.  For example, in the school district that I was working with over the last school year, the TBT teams were all subject area specific for grades four through eight.  During each meeting we would pick a new UDL (Universal Design for Learning) strategy to test with the students throughout the duration of a few weeks.  Though the goal was the same, because each grade level was to use the same agreed on strategy, each teacher introduced the strategy in different ways while using different teaching styles and different lessons on different subjects.  Each teacher was still able to come back to the next meeting and report their results, then the group could talk as a whole as to whether or not the strategy would be a good one to continue to implement into lessons when planning.

Open/social systems are found in schools because school districts, though they have many set goals, are influenced by their interactions with their environment.  This interaction comes from people within the environment through tax money to pay for necessities such as books, desks, equipment, etc., election of school board members, expectations and values of parents and guardians, as well as the teachers, principals, bus drivers, and other employees that come from within the environment. All of these environmental aspects affect the school system in their own way, making the school district open and social.

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