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The Cabrera Lab Blog
As part of our research mission, we strive to make the science of systems thinking accessible to everyone. The Cabrera Lab Blog and the Cabrera Lab Podcast are our primary platforms for sharing these ideas. The views expressed in these outlets are solely our own and do not necessarily represent those of our partners or of Cornell University.
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Organizing Systems
How we organize the parts of a system into a whole matters. Every whole has parts. Every part is a whole which has parts. And, every...
Derek Cabrera
Feb 5, 20161 min read
MAKING DISTINCTIONS
Distinctions are not things but negotiated boundaries between ideas/things; a boundary between the identity and other that occurs...
Derek Cabrera
Feb 4, 20162 min read
EMERGENCE: ONE OF THE SACRED COWS OF SYSTEMS THINKING
The discussion of emergence is always one that gets tempers roiled in the systems thinking community. Indeed, it is one of a few of what...
Derek Cabrera
Dec 14, 201511 min read
PATATO, POTATO, LET'S NOT CALL IT OFF...
I was recently asked the following: "Derek, when I first came across DSRP, I was a little 'turned off' by S being called 'Systems' . For...
Derek Cabrera
Dec 1, 20154 min read
19 SPECIFIC THINGS SYSTEMS THINKERS DO
In our research with K-12, undergraduate, graduate students, and the general public over the last decade, a number of patterns emerge...
Derek Cabrera
Nov 30, 20156 min read
BETTER WRITING BY APPLYING SIMPLE RULES (DSRP)
image credit[1] This blog considers ways in which DSRP can improve our writing. DSRP is an acronym representing four simple rules the...
Erin Powers
Nov 24, 20153 min read
DEREK CABRERA KEYNOTES ADULT LEARNING CONFERENCE
Dr. Derek Cabrera gave a keynote address entitled "A Systems View on Adult Learning" at the CAEL International Conference on November 18,...
Erin Powers
Nov 23, 20152 min read
THE DARK SIDE OF CATEGORICAL THINKING
Categorical thinking is ubiquitous, but there are more elemental structures hidden underneath. Knowing these structures will decrease...
Derek Cabrera
Nov 8, 20152 min read
SYSTEMS THINKING AND BECOMING A BETTER PERSON
Image credit[1] This blog is about how practicing four simple rules can make us better people.[1:1] Derek Cabrera has identified four...
Erin Powers
Oct 22, 20153 min read
TEACHING SYSTEMS THINKING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
It’s about making the school system reflect learning and engagement instead of control and test scores. It’s trying to make the system...
Erin Powers
Oct 20, 20153 min read
DSRP, VALIDITY, AND KNOWING THE TRUTH
A frequent question we receive about DSRP is "Once I make distinctions, and recognize systems, relationships, and perspectives in my...
Erin Powers
Oct 10, 20152 min read
EXCITING SYSTEMS THINKING COLLABORATION BETWEEN THINKWATER AND ARIZONA PROJECT WET
I recently attended an Arizona Project WET teacher training where they are integrating systems thinking into their program and...
Jeremy Solin
Sep 20, 20153 min read
THE DNA OF MEMES: THE UNDERLYING STRUCTURE OF IDEAS
The internet is full of memes. Here's one that's an entertaining idea embedded in a pop-culture image. Meme: "an idea, behavior, or style...
Derek Cabrera
Sep 13, 20153 min read
SYSTEMS THINKING & A WATER ETHIC
Image credit [1] This entry is part of our everydayST series. Learn more about the everydayST tag. I recently posted a link on the...
Jeremy Solin
Sep 10, 20153 min read
CABRERA TALKS SYSTEMS THINKING, SOLVING COMPLEX PROBLEMS AT WEST POINT
WEST POINT, N.Y. (August 28, 2015) — Dr. Derek Cabrera, Cornell Faculty and Senior Research Scientist at Cabrera Research Lab for the...
Erin Powers
Sep 2, 20153 min read
WHAT IS A WATER THINKER?
I like this term, Water Thinker. I like to think of myself as a Water Thinker, but what does that mean? At ThinkWater, we consider a...
Jeremy Solin
Aug 30, 20152 min read
DR. SEUSS & DSRP
This entry is part of our everydayST series. Learn more about the everydayST tag. Dr. Seuss may represent an approachable and fun entrée...
Erin Powers
Aug 27, 20151 min read
A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON LANDSCAPING
Yesterday my "word of the day" (delivered by email from Dictionary.com) was xeriscaping, which is a noun that means "environmental design...
Erin Powers
Aug 26, 20151 min read
DSRP FOR THE CONSUMER
Today I'm writing an everydayST post on shopping.[1] I'm an avid bargain-hunter. It deeply pains me to have to buy something at full...
Erin Powers
Aug 25, 20153 min read
"GIRL" MENTAL MODELS
This entry is part of our [`everydayST`](http://stdaily.ghost.io/whats-the-everyday-dsrp-tag/) series. Learn more about the...
Derek Cabrera
Aug 23, 20152 min read
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