On Compassionate Systems Change in Education - A Conversation with Dr. Mette Miriam Böll
Jan 14, 2024
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Dr. Mette Miriam Böll, specialized in complex social systems, talks about the importance of compassion in education, integrating systems thinking and social-emotional learning. She discusses the collaborative development process of the compassionate systems framework and the personal dimensions of transformative change. She emphasizes the significance of the space between individuals in compassionate systems change and highlights the positive impact on students' educational experiences.
Cultivating compassion and systems awareness in education can lead to better well-being and relational competencies.
Integrating systems thinking and social emotional learning helps students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
The Compassionate Systems Framework promotes creating nurturing and inclusive learning environments to support students' growth.
Deep dives
Cultivating compassion and systems awareness in education
Cultivating compassion and systems awareness is crucial in education. The compassionate systems framework, developed in collaboration with the International Baccalaureate (IB), aims to integrate social emotional learning and systems thinking. Compassion is not a soft skill but a choice to intentionally care and support others. It is a systemic and integral property of the human mind. In education, cultivating compassion and compassionate integrity leads to better well-being, self-awareness, emotional regulation, and relational competencies. This framework challenges the traditional notion of education and encourages educators to create generative social fields where young people can thrive. The framework has been co-developed with young people, who have shown great understanding and enthusiasm for these concepts. Implementing this framework can transform educational spaces and positively impact the well-being and learning of young people.
Systems thinking and social emotional learning
The integration of systems thinking and social emotional learning (SEL) is crucial in understanding complex systems and fostering holistic development in education. Systems thinking helps students understand the interconnectedness and complexity of various systems, while SEL provides them with the emotional intelligence and skills to navigate these systems effectively. By combining these two approaches, educators can create spaces where students can practice self-awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, and develop relational competencies. This combination of systems thinking and SEL enables students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, preparing them to navigate the complexities of the world.
The Compassionate Systems Framework and its development process
The Compassionate Systems Framework was developed through collaboration between educators, scientists, and young people. The framework focuses on cultivating compassionate integrity, which involves intentional care and kindness towards oneself and others. It emerged as an integration of systems thinking and social emotional learning practices. The development process included workshops, prototyping, and gathering feedback from educators and young people in various educational settings. The framework does not aim to be a program or curriculum, but rather a set of tools and practices that promote the development of compassionate systems and create generative social fields in educational contexts.
The importance of context and the concept of generative social fields
Context plays a crucial role in education, and the concept of generative social fields emphasizes the importance of creating nurturing and inclusive learning environments. Generative social fields are spaces where students feel seen, heard, and valued. These fields are characterized by a sense of emotional safety, connection, and care. The development of generative social fields requires educators to be attentive to the contextual aspects of learning, such as the emotional dynamics, relationships, and interactions among students. By creating generative social fields, educators can foster positive learning experiences that support students' well-being, confidence, and growth.
The impact on young people and the transformation of educational spaces
The compassionate systems approach has shown transformative effects on young people and educational spaces. Young people who engage with this framework have reported increased self-awareness, emotional regulation, improved relationships, and a deeper sense of purpose and meaning. The integration of compassion and systems thinking in education allows young people to navigate complex issues, understand interconnectedness, and make informed choices to contribute positively to the world. These approaches also address the challenges young people face, such as mental health issues, lack of belonging, and motivation. Implementing the compassionate systems framework creates a more inclusive, caring, and generative educational environment where students can thrive.
Today’s guest has been doing amazing work in this areas alongside Peter Senge, Daniel Goleman and colleagues at the IB, through the Center for Systems Awareness at MIT. Dr Mette Miriam Böll is the is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the centre, as well as the co-founded of The MIT Systems Awareness Lab with Peter Senge.
Her academic background is as a biologist specialized in the evolution of complex social systems, mammalian play behavior and philosophy of nature. Mette has a Ph.D. in organizational ethology and holds additional degrees in contemplative leadership and the philosophy and history of science.
She uses her training in these diverse areas to research how emotions and feelings are transmitted in social relations and how the resulting relational fields in turn shape the larger systems human beings are parts of, with a particular focus on education.
Mette previously held a position as head of research at Metropol University College, a teachers’ college in Copenhagen and before that she taught neuroscience of emotions.
