SYSTEM and its example:
A child or a learner interacts with his environment. He learns many things through his interaction with the environment he lives in. Learning also can be brought about in a pre-specified manner. One has to organise various components in a desired way so as to provide an opportunity to the learner to interact. Hence instruction may be considered as a process of providing a controlled environment consisting of various components with which an individual interacts and gains experience, leading to the attainment of certain pre-specified learning outcomes. According to the cognitivists, an interaction between an organism and its environment changes not only the organism's outward (overt) behaviour but also internal cognitive structure. And this change may affect the present response as well as the future orientation to the environment. This implies that the process has led to the development of or some modification in the organisms conceptual structure. The organism (the learner in our case) assumes an active role in its interaction with the environment, And, hence, the controlled environment provides a congenial and facilitating influence on the learner to develop within his cognition, his own unique conceptual schemas and logical structures. Whether we accept a behaviourist or cognitivist explanation of learning, the organisation of an effective environment that promotes and supports learning becomes essential for learning. You must have observed that though these various activities are used for achieving different objectives, they are interrelated and interdependent so long as they aim at a learner's development. Then these activities do not remain discrete events, they become meaningful components of you. controlled environment. This controlled environment and its various components constitute a 'system'.
A car, a school library, a grinder are some other examples of system. The digestive system is geared to digest the food, the school library system creates interest in the students about reading and provides information, and a grinder grinds the grains into flour. From the above discussion. three main characteristics of a system emerge. These are as follows: A system has certain functions to perform. A system has many parts; each of these may have a different function to perform together to contribute to the function(s) of the system. The components of a system are interrelated and interdependent Thus a system may be defined as an entity which consists of inculpated and interdependent components, and works towards the attainment of certain functions. We have seen above that a system is made up of various components, e.g. a mouth is a component of a digestive system. But the mouth itself constitutes many other components such as teeth, tongue, salivary glands and so on. Hence the mouth can be called a subsystem of the digestive system. Every system consists of subsystems.
Input-Process-Output Model of a System The system that we are concerned with includes the aspects and components of the educational process, viz., students, teachers, curriculum/syllabus, teaching methods and media, school/classroom environment, and evaluation procedures. The systems approach helps both the teacher and the students to achieve terminal objectives in the most effective way. Let us now study how a system works. You have seen that every system has a specific function. to perform or goals to achieve. These can be termed as outputs. In the case of a clock, the function or the goal is to show time accurately. Similarly, the school library may aim at providing its students one book per week. Now, in 0rder to achieve this output the school library, for example, requires some input such as a certain minimum number of books. But by just possessing a requisite number of books, the output will not be achieved. The librarian will have to plan and develop certain procedures for storing, issuing and returning books (and also for motivating users).. These procedures form a part of the process. The librarian would also like to know whether the goal (output) of issuing at least one book per student per week is achieved or not. This implies that the librarian would have to compare the actual output with the expected output. If the difference between the expected and actual output is minimal, the system is effective and efficient. If this gap widens, the system becomes less effective and less efficient. If the gap widens a little more, the librarian would have to study the d problem area. He therefore has to develop a feedback system which would give him information about this gap between the expected output and the actual output.
One may have to modify the procedure or the inputs (number of books, number of cupboards, number of library assistants, etc.) to achieve the expected output/goal. Or one may even like to rethink the expected output considering the constraints on the inputs. In the educational system, the planned input (learning material) and process (learning strategies) are organised to cater to the needs of the students. The learning material is sequenced in such a way that it leads the student to achieve the desired standard of output i.e. terminal performance. Monitoring the system through feedback helps improve, revise and evaluate each component of the system. This discussion shows that the system can be represented as an input-process-output model. 5.4.3 Systems Approach The input-process-output model of a system also brings out another dimension of the systems approach. It is a way of looking at things, processes or problems. Instead of attacking the problem in an arbitrary manner, the systems approach helps solve the problem systematically. So, the systems approach is a tool to be used for solving educational problems more efficiently and effectively, Systems approach can also be looked upon as a mode of thinking that emphasizes problem identification and problem resolution. It enables an individual to &fine the problem precisely, consider the alternative available and to choose the most efficient alternative (on the basis of the performance criteria) to solve the problem and achieve the goal(s). As systems approach is basically a mess of problem solving, it can be applied to many areas in the field of education, such as instruction, research, management of educational institutions, curriculum development and so on. One may apply it to any problem situation as the process and the mode of thinking remains the same. Though systems approach can be used in solving educational problems, we will study & application of the systems approach specifically to the area of instruction.
