Systems thinking is the ability to describe and/ or visualise a part of a complex reality , express that part of reality as a model, understand the model as a system, use the model to explain the behaviour of the system, anticipate the behaviour of the system, and evaluate its impacts on sustainable development, identify potential points of, and types of interventions, generate options to act, assess their impacts in the frame of sustainable development, and decide whether further actions are necessary or not.
What is the aim?
To enable learners to:
- Understand whether the model of production of potato chips and the nutrition from potato chips is a system, and if it’s a system, is it static or dynamic in nature,
- Become familiar with and use the specific vocabulary of systems approaches (such as element, interrelationship, function, system, dynamism, etc),
- Identify elements such as actors or factors of production of potato chips and the nutrition from potato chips,
- Identify interrelationships among elements in the production of potato chips and the nutrition from potato chips, such as processes, communications, energy or information flows, cultural norms, legislations, or rules,
- Understand that co-functioning elements and interrelationships cause dynamism of systems,
- Understand that a system has integrity (functions as a unit) and has a boundary,
- Understand that a system may be nested as a ‘sub-system’, within another system, or interrelated with other systems,
- List the outputs of the system/sub-systems.
Activities, tasks, and suggested learning methods
Preparation
- Before the activity it is important that learners know the difference between a mind mapand a concept map (see the methods), and how to create them.
- Learners should also know the terms used to describe systems and their components: element, interrelationship, behaviour, and dynamics. Introduce the terms by writing them on the blackboard and encouraging the learners to describe what they think these terms mean. Share the definitions and encourage the learners to match the terms to items in the structured description, mind map or concept map they may have prepared.
Activity: How are potato chips made?
Material: TV, Computer, Videos
- Analyse a Video
Preparation for the teacher:
- Watch the videos.
- Review the further leading questions from step 1 and 2 and add these to the table template below.
Learners’ activity:
- Individually read the questions set in the table and write three new questions about things that you wish to know more about.
- Watch the three videos
- Add the information missing in the table with the help of the videos
- Form groups of four and use the method Think, Pair, Share. Share the information that you have. Is there any information missing? Did the videos give you all the answers?
- Write further leading questions. What did the movies not talk about? Why do we have different flavours? What are the functions and consequences of the ingredients?
Table to analyse videos about production of potato chips
| Questions | Movie 1
How Kettle Chips are made (Norfolk) (4:56) A behind the scenes look at how Kettle Chips are made |
Movie 2
How Pringles are made How Pringles Are Made (from Unwrapped) | Food Network |
Movie 3
Homemade chips in rural India POTATO CHIPS prepared by my GRANNY | Village Style Potato Wafers | Homemade Potato Chips |
| What are chips made of? | |||
| How are they produced? | |||
| How is the quality control ensured? | |||
| How much time does it take to go from a potato to a bag? | |||
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- 2.Prepare a model of the system
Based on the model (mind map created in Step 2) and the information gathered in the videos, create a concept mapabout the potato chips production, taking into consideration the different elements and their interrelationships, functions, dynamism, and behaviour.
| Questions | Movie 1
How Kettle Chips are made (Norfolk) (4:56) A behind the scenes look at how Kettle Chips are made |
Movie 2
How Pringles are made How Pringles Are Made (from Unwrapped) | Food Network |
Movie 3
Homemade chips in rural India POTATO CHIPS prepared by my GRANNY | Village Style Potato Wafers | Homemade Potato Chips |
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| What are chips made of? | Potatoes | Potato flakes | Potatoes, salt, oil, masala. | ||
| How are they produced? | Potatoes are harvested. Potatoes reach the factory. The potatoes are washed, peeled, cut in slices, and then fried in oil at 150 degrees. The fried chips are put on a drainage belt, where they are manually inspected. They are then sent to the seasoned platforms and then put in individual bags The bags are put into boxes and sent out to the customers. | Ingredients are graded at the chips lab
Quality potato flakes are rolled into a flat dough. Chips are cut into the oval or circular shape, baked, and seasoned on one side. |
Potatoes to be peeled, put in water so that they don’t get brown, add salt, cut in slices, add ice to the slices, wash again into fresh water, put slices on a blanket for drying, fry sliced potatoes in hot oil, add some water, take out from the fry pan, add masala, and salt, and serve in small packets.
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| How is the quality control ensured? | After harvesting the potatoes goes onto a picking table where the defective ones are taken out from the line.
After the potatoes are fried, they are manually inspected.
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They undergo several quality tests and if the chips do not meet the required the whole batch is scrapped. | Quality is ensured during peeling of potatoes; low quality potatoes are taken out. Once the potatoes are cut in slices brown slices are taken out. As the potatoes are not put into machines, the quality check is done while the peeling takes place. The amount of seasoning to be added is judged by experience and not calculated in detail. Quality is good as the food is served immediately after preparation. No long duration storage is needed nor any preservatives. | ||
| How much time does it take to go from a potato to a bag? | Takes a rate of 30 minutes from potatoes to the package. | Processing of chips takes about two hours. This is the amount of chips which can be served to about 30-40 people. | |||
| Why are chips put in separate bags, although they are served and eaten immediately? | |||||
| How many households in India prepare chips at home? Is it common to make chips at home? Are there potato chip factories as well? | |||||
| How are the new flavours defined? | What are the flavours that are in fashion or of interest now?
How is it decided if a flavour will work? |
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| How are the flavours integrated to the potato | Spray dry, high heat, high pressure spraying of a liquid that rapidly evaporates any excess moisture and becomes a powder that is collected. |
- 2. Example of a concept map of chips production
Activity 2. How do we digest potato chips?
1.Analyse a Video
Preparation for the teacher:
- Watch the videos.
- Review the further leading questions from step 1 and 2 and add the further information to the table.
Learners’ activity:
- Individually read the questions set in the table and write three new questions about things that you wish to know more about.
- Watch the three videos.
- Add the information missing in the table with the help of the videos.
- Form groups of a max. of four learners and use the method Think, Pair, Share,exchange the information that you have. Is there any information missing? Did the videos give you all the answers?
- Write further leading questions. Examples: What did the movies not mention? How does our body process the chips?
Table to analyse videos about nutrition from potato chips
| Questions | Digestion in Human Beings | What is cellular respiration? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMK1-bgTAtQ |
Uncover the science behind how the human digestive system breaks down carbohydrates, proteins, and fat
https://www.britannica.com/video/187008/chemistry-carbohydrates-humans-fats-proteins |
Starch digestion and absorption
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWfXeCVp7Wk |
| How is the digestive system integrated? | ||||
| How is digestion carried out? | ||||
| How do we absorb the nutrients? | ||||
| What is cell respiration? | ||||
| How much energy is produced at the end of the cell respiration? | ||||
| How can proteins produce energy? | ||||
| Where can we find the three food groups? | ||||
| How is starch digested? | ||||
| What is an enzyme? | ||||
| What is the function of the three food groups? | ||||
Other videos that can support the activity
How carbohydrates impact our health? Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxzc_2c6GMg
- Prepare a model of the system
The key factors of a system are: Structure (elements and their interrelationships), Behaviour (changes over time of the status of elements of interest) and Purpose (the independent functions of the elements to achieve a common aim)
Based on the model (mind map) created and the table developed in Step 2 (the extended version, using the Brainstorming method) as well as the information gathered in the videos, complete the final version of a model of the system.
| Structure of the system | Purpose | |
| element | interrelationship | Independent Function |
| Saliva | enzymes to degrade sugar | |
| Stomach | enzymes to degrade protein and fat | |
| protein | infrastructure
Transportation Enzymes |
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| Carbohydrates | ||
Based on the above, what is the final behaviour and aim of the nutrition line system of potato chips?
- Create a concept map of the potato chips digestion process. Take into consideration the elements, interrelationship, system or sub-systems and the function of the digestive system.
Examples
| Questions | Digestion in Human Beings | What is cellular respiration? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMK1-bgTAtQ |
Uncover the science behind how the human digestive system breaks down carbohydrates, proteins, and fat
https://www.britannica.com/video/187008/chemistry-carbohydrates-humans-fats-proteins |
Starch digestion and absorption
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWfXeCVp7Wk |
| How is the digestive system integrated? | It is integrated from the mouth down to the anus. | |||
| How is digestion carried out? | It starts in the mouth, buccal cavity, and continues through the oesophagus, stomach, large intestines, small intestines the rectum and anus | It is like a disassembly line.
The body breaks down the food and absorbs the nutrients, and discards the waste. |
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| How do we absorb the nutrients? | Nutrients are absorbed into the blood in the small intestine. Unabsorbed food passes through the large intestines to the rectum and then the anus | One the molecules are broken down they microvilli of the small intestine absorb the nutrients into the bloodstream. | ||
| What is cell respiration? | Food broken down into glucoses inside the cell is used to produce energy. It has four main stages:
Glycolysis Intermediate state Citric acid cycle Electron transport |
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| How much energy is produced at the end of the cell respiration? | There are four steps of cell respiration:
Glycolysis 2ATP Citric acid cycle 2ATP Electron transport 34 ATP However, the average set is between 28 to 30 because some parts of the process require ATP |
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| How can proteins produce energy? | Normally the body does not use proteins (amino acids) to produce energy, however if it is necessary, the body uses the amino acids.
First, the amino NH group has to be removed. Once this is done, the different amino acids can enter cell respiration in different stages. |
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| Where can we find the three food groups? | Carbohydrates: Vegetables, fruits, dairy products, bread and candies.
Proteins: Animal sources like dairy, fish, chicken, and plant sources such as grains, nuts and vegetables. |
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| How is starch digested? | Starts in the mouth with the Alpha-amylase in the saliva. | Starch digestion starts with the saliva produced in the salivary glands. The saliva partially digests the starch, because once the food goes into the oesophagus the amylase enzyme is inactivated.
The digestion process continues once the food goes out of the stomach into the small intestine, where the pancreas also adds some molecules. In the small intestine, starch is converted into glucoses. Some of it goes through the cells into the blood, and from there the glucose goes into either the lever or is transported as energy to the muscle cells. Resistant starch continues its way to the colon (large intestine) |
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| What is an enzyme? | Molecules that speedup reactions. They are proteins that catalyse reactions. | |||
| What is the function of the three food groups? | Carbohydrates: Produce energy, quick boost.
Fat: Fatty acids are used to construct cell membranes. Fat is a great source of energy. Proteins: used to make hormones, bones, muscle, skin and blood. |
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| How are the three food groups broken down? | Hydrolysis, a break of a compound when it reacts with water. | |||
| Where do we find Starch? | Potatoes, corn and rice |
The purpose is to fulfil the needs of the body, produce energy, maintain the system, and keep you in shape (balancing and reinforcing)
The pancreas does the balancing work in the digestive system of the body.
The behaviour of the system depends on the type of nutrition and daily activity of the person (Metabolism)
| Structure of the system | Purpose of the system | |
| Element | Interrelationship | Function of the elements |
| Potato | production of potato chips, cultivation, nutriment source | contains starch |
| Salt | production of potato chips, nutriment source | Na/P exchange in cells. Regulation of fluids in the body (homeostasis) |
| oil | production of potato chips, nutriment source | Fat source |
| Carbohydrates | nutriment, source of energy, sugars | Generate boost energy in the body |
| Proteins | nutriment, molecules with important functions in the cell and body | Their functions are transport, defence, hormone production, enzymatic reactions, and give structure. |
| Fat | nutriment, biggest source of energy in the body. | Biggest source of energy |
| Mouth | Consumption, mix food with saliva, smash?, breakdown of carbohydrate molecules | Breakdown of the food and the molecules, mix with the saliva which contains the amylase enzyme. |
| Stomach | Mixer that is connected by the oesophagus to the mouth on one side and to the small intestine to the other side. | Mix the food with gastric juice, which contains pepsin and lipase. The enzymes to breakdown carbohydrates are inactivated due to the acid pH of the stomach. |
| Small Intestine | Pancreas, gallbladder, stomach, large intestine and bloodstream. | The gallbladder and the pancreas send their secretion into this portion. Here the breakdown of the molecules is finish and most of them are absorbed via the microvilli into the bloodstream |
| Large intestine | Bloodstream and the small intestine. | Here the remaining nutrients are absorbed as well as water. Contains bacteria that break down fibre. |
| Pancreas | Bloodstream and duodenum | Produce Insulin that is sent into the bloodstream to help the cell to use the glucose.
Produce pancreatic juice that is sent into the small intestine, which acts as a buffer solution, changes the pH and allows the amylase enzyme to start working again. The pancreatic juice also contains lipase. |
| Gallbladder | liver and duodenum | Storage of bile, which contains lipase enzymes. |
| Liver | Gallbladder and bloodstream. | Produce bile and send it to the Gallbladder.
The liver performs several roles in the nutrients metabolism once they have been absorbed from the digestive tract. |
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Concept Maps
Nutrition Line
Further leading questions to the next step (Image of a staircase)
- What else would I like to find out now?
- Are there chips produced in my area?
- How many different brands and flavours can I buy in the shop of my neighbourhood?
- Why do I like a special brand most?
- Are there enough potatoes to produce more and more potatoes?
- Are people in other countries eating as many chips as we are?
- How far is the distance of each product to the production place?
- Why is the price so different? How many people are needed to produce chips?
- Why do companies always produce new flavours, do we have enough potatoes in the world?
- What else is made of potatoes?
- What is the nutritional value of the potato chips?
- How healthy are potato chips?
- Since when do we eat potato chips?
- How were potato chips integrated in our daily life?
- Why do we have so many flavours?
