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Dr. Seuss & DSRP

Picture of Erin Powers   Erin Powers  ·  1 minute read

This entry is part of our everydayST series. Learn more about the everydayST tag.

Dr. Seuss may represent an approachable and fun entrée to using DSRP[1], not just for children but adults, too. My thinking here may be unduly influenced by my perspective that the work of Dr. Seuss is genius and happiness on paper (Kindle came after my childhood!).

Note Thing 1 and Thing 2 (from Cat in the Hat). Here Dr. Seuss is making a distinction between a thing and an other, but he is also distinguishing the other by naming it ("Thing 2"). Judging from the image, he also defines the relationship between the Thing 1 and Thing 2 (making yet another distinction) as "friendly."

In the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Think 2 are parts of a system, and their relationship to the other parts is one of disruption and mischief.

  1. DSRP represents four cognitive patterns that also underlie systems thinking methods and approaches. The acronym stands for making Distinctions and recognizing Systems, Relationships, and Patterns. From the book Systems Thinking Made Simple: New Hope for Solving Wicked Problems ↩︎