2026 Math & Science Gifted Education Program in South Korea: A Systems Thinking Approach

 

I will introduce a pioneering case: the first-ever application of Systems Thinking in Gifted Education in South Korea. 

 In Korea, gifted education is operated by local education offices under the national education law. This program is unique for two reasons.

 First, Systems Thinking was applied for the first time within an official, law-based gifted program. In other words, it received formal institutional recognition.

 Second, the curriculum employs a single core concept: Stock–Flow. It is an experimental Systems Thinking program with no Causal Loop Diagrams.

 In Systems Thinking, Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) and Stock-Flow Diagrams (SFDs) are often used together. Here, however, I intentionally designed the entire program using the Stock–Flow concept alone.

Here is the overview. This program serves fifteen selected Grade 7 students, the first year of middle school in Korea. As mentioned, we approach system structures using the Stock and Flow concept visualized through the Bathtub Model for intuitive understanding. Once students master this basic concept, we expand their thinking skills by applying it to a range of topics. The curriculum is divided into two parts. Part 1 is the Common Curriculum, a 12-hour program in which all students engage with the Bathtub Model through games and narratives. Part 2 is the Mentorship Curriculum, a 24-hour intensive course for 5 selected students using Stella Architect software for advanced computer simulation.

Let’s look at Part 1, the Common Curriculum. The learning process is scaffolded in three steps. We begin with a simple Single Structure with one Stock move, then progress to Parallel Structures, and finally explore Multi-layered Structures. This step-by-step approach enables students to grasp the complexity of systems without becoming overwhelmed.

In Session 1, we start with the Bus Game. By tracking passengers boarding and alighting, students intuitively understand Stock and Flow. Then, in the Emotional Faucet activity, students visualize abstract emotions, such as happiness, as a Stock to analyze emotional changes. Finally, the Mammoth Extinction Game introduces feedback loops, illustrating how probability and structure can lead to unintended consequences, including extinction.

Session 2 focuses on Parallel Structures and Time Delay. In the Rainforest Game, students physically act out the roles of seeds, sprouts, saplings, and fully grown trees. They bodily experience the concept of Delay, the natural law that growth takes time. We then connect this to biology with the Energy Drink Simulation, analyzing how the body metabolizes caffeine. By seeing the same structure repeat across nature, health, and society, students experience learning transfer. They also experience sustainability as a real system, not just a slogan.

The highlight of Part 1 is Session 3. Humanities Convergence! We use Shakespeare’s Hamlet. While the model structure remains, the same teams debate and reach a consensus to determine the parameters for key variables. This means the same structure can lead to different behavior over time. This is where Humanities meets Engineering. Finally, students present Stock and Flow models on free topics. The goal isn't to find a single right answer but to cultivate reasoning and democratic discussion. That is why I emphasize the consensus-building.

Now I will introduce Part 2, the mentorship curriculum. Five of the fifteen volunteers enroll in an advanced course.

It runs for six days, totaling twenty-four hours. 

On Day 1, students learn how to use the software.

On Day 2, they deepen their understanding of stock and flow structures with a food chain model and learn why units matter.

On Day 3, they represent physical laws as stock-and-flow structures.

On Day 4, they do the same for mathematical concepts.

On Day 5, they compare diffusion in infectious disease and diffusion in new product adoption.

On Day 6, they practice policy decision-making through an infection simulation game and finish with final presentations.

Day 1 focuses on building confidence and familiarity with the software. Students learn the installation and basic interface. They then construct My World as a stock-and-flow diagram. They choose core stocks, connect flows, and expand the structure into multiple layers. We provide reference models, such as a population model and a basic physics model. Students imitate first, and then they create. 

The key is an early success experience. Students should feel that they can build a working model today.

Day 2 deepens the bathtub model by incorporating a food chain.

Students begin with a wolf-deer model and then expand to include a grass component.

Here we introduce units. Units are not decoration. They test the model's logic. The most important lesson is dimensional consistency. Students learn to check units for scientific accuracy.

Finally, they learn how to generate a web link to share results. Modeling becomes a public artifact that others can review and give feedback on.

On Day 3, we structure physical laws. Physics often feels difficult because it is abstract.

We visualize pendulum motion and wave motion using a bathtub structure. We explore pendulums, waves, and frequency. Instead of memorizing formulas first, students map the phenomenon into inflow, outflow, and accumulation.

This perspective reveals why it changes rather than just what the formula is.

Day 4 is Math in Motion. We explore the difference between linear and nonlinear relationships. Students go beyond solving static equations on paper. They structure a parabolic function dynamically. They observe how the entire curve changes in real time as a single variable varies. The goal is to understand what structure generates the curve. 

When students connect graphs to structures, mathematics becomes a language of Change, not isolated symbols.

Day 5 connects Science to society through diffusion models. We compare the spread of infectious diseases with product diffusion using the Bathtub perspective. The epidemic model moves from Susceptible to Infected to Recovered. Similarly, product diffusion moves from Potential Customers to Adopters. Confirming this similar structure across different fields is critical. This is the moment of Learning Transfer. It leads to a powerful realization that one structure can explain everything from viruses to iPhones.

Day 6 is the wrap-up. We use the Infection Simulation Game for training in policy decision-making. There is no single right answer.  For example, a quarantine policy can reduce infections but may conflict with economic activity. Students face trade-offs, uncertainty, and public acceptance. These are real constraints that policymakers must address. Through this experience, students learn to grow as System Leaders who search for better decisions in a complex reality.  That concludes today’s introduction. What do you think? If you have any thoughts, please leave a comment — I’m very curious to hear your opinion.