the Association for Educational Communications and

The significance of design thinking and systems thinking for design has gained much recognition in recent years. In comparison to design thinking, scholarly discussion about systems thinking has a much longer history and includes more multiple and divergent perspectives. This paper reviews and critiques the essence of design thinking and systems thinking, and proposes a new approach for design, the design-within approach, to elaborate on the possibilities of fostering a design culture. Through design-within, learners could be engaged in envisioning learning, and in systemically designing their own learning. The design-within approach is an alternative approach that synthesizes the truly systemic spirit of systems thinking and the enlightening spirit of transformative design. Discussion includes the emergence of design thinking and its multiple perspectives; the link between design thinking and systems thinking; systems thinking and open educational systems design; the essence of Senge's systems thinking and its philosophical roots in both western and eastern culture; systems thinking as a language to be cultivated; comparison of Banathy's and Senge's systems thinking; and the design philosophy and roles of designers in the design-within approach. (Contains 25 references.) (AEF