[DSRP Evidence](https://dsrpevidence.org/)

# Facilitating DSRP Workshops

van Dongen H, Cabrera D, Journal of Systems Thinking 5(1):1-10, 2025

## Abstract

This case study reports on a six-session DSRP (Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, Perspectives) workshop series conducted in Fall 2025 with a culturally and professionally diverse group of adult learners at Interkultur Lund in Sweden. The series introduced participants to the DSRP Patterns and Moves through a combination of tangible and intangible anchor examples, group practice, and between-session reinforcement. Over the six sessions, several predictable cognitive challenges emerged—including difficulty transferring structure from tangible to intangible domains, consistent struggles with non-agent perspectives, and a narrowed focus on causal relationships. A central finding was the significant pedagogical effect of facilitator metacognitive modeling, which reliably increased engagement and comprehension. Reflecting on the intervention, the case highlights an important structural insight: live sessions were burdened by the need to teach foundational DSRP concepts rather than focus on coached practice, a misalignment that flipped DSRP instructional models directly resolve.[18,19] Implications for future workshop design and systems thinking pedagogy are discussed.

## What they found (results)

Facilitator metacognitive modelling had a significant pedagogical effect. Participants showed consistent difficulty with non-agent perspectives.

## Response

External first author, outside the United States, and the perspective difficulty was observed rather than measured by the lab — an independent line converging on the same finding the Pareto data shows as 16% explicit perspective-taking.

[Read the paper](https://doi.org/10.54120/jost.v25i1.hvgdwdag)