Systems and methods to facilitate user thinking about an arbitrary problem. The systems and methods include an output and interface to external components and resources. A system for facilitating construction of a model representing user understanding about an arbitrary problem is provided. The model has a combination of thinking components and knowledge components. The system includes first logic to facilitate user specification of at least one thinking structure, and second logic to facilitate user specification of at least one knowledge structure. Third logic facilitates linkages among thinking and knowledge structures, and model logic tracks user interaction with the first through third logic to construct a user model structure of user development and population of the user model structure, the thinking structures and the knowledge structures. Interface logic provides content to or from the user model structure or the archetype model structure. The interface logic may work with external components or resources.