‘Austin’s Butterfly’ emerged through painstaking effort, perseverance and high quality feedback. Of course, to take the metaphor further a little, such ‘ butterflies‘ need the right conditions to thrive. He has been a master lepidopterist – butterfly expert – ever since (not literally, although I’m not certain of that!). With confidence and expertise, he began to share those same ‘butterflies’. Frustrated by theory-laden teacher training, he began gathering such ‘butterflies’ in a practical attempt to survive and thrive in teaching. The article outlines that his ‘butterflies’ are small tips for teaching better. Sir Tim’s post is faithful to the chaos theory example of the ‘butterfly effect’. It was this Guardian article by the brilliant Sir Tim Brighouse – see here. Tom’s great post lodged butterflies in my mind and then my memory raked at another great ‘butterfly in education’ analogy I had read. OFSTED, might call it a “ thirst for knowledge“, Carol Dweck a ‘Growth Mindset’, Angela Duckworth – ‘GRIT’ – or more flatly – a commitment to hard work! This particular butterfly represents students having a mindset rooted in effort, perseverance and a commitment to deliberate practice. It also celebrates how a culture of high expectations and crafting and drafting can have a transformative effect on learning. ‘Austin’s Butterfly’ is a celebration of one student’s progress, but it is an apt example of the power of ‘ critique‘ and well supported feedback, from both peers and the teacher. You simply must take the time to watch the video too: Please take the time to read Tom’s post on “ Austin’s Butterfly” here. This is an exemplar of an American student whom Berger uses as an example of his approach to learning. Tom Sherrington’s always outstanding blog came up trumps yet again last week with his short post on ‘Austin’s Butterfly’. It was the butterfly image which united two brilliant ideas for improving schools, alongside teaching and learning, from two heavyweights of education: Ron Berger and Sir Tim Brighouse. Teaching feels a lot like that sometimes! It can also initiate a positive perspective that interprets it as showing how seemingly insignificant individuals can undertake small actions and make a big difference. A negative perspective can interpret that such a theory represents the unknowable chaos of daily experience. The beautiful image provides a striking analogy for how small actions can have tremendously powerful effects – often independent of the intent of the initial action. The theory can inspire different interpretations. The genius concept of ‘the butterfly effect’has long since flourished in popular culture since Professor Lorenz, of MIT, founded this central tenet of chaos theory. “If a single flap of a butterfly’s wing can be instrumental in generating a tornado, so can all the previous and subsequent flaps of its wings, as can the flaps of the wings of millions of other butterflies, not to mention the activities of innumerable more powerful creatures, including our own species.”Įdward Lorenz, ‘Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wing in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?’ ‘The Book of Life’ by David Kracov (see here: )
0 kommentar(er)
