Challenge Day #10
When a Butterfly Sneezes : A Guide for Helping Kids Explore Interconnections in Our World Through Favorite Stories by Linda Booth Sweeney Like many books that have influenced me, this one is meant to teach. According to Dawna Markove in the forward to the book, Booth Sweeney sets out to answer the question, “How do we teach children to think for themselves, to think with open minds, to think in such a way that they take responsibility for their own lives?” This is a question I have encouraged and tried to answer with each interaction I’ve had with a child in my 40 + years in education. The book is about shifting from linear cause and effect style thinking to thinking about interconnectedness and feedback loops which are at the heart of systems thinking. I love that the author provides a list of children’s literature to assist in teaching each of the following concepts: Simple interconnectedness Circular feedback The horizons and delays Unintended consequences ...