http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-butterfly-effect.htm
A few years ago I became familiar with the Chaos Theory also known as the Butterfly Effect. It is simply defined something like - when a butterfly flaps her wings in Africa it rains in NYC.
More specifically defined on Wikipedia (Yes, I think Wikipedia can sometimes be a good resource):
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions, where a small change at one place in a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state. The name of the effect, coined by Edward Lorenz, is derived from the theoretical example of a hurricane's formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks before (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect).
The chaos theory sometimes is demonstrated through emergent behaviors that may appear as complex behaviors, unpredictability random and not necessarily connected to anything else. But in reality all behaviors that occur within chaos, although not always predictable, are connected.
In earlier posts on this blog you might read some adventures of my dogs, Lizzie and Schooner. They are two dogs with two very different personalities but they think they are one dog. If one gets a cookie the other gets a cookie. If Lizzie goes to the vet then Schooner lives in disorientation and chaos because he does not really understand that Lizzie is not part of him because they are so interconnected. Their behaviors are usually predictable, sometimes random, connected and somewhat organized and somewhat chaotic.
Every now and then when we watch a large flock of birds flying it appears that there is no formation or the formation becomes disorganized in some kind of radon motion. But in reality, during the flight the birds are changing their organizational flying pattern. When geese are flying in a V shape after a period of time the pattern changes for those of us watching them and change in the flying pattern looks like random motion. However, what is really happening is a change in the head goose – the leader goose is changing position with another goose that then becomes the leader of the V formation, like similar chaos that often occurs with a change in leadership. When a new principal comes to a school his/her leadership style and expectations may cause some chaos and confusion within the school community.
All kinds of things impact what chaos theory experiences in schools and classrooms. Sometimes emergent classroom behaviors appear as complex behaviors and not connected to anything else and unpredictability random and a teacher may wonder what happen. Where did that behavior come from? But in reality, all classroom behaviors occur within chaos although not always predictable yet they are connected and interconnected to other life experiences.
A direct connection of the chaos theory, the butterfly effect to our class last week was when I made cookies. Earlier in the day when making the cookies I used a different recipe than I usually use but I still added some of my favorite ingredients but not in the recipe I was using. The first batch turned out good but the 2nd batch of cookies, well, those cookies got a little burned. Even though I was in the kitchen while they were in the oven I was distracted. My son unexpectedly came home and I did not get the cookies out of the oven in time. Then I had to share some of the cookie with him, after all he is my son, but I limited how many cookies he could eat. Each cookie he ate limited the number of non-burned cookies for class. I did not need to bring cookies to class – but I wanted to. So the chaos theory – butterfly effect impacted our first night class cookies.
At home happily making cookies for class; changed the recipe; added additional ingredients; someone stops by and distracts me; cookies burn; need to share some of good cookies with unexpected guest; fewer good cookies for class; students eat the cookies; no one gets sick (that I know of); almost all the cookies gone at end of class. The butterfly flapped her wings and I burned cookies.
An another example about the butterfly effect and curriculum occurred one day while I was observing a class. I was the editor for the Aims Newsletter for several years and I created a column titled “Everything is one.” I got the idea one day when I was visiting a looped 6th - 8th grades classroom as the students were in a debriefing conversation about a just completed interdisciplinary curriculum. The students really enjoyed it and shared many positive aspects of it. One 6th grade young adolescent said, “What I liked about it was that everything was one. There was not science, then math, then social students, then language arts. Everything was connected. Everything was one.” I was so enchanted by his comment I created the “Everything is one” column so other MLEs could also share their interdisciplinary curricular stories.
For years, in the history of education, curriculum content was connected and everything was one but a time came when educators believed that it was important to teach each discipline as distinct and separate from other disciplines. However, the last several years more and more middle level educators are creating interdisciplinary curriculum and content is becoming interconnected like the butterfly effect.
Me visiting a school; students sharing their reflections; student saying something cool; I like his idea; I make it a title to a column in a professional publication where middle level educators could share their interdisciplinary curricular ideas with other MLEs. The butterfly flapped her wings and I created a column in a professional publication.
My two examples are fairly simple and to the point but share how small differences impact outcomes. As you know there are far more complicated classroom chaos theory - butterfly effects situations. Maybe a student has not eaten, or is ill, maybe the teacher has a family situation that is complicating his or her life and maybe…. maybe… maybe… therefore classroom teaching and learning is impacted. There are so many chaos theory variables to identify in teaching and learning.
I could share more examples but I am passing being in the front of the flying V shape to you. Now it is your turn to share a story, simple or complex, of how you see the interconnectedness – the butterfly effect, the chaos theory active in life and in school and in classrooms. Share how you think students, families, attitudes, schools, educators; politicians are butterflies flapping their wings and impacting classroom expectations and behaviors.
Please post your reflection back to this blog under comments section.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-butterfly-effect.htm
To learn more about Chaos Theory read http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=JnlkKdDXk-I
