It’s tough being a parent, we want to build better resilience in our kids. But we want our kids to be the best they can be but we instantly try and protect them from the hard blows in life, whatever they look like.
I want to share with you an inspiring project that happened at Anser Charter School in Boise, Idaho. First-grade student Austin drew a scientific illustration of a Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. But this wasn’t just any drawing – it was a result of an ongoing critique and revision process that transformed Austin from a little kid drawing to a beginning scientist.
As part of the Models Of Excellence, Anser Charter School has a unique school culture that values high-quality work for authentic audiences. Students are accustomed to receiving feedback in a variety of critique settings to improve their work. Previously, kindergarteners at the school studied birds and created beautiful note cards featuring a scientific illustration of a bird on the front of the card and information about the bird on the back. The cards were printed on quality cardstock and sold in the community to support bird habitats.
Inspired by this project, Austin’s first-grade class initiated a similar project for their study of butterflies. Austin knew that he wanted to create an accurate, coloured scientific illustration of the Western Tiger Swallowtail butterfly that could be used for identification. But as a first-grader, he lacked sophisticated art and fine motor skills and didn’t fully understand scientific illustration. When he began his first draft, he looked at the photo but ended up reverting to the icon of a butterfly that was in his head.
Austin’s first draft was then posted alongside the photograph of the butterfly, and he met with a critique group facilitated by a teacher. This group supported Austin and his peers to begin to think like scientists – to observe and record their observations, rather than just create a drawing. Austin’s peers were asked to give him advice about how he could change his drawing to more closely resemble the photo, and the critique was split into two phases – first, students focused on the wing shape, and when the shape was correct, they moved onto the wing pattern. The class had created rubrics for what quality would look like in these two areas, and students were asked to be helpful, specific, and kind in their feedback.
The other first-graders looked carefully at the photo and suggested to Austin that he should make the wing shape more pointy and less round, and include the swallowtails at the bottom of the wing. Austin took their suggestions and created draft 2. During the next critique, the other first-graders told Austin that this draft was much better, but reminded him that butterflies have an upper and lower wing on each side. Austin went back to his desk and produced draft 3, which the group praised for making lots of progress. However, the upper wing had gotten misshapen again, so Austin went back to his table and produced draft 4.
The group finally told Austin that he was ready for pattern and colour, and he examined the photo to match the colour and produced drafts 5 and 6. Draft 6 was the final product that was used for the card. This project serves as an example of the power of critique and revision to improve quality and the transformation that can occur when we push our students to a high level of quality.
What can parents of elementary-aged children learn from this project?
Firstly, this is a great model of critique and revision that can be used by students and teachers of all ages. The project has been used as a metaphor for improvement by students from kindergarten to high school, as well as by teachers and school leaders. It’s also an example of the difference between creative drawing and scientific drawing, highlighting the need for critique to be targeted and specific. Lastly, this project is an inspirational model of the power of perseverance and revision to improve quality and an example of how we can often stop short in encouraging kids to a high level of quality., thus building better resilience.
Modelling the behaviour that we expect
The video below is great in so many ways. Not only does it help the little boy Austin with his drawing but also how to take criticism, rather than get angry and upset – our wired default emotion when it comes to criticism he instead used it as an opportunity to get better, try harder and improve.
But there is more. The kids dishing out the criticism also learned how to give solid, constructive criticism so that Austin could take the information and give it a second draft, third draft, and fourth draft…
Watch the video together and then talk about what happened. You can use the questions below if you need extra help.
Questions about building better resilience in kids
Q1 – What did you think of Austin’s first picture?
Q2 – what do you think about his last one, are they different?
Q3 – What helped Austin improve his drawing?
Q4 – If Austin was your classmate, what would you have said to him to help him draw a better butterfly?
Q5 – What are some examples of good constructive criticism and mean criticism?
Try practising these new skills throughout the day. It could be on your sandwich-making skills, drawing a picture, cleaning the floor, or making a Lego house. Start practising the skills now to build better resilience. Now, we don’t want constructive criticism on everything we do so maybe ask the question first:
“Could you give me some feedback on my….” or
“Could I give you some feedback on your…”
Finally, Austin’s butterfly had some criticism when it came out by art teachers, complaining that this was preventing him from putting his unique stamp on things etc. etc. Whereas, in an artistic setting, I would agree somewhat that, Austin wasn’t doing an art piece. He had been asked to create an accurate scientific drawing, and with the help of his peers, he did a great job of that.
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Other posts you might find helpful:
5 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO HANDLE CHANGING ROUTINES WITH KIDS
HOW TO CREATE A MONTESSORI CULTURE SHELF AT HOME: A SIMPLE GUIDE FOR PARENTS
WHY I WANT YOU TO TAKE YOUR KIDS ON LITTLE ADVENTURES
Jo Ebisujima is a Montessori best-selling author and a dedicated guide for moms looking to balance passion with productivity. With years of experience as a Montessori educator and consultant, she specializes in helping families implement the Montessori philosophy at home through her books and the Wonder Mom Success Club. She is also the founder of the 193 Little Adventures Club, a global exploration program for curious kids. Jo is on a mission to help moms build businesses that revolve around their families, making learning and life a fun, structured adventure.