http://www.adambutler.com.au/ is now up and running - this blog will no longer be in use.
refer to www.adambutler.com.au from now on
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Standby for Website
Hi all, I am in the midst of getting together a website. I'm hoping to have it up by the end of August. I have managed to secure the address: www.adambutler.com.au
I'm excited by the prospect of being able to do this and I am looking forward to the future with great anticipation. There's a great deal of work that needs to be done and minds that need to be kick started. What do I mean by the latter? In my opinion far too many people are taught to believe that they are "just a number" that they "aren't important", I believe EVERYONE has the ability to contribute if they desire. I don't believe people are as apathetic as society wants us to think. EVERYONE has concerns, fears, passions....it is a matter of tapping into those values that drive us on to do good in the world and make positive contributions.
Ghandi once said...."First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
In the words of the late Big Kev...."I'm excited."
I'm excited by the prospect of being able to do this and I am looking forward to the future with great anticipation. There's a great deal of work that needs to be done and minds that need to be kick started. What do I mean by the latter? In my opinion far too many people are taught to believe that they are "just a number" that they "aren't important", I believe EVERYONE has the ability to contribute if they desire. I don't believe people are as apathetic as society wants us to think. EVERYONE has concerns, fears, passions....it is a matter of tapping into those values that drive us on to do good in the world and make positive contributions.
Ghandi once said...."First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
In the words of the late Big Kev...."I'm excited."
Friday, June 26, 2009
Latest News
If you are a regular reader of my blog (and some of you are) you may have noticed that I haven't been posting as often as in the past. There are reasons.....
First and foremost I started a new job a couple of weeks ago in a small local engineering consulting firm. It has turned out to be a good place to work, very challenging and engaging which is a nice change to my last couple of roles. This new job also brings with it longer hours - which of course means less time available researching discussion topics and less time updating my blog. This is both regrettable and unavoidable.
However, I thought that it might benefit people if I dedicate a few posts on the one topic. I see this serves two purposes: 1. it allows me the time to properly research discussion topics and 2. I believe having "themes" that run over a week or so may be a better way to manage things.
There's a great deal happening out there in the real world and so many things that attract my ire. I am approaching 400 visitors to this blog so at least some people believe I have something interesting to say (even if you may not agree with it).
Stay tuned.
First and foremost I started a new job a couple of weeks ago in a small local engineering consulting firm. It has turned out to be a good place to work, very challenging and engaging which is a nice change to my last couple of roles. This new job also brings with it longer hours - which of course means less time available researching discussion topics and less time updating my blog. This is both regrettable and unavoidable.
However, I thought that it might benefit people if I dedicate a few posts on the one topic. I see this serves two purposes: 1. it allows me the time to properly research discussion topics and 2. I believe having "themes" that run over a week or so may be a better way to manage things.
There's a great deal happening out there in the real world and so many things that attract my ire. I am approaching 400 visitors to this blog so at least some people believe I have something interesting to say (even if you may not agree with it).
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Global Warming
Senator Steve Fielding has made up his mind on global warming - there's not enough evidence that it's real.
Wow what a relief! For a moment I thought we would have to stop digging massive, gargantuan holes in and under the ground to extract more coal. I thought we'd have to stop destroying our natural world. I thought we'd have to stop relying on blood stained oil. I thought we'd have to stop using our cars to drive 500m down the road to buy the bread and milk. I thought I'd have to turn off my lights when I didn't need them.
But thanks Steve, now global warming isn't real I can rest easy at night knowing that a couple of temporary jobs in the country's highest polluting industries are now safe, 'cause CO2 pollution doesn't matter.....yippie! I feel better now.
Wow what a relief! For a moment I thought we would have to stop digging massive, gargantuan holes in and under the ground to extract more coal. I thought we'd have to stop destroying our natural world. I thought we'd have to stop relying on blood stained oil. I thought we'd have to stop using our cars to drive 500m down the road to buy the bread and milk. I thought I'd have to turn off my lights when I didn't need them.
But thanks Steve, now global warming isn't real I can rest easy at night knowing that a couple of temporary jobs in the country's highest polluting industries are now safe, 'cause CO2 pollution doesn't matter.....yippie! I feel better now.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Education - change can't wait
I didn't like school, in fact, I struggled most of the time to take even a passing interest. I never wagged a day in my life out of respect for my parents. What didn't I like? I never felt interested in how things were taught, I always felt like my (young) life could be better spent doing things I enjoyed. I liked science, PE and lunch time - I had some pretty good laughs with my friends.
So what's this post all about? Recently on the 7:30 Report (ABC TV) Kerry O'Brien interviewed Sir Ken Robinson, a leading thinker on education, creativity and innovation. Sir Ken has advised various governments and major global corporations and says that most education systems around the world including Australia’s, are still modelled on the needs of the industrial age. You can find the transcript of the intereview here.
One of the things that strikes a chord with me is when Sir Ken said: "people achieve their best when they firstly tune into their natural aptitudes....they've found this thing that they completely get. But the second thing is that they love it. And if you can find that - a talented and a passion - well that's to say you never work again....our current education systems are simply not designed to help people do that. In fact an awful lot of people go through education and never discover anything they're good at at all." he went on to say.....
"we're all born with tremendous creative confidence and abilities....the culture of standardised testing is a blight on the whole of education....we all think and learn differently....getting the best from kids in schools is about understanding the way they think, as well as what it is they're supposed to be thinking about. And I think that's also why some people get through the whole of their education and don't discover themselves at all."
At the end of year 11 my result in Maths was 36%....a few years later I won a merit-based scholarship to study engineering, I went on to gain a Masters and PhD in Biomedical Engineering. So what? Well, I truely believe my progress was hindered by the education system. Engineering is somewhat mathematics related - I didn't even study physics at school! Yet out of the school system I was able to flourish.
I am deeply concerned that my kids are not going to be able to reach their full potential under the current education system. Kids, these days, don't seem to be allowed to be kids....tutoring, coaching, weekend study camps, test preparation....it doesn't seem to end. Gaining close to 1oo% in an exam when you are 16 years old does not mean you are heading down a road that will enable you to attain a fulfilling professional life. Parents (and kids) are being forced into thinking that you will only succeed if you get perfect scores.
Sir Ken has raised some fantastic points about skewed importance of maths, science and languages "at the expense of music and dance and art and poetry and all the things that the arts teach, and humanities and history, and all of those things which speak to the nature of what it is to be a human being and to be able to make your way in the world." Our government needs to reassess this and allow schools and universities the freedom to foster growth in these areas.
So what's this post all about? Recently on the 7:30 Report (ABC TV) Kerry O'Brien interviewed Sir Ken Robinson, a leading thinker on education, creativity and innovation. Sir Ken has advised various governments and major global corporations and says that most education systems around the world including Australia’s, are still modelled on the needs of the industrial age. You can find the transcript of the intereview here.
One of the things that strikes a chord with me is when Sir Ken said: "people achieve their best when they firstly tune into their natural aptitudes....they've found this thing that they completely get. But the second thing is that they love it. And if you can find that - a talented and a passion - well that's to say you never work again....our current education systems are simply not designed to help people do that. In fact an awful lot of people go through education and never discover anything they're good at at all." he went on to say.....
"we're all born with tremendous creative confidence and abilities....the culture of standardised testing is a blight on the whole of education....we all think and learn differently....getting the best from kids in schools is about understanding the way they think, as well as what it is they're supposed to be thinking about. And I think that's also why some people get through the whole of their education and don't discover themselves at all."
At the end of year 11 my result in Maths was 36%....a few years later I won a merit-based scholarship to study engineering, I went on to gain a Masters and PhD in Biomedical Engineering. So what? Well, I truely believe my progress was hindered by the education system. Engineering is somewhat mathematics related - I didn't even study physics at school! Yet out of the school system I was able to flourish.
I am deeply concerned that my kids are not going to be able to reach their full potential under the current education system. Kids, these days, don't seem to be allowed to be kids....tutoring, coaching, weekend study camps, test preparation....it doesn't seem to end. Gaining close to 1oo% in an exam when you are 16 years old does not mean you are heading down a road that will enable you to attain a fulfilling professional life. Parents (and kids) are being forced into thinking that you will only succeed if you get perfect scores.
Sir Ken has raised some fantastic points about skewed importance of maths, science and languages "at the expense of music and dance and art and poetry and all the things that the arts teach, and humanities and history, and all of those things which speak to the nature of what it is to be a human being and to be able to make your way in the world." Our government needs to reassess this and allow schools and universities the freedom to foster growth in these areas.
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