You've helped them one at a time. The real understanding is how the ideas CONNECT — teach that next.
Spiral (reinforcing feedback — a loop that grows until something stops it) ×Damp (balancing feedback — a loop protecting what the system tries to keep stable)
A rumor spreads faster and faster, then suddenly levels off. How do Spiral and Damp explain the whole shape?
Spiral then says: “A reinforcing loop just grows forever; there is never a balancing loop that stops it.” — is that right?
The link: every runaway spiral is eventually met by a damping loop.
What grows without limit meets the loop that stops it.
Emerge (emergence — the pattern is not in any one rule; it appears FROM the rules running together) ×Steer (leverage points — the biggest leverage is usually the least obvious place to push)
A city's traffic jams will not fix by adding lanes. Why do Emerge and Steer suggest the real fix is elsewhere?
Emerge then says: “The best place to fix a system is always the most obvious symptom you can see.” — is that right?
The link: emergence is why the highest-leverage point is hidden, not obvious.
The pattern comes from the rules, so push where they meet.
Capstone — read one system together
Three ideas for reading a system. Bring in the cast member for each.
A loop that grows until something stops it. Who?
Who do you bring in?
A loop that keeps things stable. Who?
Who do you bring in?
Find the hidden place to push. Who?
Who do you bring in?
The synthesis: a loop that grows, a loop that stabilizes, and the hidden leverage point — how you read and change a system.
