At our last Administrative Council Meeting, we continued working on developing the profile of the graduate for WOS, CLE, SOMS, and TZHS. We began with exploring the idea, From Surface Innovation to Deep Innovation: Developing the Profile of the SOCSD Graduate. We looked at an analogy of comparing some of the challenges the United States Air Force faced in 1952 in comparison to some of the challenges schools are facing today. The Air Force was charged with coming up with a design for one cockpit to accommodate the greatest number of pilots, the average… They came up with 10 dimensions to accommodate 4,000 pilots: Height, shoulders, weight, chest, waist, reach, legs, …). However, they quickly realized that the average cockpit design didn’t fit a single pilot and that the profile was jagged. This revelation sparked the invention of the adjustable seat. The idea behind this exercise was to uncover how they needed to think differently when they approached the problem, and eventually came up with the solution. We also explored the evolution of the economy and the maturation of skills and careers over time. The growth stages of careers begin with agricultural, and move chronologically through industrial, information, knowledge, and culminate in the present, The Creativity Stage.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something.” — Steve Jobs “Divergent thinking is an essential capacity for creativity… it is the ability to see lots of possible answers to the same questions… to think not just in a linear and convergent way.” — Sir Ken Robinson, Author/Educational Leader
Each school shared the process to develop the Profile of the SOCSD Graduate, which began last June at our district retreat. We discussed how it can be easier to come up with the characteristics and attributes of the successful graduate, but that the more difficult and meaningful work will come with aligning instructional practices and structures to support the SOCSD Graduate. Some of characteristics of the SOCSD Graduate include, independent, motivated, kind, grit, resilient, integrity, respect, empathetic, and responsibility. Some of the essential skills identified that students need for future careers included, analytical thinking and innovation, active learning and strategies, complex problem-solving, critical thinking strategies, leadership and social influence, resilience and stress tolerance, reasoning, and Ideation.
When we think about the structure of our schools and the characteristics and skills of the “SOCSD Graduate”, we are also thinking differently about how we design curriculum, instruction, classrooms, and our schools to support our students for the future. We look forward to continuing this work as we move into the spring, summer, and next school year.
