Symphony

**Not just focus but also SYMPHONY.**
Much of the Industrial and Information Ages required focus and specialization. But as white-collar work gets routed to Asia and reduced to software, there's a new premium on the opposite aptitude: putting the pieces together, or what I call Symphony. What's in greatest demand today isn't analysis but synthesis - seeing the big picture, crossing boundaries, and being able to combine disparate pieces into an arresting new whole. [Daniel H. Pink, //A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future// (Penguin Books, 2006), 66.]

//Some men see things the way they are and say, why? I dream of things the way they never were and say, why n ot //? [Robert F. Kennedy]

Choose one of the following two aspects of SYMPHONY to explore further:

**1. Seeing Relationships**
 * The Boundary Crosser - //People who lead "multi" lives - multilingual, multifaceted, multitasking, multimedia; Jhane Barnes - her expertise in mathematics informs her intricate clothing designs; Gloria White-Hammond is a pastor and pediatrician; Todd Machover, who composes operas and builds high-tech music equipment.//
 * The Inventor - //Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - two great tastes that taste great togethe//r.
 * The Metaphor Maker - //George de Mestral noticed how burrs stuck to his dog's fur and came up with the idea for Velcro//.
 * ~ Which of these three are you most like, or would like to be? Explain how that would play out for you. What would you be doing? ||
 * We all agreed that we would like to be boundary crossers. One came into education with a background in social work. The cross function in the office of professional development. Cultural crossing. One would like to be a world traveler and work over sees. Working with animals based on dreams. ||

**2. Seeing the Big Picture** //The guy who invented the wheel was an idiot. The guy who invented the other three, he was a genius//. [Sid Caesar] Differentiation, co-teaching benefits all students When it all comes together it is beautiful Looking at the whole child (how can we make that happen) ||
 * ~ Explain how this quote relates to another innovation - related to education or not. ||
 * The importance of seeing the possibilities seeing the big picture


 * ~ ==== ** How is SYMPHONY manifested in our schools? How do we integrate it into the curriculum? ** ==== ||
 * 1. Problem based learning ||
 * 2. All teachers and staff and central office to work towards the same call for all students. An individual learning plan for all students. ||
 * 3. Making learning fun (student engagement) ||
 * 4. ||
 * 5. ||

Need some ideas? Check out these resources:
 * Boundary Crossers
 * Why Not? How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small
 * Why Not? Idea Exchange


 * ~ What techniques, strategies, or activities might we use with students to help them enhance SYMPHONY thinking to support innovation? ||
 * 1. Engage students in brainstorming ||
 * 2. ||
 * 3. ||
 * 4. ||
 * 5. ||
 * 6. ||