What Google Thinks Our Students Need To Know

On the Official Google blog...Our Googley advice to students: Major in learning

What sorts of skills is Google looking for in prospective applicants? A high-level of problem solving and..

... analytical reasoning. Google is a data-driven, analytic company. When an issue arises or a decision needs to be made, we start with data. That means we can talk about what we know, instead of what we think we know.

... communication skills. Marshalling and understanding the available evidence isn't useful unless you can effectively communicate your conclusions.

... a willingness to experiment. Non-routine problems call for non-routine solutions and there is no formula for success. A well-designed experiment calls for a range of treatments, explicit control groups, and careful post-treatment analysis. Sometimes an experiment kills off a pet theory, so you need a willingness to accept the evidence even if you don't like it.

... team players. Virtually every project at Google is run by a small team. People need to work well together and perform up to the team's expectations.

... passion and leadership. This could be professional or in other life experiences: learning languages or saving forests, for example. The main thing, to paraphrase Mr. Drucker, is to be motivated by a sense of importance about what you do.

Based on what Google is looking for in its applicants, is your school creating the kind of learning experiences that will produce this skills in your students? 

Do the people who need to teaches these skills to students demonstrate or model them for their students? Can you expect teachers to prepare students with these skills if they themselves don't practice them?

The skills that Google is looking for are skills developed through problem-solving and working through the ambiguity of not knowing the right answer. Yet, we all know that we teach in an environment that demands and expects students to know that "one right answer." When are all our students being given opportunities to be leaders, to demonstrate their passion, to be team players, to communicate with other students in the classroom, to experiment without fear of failure, or to make decisions based on data?

Is this happening in your school? In your classroom? Are you creating the next generation of Google employees?