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CHALLENGE PROGRAM2016-17 SEASON / ORGANIZING A TEAM TODAY

NAMS-DI presents…

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1WHO WE ARE

2PROGRAM

OVERVIEW

3TEAM

CHALLENGES

INSTANT

CHALLENGES

5QUESTIONS

4FEES

ORGANIZING A

TEAM,

HOSTING A

MEETING

AgendaWHAT WE WILL SEE TODAY

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About NAMS-DI

• Started as Odyssey of the Mind about 10 years ago

• Changed over to Destination Imagination two years ago

– More teams in state

– Better competition

• Program coordinated by:

– Shelly Ross – HS

– Mr. Stimson

– Mrs. Griffin

– Mr. Griffin

• With the help of a many great parent volunteers

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About UsWHAT WE DO

• Student teams solve open-ended Challenges and present their solutions at tournaments

• Teams learn important life skills like project management, collaboration, conflict resolution, and creative and critical thinking

6About UsTHE INTERNATIONAL IMPACT

• 150,000 participants annually

• 1.5 million alumni

• 38,000 volunteers worldwide

• 48 States & 30 countries

At NAMS

• 50-70 students annually

• 6-8 middle school teams

• 1-3 high school teams

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About UsWHO

• 2 to 7 members can be on a team

• Students from kindergarten through university participate

• Each team needs an adult Team Manager

• Team Managers help students stay on track but do not directly help the team develop its solution to the Destination Imagination (DI) Challenge

• Team Managers are often faculty members or parents

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Program OverviewTHE CHALLENGES

• There are seven new Challenges to choose from each year

• Each of the Challenges is developed by a team of educators and subject matter experts

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Program OverviewWHEN

Teams typically spend 2 to 4 months planning, developing and practicing their Challenge solutions

Each season takes place from

September through May

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TIMELINEWHEN

November & December

-Problem breakdown

-Solution outline

-Conduct research

October

-Initial Meetings-Team Organization-Problem selection

February

-Rehearse

-Refine

-Work on Props

-Practice!

December & January

-Solution Outline-Roles

-Prop Design

March/April

Regional & State

Championships

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About UsWHERE

The teams’ solutions are assessed at

regional, state or country tournaments

Most schools run DI as an after-school

program

Every year, local volunteers help run

more than 200 tournaments around

the world

Some school districts incorporate the DI program into

their curriculum

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About UsWHY

• Teams in our program learn higher order thinking and improve in creative thinking, critical thinking and collaborative problem solving

• Our participants experience the creative process, develop new friendships and learn to work together

• DI demonstrates that learning can be FUN

• DI identifies, celebrates and builds on a student's strengths

• DI provides authentic learning and authentic assessment

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“DI is the best thing you will ever do for your child’s education, as well as for helping to shape his or her future as an innovator and leader.– Melissa Dick,

Parent and Team Manager

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About UsGLOBAL FINALS

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Team Challenges

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Team ChallengesTECHNICAL

The Technical Challenge prompts students to complete tasks by using engineering, research, strategic planning and related skills.

• Present a show that includes an opening act and a headlining act.

• Design and build a stage on which the acts will take place and that will move a team member from one location to another.

• Enhance each act with a technical effect to amaze the audience.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interest, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

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Team ChallengesSCIENTIFIC

The Scientific Challenge blends the research and curiosity of science with the thrill and creativity of the theater arts.

• Create and present a story about a secret mission.

• Research and apply methods from cryptography and steganography to reveal secret messages.

• Design and create a gadget that appears to be an everyday item.

• Create and integrate a disguised character into the story.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

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Team ChallengesENGINEERING

The Engineering Challenge asks teams to design, build and test load-bearing structures out of specific materials.

• Design, build and test multiple free-standing structures that work together.

• Develop a strategy for placing structures to support as much weight as possible.

• Develop and present a collaborative solution to a global issue.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that highlight the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

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Team ChallengesFINE ARTS

In the Fine Arts Challenge, students flex their acting and artistic muscles as they explore some of our most fascinating works of literature and media.

• Research the meanings, roles and uses of colors.

• Present a story about how the disappearance of a color changes the world.

• Create a colorful character that is involved with the color’s disappearance.

• Use technical theater methods to create a vanishing act.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

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Team ChallengesIMPROVISATIONAL

The Improvisational Challenge is all about spontaneity and storytelling. Teams receive topics and produce skits right on the spot.

• Create three improvisational skits from the same story prompt.

• Present each skit in a different performance genre.

• Portray a different stock character in each skit.

• Enhance each skit with props.

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Team ChallengesSERVICE LEARNING – PROJECT OUTREACH

The Service Learning Challenge is designed to engage students in community service to address real community issues through personal expression.

• Identify, design, plan and carry out a project that addresses a real community need.

• Create a live presentation of a team-created fable that integrates information about the project.

• Include an impact prop and a character that changes appearance.

• Create and present two Team Choice Elements that show off the team’s interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents.

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Instant ChallengesAT THE TOURNAMENT

• At a tournament, a team will receive an Instant Challenge and the materials with which to solve it.

• The team members must think on their feet to produce a solution to the Challenge in a period of just five to eight minutes.

• Instant Challenges are performance-based, task-based, or a combination of the two.

• Instant Challenges are kept confidential until the day of the tournament.

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Instant Challenge ExampleFLYING FEATHER

Challenge: Build the tallest possible structure, place a feather on the top and then blow the feather off to land as far away as possible.

Time: You have 5 minutes to use your teamwork, creativity and innovation skills to build the structure with the materials provided. You will then have one chance to blow the feather as far as you can.

The Scene: You have been asked to build a new prop for the sequel to The Muppets. The structure must be free-standing on the table top and must be as tall as possible so that the feather can fly a long distance. After the 5-minute build-time, the height of the structure will be measured. You will then place the feather on the top of the structure and, with one large puff of air, see how far the feather will fly.

Materials: aluminum foil, 2 paper clips, 4 straws, 3 sheets of paper, 4 pipe cleaners, 1 label, feather

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APPRAISINGAT THE TOURNAMENT

• At the tournament, teams will participate in two types of Challenges: Team Challenges and Instant Challenges

• Teams will present their Challenge solutions to a group of Appraisers

• Appraisers are local volunteers who have been trained to assess the Challenges

• Teams will solve an Instant Challenge, which requires them to engage in quick, creative and critical thinking

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$125• 2-7 Team Members

• 1 Team Number

• Kindergarten-University

CHALLENGE PROGRAM

TEAM NUMBER

Printed & Digital

Pricing (covered by NAMS-DI fees)

$105• 2-7 Team Members

• 1 Team Number

• Kindergarten-University

CHALLENGE PROGRAM

TEAM NUMBER

Digital Files Only

$75• 2 or more

Team Members

• Rising Stars!

• Team Number

• Noncompetitive,ages 4-7

EARLY LEARNING

TEAM NUMBER

Printed & Digital

$65• 2 or more

Team Members

• Rising Stars!

• Team Number

• Noncompetitive,ages 4-7

EARLY LEARNING

TEAM NUMBER

Digital Files Only

Destination Imagination administers its program through state and country Affiliates worldwide. To participate in a tournament, teams must register with their Affiliate. There are additional fees for Affiliate administration, Affiliate Tournaments and Challenge budgets. Some of our Affiliates have directed us to collect their Affiliate fees* with the purchase of your Team Number.

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$60•If child participated in Explorations…

•$30 dollar credit

NAMS-DI Full year program

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Connect With Us

“Like” us on Facebook at Destination Imagination, Inc.

Tweet with us @IDODI

Follow us @boxandball forcreative inspiration

Share your photos@boxandball

Join the conversation using #IamDI

Learn more atDestinationImagination.org

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Organizing a team…

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Team Organizationthe basics of putting a team together

It’s is student driven, usually

• We encourage the students to organize themselves into teams.

• We will assist smaller groups of students into larger teams,

• We help place students on teams that need help,

• We try our best to help all students to be successful in the program.

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Hosting a DI Meeting

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Student Meetings• It is important for teams to meet regularly to make progress on their

challenge

• Afterschool meetings are for check-ins and to teach/practice new skills

• Teams also need to plan to meet outside of school

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Adults’ role in meetings

• DI challenges need to be solved 100% by the students– Adults can’t solve the problem, but can ask directed questions

• Adults can assist by facilitating the meetings and/or teaching a new skill

• Adults can practice “Instant Challenges”

with their teams

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Facilitating a meetingAllowed

• Keep students on task

• Help establish “to do” items

• Check on progress towards goals

• Encourage common sense safety

Not Allowed

• Evaluate students’ plans/ideas

• Suggest solutions the challenge

• Direct assistance with solution

33Teaching a New Skill• We encourage parents to show students how to

perform a new skill/use a new tool

• Students must complete all work directly involved in the solution to their challenge

• Safety first!

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Phone Basket• We recommend the use of a “phone

basket” to help the students avoid the temptation of technology

• Students can check when there are messages from home, but otherwise phones stay in the basket

35Planning a Session/Running a meeting Roughly 60-90 minutes

Team needs an appropriate space

A place to put their stuff “cell phones”

Adult overview

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In GeneralHow do I help • Parents can….

– Ask DIRECTED QUESTIONS

– Not solve, but guide students to discovering various approaches to solving a problem

– Help with organizing

– Demonstrate GENERAL methods• Using tools

• How to paint, assemble, build

– Try an instant challenge at a team meeting

– Communicate with other parents on team

– Be understanding

– Help with shopping

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THANK YOU