educator summary - arkansas destination imagination

Up to 7 members can be on a team, and students from grades K-12 participate. Each team needs an adult Team Manager. Team Managers help students stay on track but do not directly help the team develop their solution to the DI Challenge. Team managers are often faculty members or parents. There are six new DI Challenges to choose from each year. Each of the Challenges is developed by a team of educators and industry experts who target a particular area of the curriculum and its related standards of content and performance. The areas of focus include: Technical, Scientific, Fine Arts, Improvisational, Structural and Service Learning. There is also a non-competitive Early Learning Challenge that allows kids to build social and problem solving skills.

Each season takes place from September through May. Teams typically spend 3 to 4 months developing and practicing their Challenge solutions.

Tournaments typically take place in local schools. And, while most schools run DI as an after school program, some school districts incorporate the program into their electives curriculum.

Teams in our program improve in creative thinking, critical thinking, and creative problem solving. Our kids experience the creative process, develop new friendships, and they learn to work together.

EDUCATOR SUMMARY

DESTINATION IMAGINATION IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

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WHO

WHAT

WHEN

WHERE

WHY

� Destination Imagination (DI) is an educational non-profit that teaches the creative process to 100,000 students each year across grades K-12.

� Our program takes place across 48 states and more than 30 countries including Canada, Turkey, Korea, Guatemala, Poland, China, India, Great Britain, Brazil and Singapore.

� A 2011 study by the University of Virginia Curry School of Education found students who participated in DI significantly outperformed non-DI students on standard assessments of creative thinking, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.

START A TEAM / 888.321.1503 / [email protected]

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

ImprovisationalThe world has undergone a dramatic change overnight! OK team, grab some T-shirts and markers and see if you can make sense of this Change in RealiTee!

StructuralLet’s do the twist! It goes like this: Build a structure that can survive a serious hit while holding weight. That’s what we’re torqueing about!

Service LearningLIGHTS: Find a community need. CAMERA: Solve the problem the best way you can! ACTION: Then unveil your documentary film to a captivated audience.

Early LearningThe colors of the rainbow are everywhere you look. In this Challenge, it is time to celebrate them all on ROY G BIV’s birthday. Pick your favorite color and join the party!

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Technical Your vehicles are cranked and ready to tell their story. Will you push it, play it safe, or take the big risk? Just make sure you get In the Zone!

ScientificArt can begin with a flick of the wrist, but can it ride on the wind? If you take on this Challenge, you’ll imagine a character so light and airy that it could slip, slide and sail away!

Fine Arts With the right camouflage, you can become anyone or anything. Superheroes and chameleons change themselves every day! Who will you be when you take the mask away?

Choose Your Challenge.Start A Team.

Destination Imagination is an educational program where student teams solve open-ended Challenges and can present their solutions at tournaments.

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DISGUISE


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CHALLENGE PREVIEWS

LEARN MOREDESTINATION IMAGINATION (DI) IS

AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM WHERE STUDENT TEAMS SOLVE OPEN-ENDED

CHALLENGES AND CAN PRESENT THEIR SOLUTIONS AT TOURNAMENTS.


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In 2011, researchers from the University of Virginia Curry School of Education conducted an independent research evaluation of the DI program. The evaluation focused on the program’s effectiveness, impact, and participant satisfaction in areas relating to creative problem-solving, creative and critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership. Among other findings, the researchers reported, “Students who participated in the activities and tournaments provided by DI outperformed comparable students who had not participated in DI on assessments measuring creative thinking, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.”

THINKING SKILLS

A study of 600 students was conducted among primary, elementary, junior high and high school students at DI’s Global Finals on the campus of the University of Tennessee in 2011. Researchers collected responses and then sent the results to non-DI personnel for analysis. Of the students polled, 70 percent reported they “do better in school” because of DI, and nearly half reported DI has helped them improve their grades.

BETTER IN SCHOOL

HERE ARE THREE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER DI

For the 2012-13 season, Destination Imagination has several Team Challenge sponsors. 3M is sponsoring the Structural Challenge, Ameresco (a leading independent energy provider) is sponsoring the Scientific Challenge, and MAE (an independent band from Va.) is sponsoring the Service-Learning Challenge. Destination Imagination has also nurtured relationships with organizations like the Motorola Foundation, the National Head Start Association, and NASA.

GREAT SPONSORS


DI Alum Wins Gold in the OlympicsThe world saw Maelle on the podium with her gold medal in the snowboard cross event, becoming the first Canadian woman to win gold at home in the 2010 Winter Olympics. She learned competition, teamwork and goal setting at a young age as a Destination Imagination team member from British Columbia. Maelle remembers, “Destination Imagination was not only a great way to make lifelong friendships and have tons of fun, but also helped me build self-confidence to pursue my dreams, including stepping on top of the podium at the winter games in Vancouver.”

DI Alum Applies Teamwork as a MarineThe final test of Marine Corps boot camp is called the Crucible and includes a series of challenges. Private 1st Class Matthew Harvey wrote about his experience: “Our team had to move a wounded Marine and then get the rest of the team to safety, with next to no materials. I suggested we move from roof to roof to quickly escape. I said in combat, we use whatever means available to achieve our objective safely, and the instructor didn’t say we couldn’t. The team finally agreed. We achieved our goal in 2 minutes, while the other teams took 15 minutes to finish. The Drill Instructor said, ‘In all these years, I have never had a team use that kind of solution. Good job, and way to think about your possibilities.’ “It was all Destination Imagination,” Matthew added. “In Destination Imagination we worked as a team for points; now we work as a team because it is life and death.”

DESTINATION IMAGINATION ALUMNI — MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION STRONG —

ARE LEADERS IN COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS.



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MAELLE RICKER

DI Alum Named Worldwide Volunteer of the YearLexmark’s 2010 Worldwide Volunteer of the Year directly credits his creative approach, leadership skills and “can do” attitude to his years and experiences in Destination Imagination. Simon adds, “Destination Imagination taught me that nothing was impossible. In addition to solving problems creatively, I can light the spark with my colleagues and help them transform the theoretical into reality. Our team’s drive to excel not only gets solutions implemented, but also helps us resolve issues above and beyond anyone’s expectations.” Simon holds 26 patents, is an M.I.T. graduate and dedicates his time as a Destination Imagination volunteer and Team Manager for his son’s team.

SIMON DODD

MATT HARVEY

MATT HARVEY


ALUMNI STORIES

PROJECT OUTREACH®


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12’-13’ CHALLENGE PREVIEWL I G H T S : F i n d a c o m m u n i t y n e e d . C A M E R A : S o l v e t h e p r o b l e m t h e b e s t w a y y o u c a n ! AC T I O N : T h e n u n v e i l y o u r d o c u m e n t a r y f i l m t o a c a p t i v a t e d a u d i e n c e .

SERVICE-LEARNING CHALLENGE projectOUTREACH empowers youth to make a positive impact on their communities. Here are the successes acheived by projectOUTREACH teams that made a difference:

� The chopsticks44 team from Bridlemile Elementary in Portland, Ore., created a program to combat school bullying.

� A team from Trophy Club, Texas, created a fundraising campaign that supplied more than 500 iPods and MP3 players for music therapy programs to two children’s hospitals in their community.

� The Wilson Word Wrappers team from the Neal Math and Science Academy, North Chicago, IL, taught themselves how to read, and then created a rap song to teach their friends how to read too.


MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

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START A TEAM 888.321.1503

[email protected]

RISING STARS!®


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SPARK THEIR CREATIVE JOURNEY

Rising Stars! is a Destination Imagination Challenge created for early learners. To solve the Challenge, 4- to 7-year-old children work together on performances complete with characters, props and scripts.

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2012-13 PREVIEW

T h e c o l o r s o f t h e r a i n b o w a r e

e v e r y w h e r e y o u l o o k . I n t h i s C h a l l e n g e , i t i s t i m e t o c e l e b r a t e t h e m a l l o n R OY G

B I V ’ s b i r t h d a y. P i c k y o u r f a v o r i t e c o l o r a n d j o i n t h e p a r t y !

THE RISING STARS! CHALLENGE

� Encourages creative discovery and teamwork in a fun environment.

� Aligns with any budget affordably, and can easily be started or incorporated into school, day care or other programs.

� Teaches basic story development and script writing, as well as simple building and construction.

� Encourages performance in front of an audience.

� Is noncompetitive, but offers a Tournament showcase option.

START A TEAM 888.321.1503

[email protected]

A CHALLENGE FOR EARLY LEARNERS

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educator summary - arkansas destination imagination

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