Destination ImagiNation Team Manager Workshop Dee Urban, Instructor (With help from Bruce Urban & Ro Jordan) Fall 2000 With grateful acknowledgment to: Victor Tom-MA, Jill Schoonmaker-NH, Cindy Watty-NV

Destination ImagiNation Workshop Agenda Check-in Video Warm-up Destination ImagiNation overview Team Managers Questions

Destination ImagiNation The most important course in education.

A Small Sample of DI Orgs. Volunteer organizations all over the US and the world MAOM

The Heart of Destination ImagiNation Students learn Creative Problem-Solving (CPS) skills –Brainstorming & Divergent Thinking –Exploring Open-Ended Questions (no single right answer) –Improvisation Fills the gap between what students learn in school and skills they need in the workplace Students develop strategic life skills –Teamwork/ Communication –Planning/Budgeting –Research & Experimentation –Presentation & Sales –Organization & Management Colleges & employers are looking for students who have developed these skills

Kid-Powered & Team-Driven Team’s solution is generated without interference Destination ImagiNation differs from kids’ sports and other student organizations in that it –Provides a supportive environment in which all ideas are team-generated Kids have ownership of solution They make mistakes & learn from them Students learn strategic life skills –Adult team managers are only there to manage details of the team – adults do not tell students what to do, how to do it or when to do it

What Business is Saying… “Destination ImagiNation participants STAND OUT among our new employees. Their presence, confidence and ability to lead put them YEARS AHEAD of their age and experience. Destination ImagiNation is making a difference in the high-tech future on a global basis.” --Roger Garriock, IBM Canada director of e-commerce development Destination ImagiNation’s outstanding participants

Warm-up Activity In teams: Generate a list of as many types of jobs you have held throughout your lives in two minutes. The jobs do not have to be PAID employment. Anything goes.

Choose three to five of the most unusual or interesting jobs What kinds of collective skills do we have in this room? What kinds of things could we create as a large team using all the types of skills that are learned from doing those jobs? What kinds of skills would you ideally like to have on a single Destination ImagiNation team?

Destination ImagiNation Components Central Challenge200 Points Side Trips100 Points Instant Challenge100 Points Total400 Points

IMPROVISATION A component in ALL Challenges! Acting, speaking or devising something without rehearsal or forethought. –Mime –Improv Used in Destination ImagiNation –Instant Challenge –Improv Item in each challenge –Dinamic Improv Challenge

Typical DI Year Team building exercises Understanding Challenge Brainstorming of solutions Working, refining, and more refining –Technical elements, props, costumes, script... Constant practice for instant challenges Local trips for junk and supplies Practice dry-run (town presentation) Tournament time And lots of snacks

Rough Schedule INTRO DI MEETING SEPTOCTNOVDECJANFEBMARAPRMAY TEAM MANAGER TRAINING LOCAL TOURNAMENTS STATE TOURNAMENT* GLOBAL FINALS* Learning to work as a team Instant challenges Understanding the main challenge Brainstorming ideas Research & experimentation Creating the presentation More instant challenges Finalizing, refining solutions Props, artwork, costumes, scripts “Crunch” time, rehearse And more instant challenges * Top teams advance Time flies when you’re having fun FINALIZING SOLUTION & PRACTICE INSTANT CHALLENGE

The DI Program has Two Components 1."Instant Challenges" Teams must solve a “surprise” challenge in a short time frame. Points are awarded for successful completion, novel solutions and teamwork. Kids learn creativity skills, divergent and convergent thinking, risk taking, time awareness, cooperation and have FUN! 2."Team Challenges” Teams use research, art, technology, performance, imagination and more as they tackle one of the 5 Team Challenges, open to all levels. The solution can take from several weeks to several months to develop and refine. Scoring is defined in the challenge and includes addition of an improv item and side trips (special item/skills team defines). Destination ImagiNation challenges students in many different ways

Central Challenges Mystery Loves Company Triplicity Anonymously Yours Dinamic Improv IncreDIble TechEffects

Side Trips A Side Trip is an extra excursion that adds to the enjoyment, excitement, understanding, and “wow” factor of the Team Challenge! These are the rules about Side Trips: Teams must showcase three DIFFERENT Specialties A Side Trip cannot be an item required in the Central Challenge A Side Trip cannot be part of an item that is already being scored More than one side trip CAN be demonstrated at the same time (example: A team-created song and dance can be scored for both the song and the dance as long as the Appraisers can identify each) Each Side Trip must be a single, stand alone item which can be appraised on it’s own merits See the October 2000 issue of “CreativityNews” All About Side Trips Issue

DI Challenges for 2001 Mystery Loves Company –Craft a mystery story –Create a communication device –Conduct a scientific experiment Triplicity –Create a 3-part weight-bearing structure constructed from balsa wood, paper, glue –Tell a story of a journey –Design/build 3 separate travel containers Problems have focus of Performance or Technical or Both

DI Challenges for 2001 Anonymously Yours –Select an anonymous work of art –Research the culture and time period –Create a performance that tells the story of “Anonymous”, the artwork & the culture –Develop a technical element (uses technology appropriate in that time period) DInamic Improv –Improv problem utilizing research in: Famous Innovators, Cultural Performers, Important World Landmarks Problems have focus of Performance or Technical or Both

DI Challenges for 2001 Go to for full descriptions Challenge Presentations (excluding DInamic Improv) include an Improv Item and three side trips IncreDIble TechEffects –Research technology of Special Effects –Create an original tale –Design & incorporate 4 special effects

Learned Skills THINKING ON YOUR FEET ELECTRICAL ARTWORK WRITING COMPOSING PRESENTING WELDING DUCT TAPING AND MORE... Lifelong skills WOOD-WORKING SEWING MAKE-UP PLASTERING MECHANICAL DEVICES

Student Eligibility All students are eligible & benefit from DI - students need not be identified as gifted Student must –want to participate –commit to the team –be willing to take risks & learn from others Each student brings a variety of skills and talents to the team A part of a team, students will –listen, evaluate and build upon teammates’ ideas (compromise) –construct & refine the solution –present the solution –have fun Each team needs students with a variety of skills and talents No formal academic requirements

Building a Team 5 to 7 students form teams (typically in the fall/winter) They compete in one of these categories: –Primary Level - Grades K-2 or 5-9 years old –Elementary Level - Grades K-5 –OR- no student reaching the age of 12 by June 15 –Middle Level - Grades 6-8 -OR- no student reaching the age of 15 by June 15 –Secondary Level - Grades 9-12 –OR- no student reaching the age of 19 by June 15 and not a high school graduate at the time of Affiliate competition –University/Military Level - All team members must be enrolled full-time in a college/university or on active Military duty. Each team has one or more adult team managers Students complete against teams in their age category

The Creative Problem Solving (CPS) Process Creative Thinking Phase Generation of Options Critical Thinking Phase Focusing/Evaluating of Options

HEADLINES! 3 minutes Each team member - Find 1-5 words that could make a headline that is related in some way to being a team manager Share your headline CREATIVITY is in all of us!

AFTER THE CHALLENGE What does a good team sound like? Did anyone on your team come up with a good idea that you would never have thought of yourself? Did your team include people with different personality “styles”? Did any of you feel sort of apprehensive or uncomfortable in the first moments of brainstorming ?

Rules of Brainstorming Rule 1: Withhold Judgment of Ideas –Allow students to conceptualize freely. All ideas are “good” ideas. Rule 2: Encourage WILD ideas! –Encourage team members to be imaginative! Try to make each other laugh!

Brainstorming Rule 3: Quantity counts! –Encourage the team to push itself to come up with ideas until it runs dry. Encourage team members to not accept the first few ideas. Rule 4: Piggyback on the ideas of others! –Encourage team members to use “SCAMPER” and put a new twist on ideas already given

Creativity is influenced by: FLUENCY –The ability to generate a great number of ideas FLEXIBILITY –The skill that allows us to produce a variety of ideas ORIGINALITY –The talent to think of unusual ideas ELABORATION –The process of filling in all the details EVALUATION –The process that allows us to select, test, and revise ideas

The SCAMPER Technique for Brainstorming S Substitute C Combine A Adapt M Modify Magnify Minify P Put to Other Uses E Eliminate R Reverse

A-Lo-U A Focusing/Evaluating Tool A Advantages Lo Limitations and How to Overcome Them U Unique Features – (Wouldn’t it be nice if…?)

A-Lo-U Tool Activity For Focusing Options Sample Option: Our team will use only recycled materials in its solution. Advantages Limitations and how to overcome them Unique Features or Potentials

INTERFERENCE Team Manager’s Guide - pages Interference vs Basic Resourse Where to go for resources:

SOLVING THE CENTRAL CHALLENGE READ Rules of the Road The Central Challenge The Team Manager’s Guide

RULES OF THE ROAD Cannot solve the challenge without the rulebook Cannot “appraise” the challenge without the rulebook

TEAM MANAGER GUIDE Pages Strategies and helpful instructions on working with the team to generate their Challenge solution. Team Manager –Positive Points –Time Commitment –No Interference

TEAMWORK AND TIME MANAGEMENT

CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUPS THAT WORK Members trust each other Goals are clear and determined by the members Members feel as if they belong There is willingness to hear new ideas and suggestions Members identify with each other’s experiences

GROUPS THAT WORK Conflict is recognized and discussed with the intent to resolve it Members accept responsibility for group functions Communication between members is clear and direct Members use each other a a resource and as support Members define and understand ground rules

TEAM BUILDING IDEAS Help each other be right - not wrong Look for ways to make new ideas work - not reasons why they won’t work Help each other achieve and take pride in each other’s progress and growth Try to maintain a positive mental attitude Do everything with enthusiasm - it is contagious Whatever you want - give it away! Have FUN!

TEAM MEMBERS NEED TIME TO: Get to know each other Trust each other Feel they belong Respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses Learn to make decisions together Accept that all their ideas will not the final ones used Start to take pride in the team’s solution

FORMS Tournament Data Form - 5 copies needed –found on the last page or two of each challenge –to help Appraisers know what to look for Declaration of Independence - 2 copies –One for Performance Judges, one for Instant Challenge Judges Expense Report - 2 copies Clarification Form

Special Awards DaVinci Award For outstanding Creativity Renaissance Award For outstanding skill in engineering, design, or performance Spirit of Discovery & Imagination Award For spirit, sportsmanship, volunteerism, teamwork

Don’t Panic…. You are not alone! Dee Urban Phone: Our State Website Our State Newsletter Mailed to School DI Coordinator & also on website Our International Website

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. -Albert Einstein Destination ImagiNation develops the most important skill in life