Judy

Understanding your team’s Sub-state tournament scores

 team support, tournament  Comments Off
Mar 112013
 

Congratulations to all of our teams who performed at the Sub-state tournament this past Saturday, March 9th. Tournament results are posted on the Competition Results page. A special congratulations goes to the Middle Level Challenge B (Wind Visible) team, Blue Eggs and Turkey (Team 112-18306), from St. Mary’s School in Storm Lake for earning a Renaissance Award. The Renaissance Award is awarded to teams or individuals who demonstrate extraordinary amounts of effort and preparation or outstanding skill in engineering, design or performance. You can read what the Appraisers and Challenge Masters wrote about this team on the Competition Results page.

So, what’s next? To prepare for the State tournament, teams are encouraged to analyze their Sub-state tournament standings, and to use that information to make changes to their Team Challenge solution. Your team’s tournament score is comprised of individual components detailing whether your team did an above average, average or fair job. To learn specifically where your team needs to make changes, it’s important to examine the individual components of its score very carefully, and to compare them to the Reward Points section of your team’s Challenge.

Raw Score vs. Scaled Score

Let’s start by discussing what the 2 rows of numbers mean that comprise your team’s score. Although there are some exceptions that we’ll get to in a moment, in general the bottom row of numbers is the team’s Raw Scores, or the number of points Appraisers award the team for its performance in the Central Challenge, Team Choice Elements and Instant Challenge. It is important to note that these are preliminary scores. Together, these points add up to a maximum combined 400 points: 300 points for the Team Challenge (240 Central Challenge points + 60 Team Choice Elements points), and 100 points for Instant Challenge. If your team is doing Challenge D, the improvisational Challenge, you have no Team Choice Elements and therefore your Central Challenge alone accounts for three-fourths of your team’s score, or 300 points.

The top row of numbers is your team’s Scaled Scores. What this means is that the preliminary or Raw Scores are turned over to the Score Room, where they are stacked against other teams’ scores in your Challenge and Level, and curved on a scale, much as grades in a typical classroom are curved on a scale. If Team ABC’s Raw Score of 76.75 is the highest Instant Challenge score for its Challenge and Level, for example, then its Scaled Score is 100 points, and all other teams in that Challenge and Level are scored proportionately beneath it.

The significance of the Raw Scores versus the Scaled Scores is that between the two is a narrow time frame when your team can get some initial feedback. Thirty minutes after a team performs its Team Challenge, one Team Manager and one team member may pick up the team’s Raw Scores and discuss them with the Head Appraiser or Challenge Master. If your team has not been doing this, there is no guarantee that the Raw Scores will be accessible later. More importantly, you have missed a great opportunity to learn more about the team’s performance. The official reviews areas of strength and areas where you team may need to improve, asking open-ended questions that the team should take to heart and discuss during a team meeting. The official will not suggest specific ways to improve scoring areas, of course, for this would be Interference. After this meeting, the Raw Scores go to the Score Room for final computerized calculations.

Breakdown of Reward Points

Where you will find your team’s Scaled and Raw Scores can be found in the bulleted list below. Note that the scores correspond directly with the Reward Points section of your team’s Challenge. It is critical that your team examine each column of its scores in relationship to (1) its own Total Scaled Score, and (2) other teams’ individual scoring elements, since this will help your team understand where it would be most impactful to make changes and/or focus additional effort. Point out to your team the pie charts that are in the Reward Points section of their Challenge. This will help them understand visually the impact of different scoring elements.

Challenge A:

  • Column 1: The top number is the Total Scaled Score (max. 400 points). Below it are deductions (if any).
  • Column 2: The top number is the Scaled Zone Score (max. 120 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 3: The top number is the Scaled Vehicle Score (max. 50 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 4: The top number is the Scaled Travel Score (max. 25 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 5: The top number is the Scaled Story Score (max. 45 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 6: The top number is the Scaled Team Choice Elements Score (max. 60 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 7: The top number is the Scaled Instant Challenge score (max. 100 points). Below it is the Raw Score.

Challenges B, C & projectOUTREACH®:

  • Column 1: The top number is the Total Scaled Score (max. 400 points). Below it are deductions (if any).
  • Column 2: The top number is the Scaled Central Challenge Score (max. 240 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 3: The top number is the Scaled Team Choice Elements Score (max. 60 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 4: The top number is the Scaled Instant Challenge score (max. 100 points). Below it is the Raw Score.

Challenge D:

  • Column 1: The top number is the Total Scaled Score (max. 400 points). Below it are deductions (if any).
  • Column 2: The top number is the Scaled Central Challenge Score (max. 300 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 3: The top number is the Scaled Instant Challenge score (max. 100 points). Below it is the Raw Score.

Challenge E:

  • Column 1: The top number is the Total Scaled Score (max. 400 points). Below it are deductions (if any).
  • Column 2: The top number is the Scaled Weight Held Ratio (max. 140 points). Below it is the Raw Score, based on the numbers in Column 3.
  • Column 3: The top number is the Total Weight Held by the Structure (in pounds). The bottom number is the Structure Weight (in grams). If you take the top number and divide it by the bottom number, this gives you the Raw Score for Column 2.
  • Column 4: The top number is the combined Scaled Score (max. 100 points) for Element 2 (Creativity and Workmanship of Structure), Element 3 (Structure Bill of Materials), and Element 4 (Story with Twist and Prop/Costume). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 5: The top number is the Scaled Team Choice Elements Score (max. 60 points). Below it is the Raw Score.
  • Column 6: The top number is the Scaled Instant Challenge score (max. 100 points). Below it is the Raw Score.

Types of Scores

Teams are awarded Subjective, Objective or Zero Scores for various scoring elements.

An objective score is awarded for fulfilling a specific requirement: If you do this, it is worth X number of points. If it is there, the points are awarded; if it is not, that scoring element receives a Zero Score. Make sure that your team is not losing easy points by missing required elements! Often, objective scores are awarded for problem-solving, i.e., solving a specific task.

Whenever you see a range of points awarded for a scoring element, this is a subjective score that is the result of the Appraisers’ opinions. Subjective scores are usually awarded for creativity, innovation, the Team Choice Elements, and Instant Challenge. Is your team getting the most out of its subjective scoring areas? Let’s examine these areas in more detail.

Creativity and Innovation

In general, anywhere that creativity is scored, the team needs to ask itself: Is our solution really original, innovative, unique, uncommon, or unexpected? Is the team making sure that every element is its OWN solution, rather than being produced by someone else? This could be an Interference issue and result in a deduction, especially at State, where scoring is stricter.

Some Challenges (often the technical ones) call for an innovation score. Innovation is related to complexity of the solution. Ask your team what else it can do to elaborate, or add details. Is there something new the team can research that would result in a different, possibly more complex solution? Often (though not always), higher complexity results in a higher innovation score.

Team Choice Elements

Many teams do not score as highly as they can for their Team Choice Elements. Keep in mind, first of all, that Appraisers can only score what the team describes on its Tournament Data Form. If this information is not detailed enough, then the Appraisers will not have a clear understanding of what they should score. The Appraisers MUST use what the team describes on the Tournament Data Form. If the information is not there, the Appraisers cannot make assumptions about where the team wants them to award points.

Has the team selected the right Team Choice Element, or is there something else that would be a better choice? Make sure that the Team Choice Element is not something that is already being scored elsewhere. If your team’s costumes are a required part of the Challenge, for example, then you should not list them as a Team Choice Element. You may, however, single out one of the costumes because of its special properties; make sure you describe what is special on your Tournament Data Form!

A very important fact to keep in mind is that a Team Choice Element is awarded points in 3 areas, worth 10 points apiece: creativity and originality; quality, workmanship or effort that is evident, and integration into the Presentation. Creativity and originality are often apparent when common materials are used in uncommon, unintended or unexpected ways. Quality, workmanship or effort become evident by the details invested in the outcome, by the amount of time it takes to develop the final product, and by the learning that takes place during the process. Integration into the Presentation concerns how well the Team Choice Element fits into the story; would the story be the same if this Team Choice Element were not present?

Instant Challenge

A team’s Instant Challenge score is 25 percent of its final score, and often has a huge impact on the overall competitive outcome. Doing well in Instant Challenge is usually the result of practicing often and consistently, and of debriefing after every practice. A team should practice Instant Challenge at every team meeting. Ideally, a balance of different types of Instant Challenges should be included.

Instant Challenges are either task or performance-based, or a combination of the two. Task-based Challenges involve moving, guiding, controlling, building for weight, height and/or strength (or weakness!), modifying, narrowing down choices, or communicating. In contrast, performance-based Challenges require a performance involving a beginning, middle and ending. They may involve props and/or materials, or simply a team’s imagination. Any Instant Challenge may be non-verbal, in whole or in part.

Team Managers should feel free to modify practice Instant Challenges to address a perceived need that a team has. For example, a Team Manager can add or subtract time for a Challenge, remove or add steps, or substitute other materials that are smaller (or larger) in scale than the ones described in a published Instant Challenge. They can require a non-verbal solution, ask the team to split into two parts, remove or add materials, and so on. Have a team member or two sit out and make critical observations. Always debrief your team afterward, asking your team to evaluate itself: What do you think you did well? What could you do better? What would you change the next time around? Don’t be afraid to repeat the same Instant Challenge, requiring a completely different solution the second time around!

Swap out the roles that team members play; in business this is known as cross-training. Do the same with your team, making sure that different people act as facilitator, timekeeper, rules keeper, builder, planner, and so on. The ways in which your team members communicate with each other through these roles is an important part of their teamwork score. Most Instant Challenges have a planning component, when teamwork is evaluated. Keep in mind that a team that cannot be heard can also not be awarded points; do not whisper at any time during Instant Challenge!

A useful exercise is having your team write its own Instant Challenge, which makes them much more aware of the components of Instant Challenge, as well as the problem-solving process.

To best prepare for Instant Challenge, help your team build a library of experiences from which it can draw when faced with Instant Challenge in a competitive situation. At the very least, your team will feel more comfortable in dealing with the unexpected if it has practiced Instant Challenge often and regularly. Resources for Instant Challenge are found in cre8iowa’s Instant Challenge Library, as well as in the Destination Imagination Resource Area and at ShopDI. Next year, make sure your team attends cre8iowa’s annual Instant Challenger workshop.

Advancing to the Next Level

In moving from one Tournament level to the next, all teams are expected to evaluate how they did previously, set new goals and modify their solutions. The best teams often triple the level of complexity between the Sub-state and State tournaments, and triple it again between State and Global Finals tournaments. We are looking forward to seeing the results of that process!

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Being an effective DI facilitator

 team support  Comments Off
Nov 132012
 

Because  there is much to learn at the same time that your team is learning about its Challenge, the first season you manage a Destination Imagination team can feel daunting.  Even if you have managed a team for several seasons, there is always room to refine the way you manage a team. Make no mistake—Destination Imagination is a learning process for everyone, not just the students, from start to finish. A little bit of training and organization benefits everyone. Here are a few tips to get you on the right path.

Take advantage of facilitator training opportunities

Are you aware that there are multiple ways for you to acquire facilitator training, and that you can take advantage of them before you send in your Iowa membership registration. Training, which provides the same information to everyone, helps level the playing field for all teams. A facilitator benefits personally from training by becoming knowledgeable about common DI terminology, becoming familiar with DI program philosophy, learning new ways to manage a team more efficiently, and discovering how to use CPS (creative problem solving) strategies to lead your team in effective discussions that will minimize team conflicts and keep your team moving forward.

1. Basic Training Podcast for Team Managers & Coordinators. Learn the basics of managing a team by visiting our podcast page. The basics of managing a team are recorded in sections so that you can fit them into your schedule at your convenience. Note that there is a segment for returning facilitators called “What’s New This Season” under Getting Started.

2. DI University. An overview of DI terminology, philosophy and the components of the program is available at DI University, where you will find slide show presentations that allows you to quiz yourself afterward. Different modules are available; do them all whenever you wish: Being a DI Team Manager, Rules of the Road, Being a DI Appraiser, and Challenge Master. All of these training modules provide you with information from different points of view. Consider having your team go through Rules of the Road, too.

3. Advanced Team Manager & Coordinator Training Workshop. This training is not just for experienced facilitators, but also for new ones. You will benefit more from it, however, if you listen to the Basic Training Podcast before you come. The training is being held Saturday, December 1st, at the Iowa Energy Center in Ames from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This year’s topics include:

  • Helping Your Team Understand How to Make Materials Work
  • Drawing the Line Between Helping Your Team and Interfering
  • Developing Skill Sets for Your Team Challenge
  • Q & A with the Challenge Masters

To make sure we have materials available for you, please REGISTER by November 26th for this workshop. There is no extra fee for this training, since it is included in your Iowa membership registration. It is okay for you to come, even if you have not yet paid your Iowa membership registration fee.

Make sure everyone is on the same page

Start off by gathering the “tools” you will need to manage your team. Both you and your team members should have a 3-ring notebook that contains sections for contact information, your team meeting calendar, Rules of the Road, the Team Challenge and Published Clarifications, and team discussions. Draw up an agenda for every meeting, and make sure you distribute hole-punched copies to team members that they can add to their binders. Have your team generate a to-do list and update it regularly to keep track of  tasks, deadlines,  and who is responsible for what. Team members can insert research notes, charts and diagrams into the “team discussions” section of their binders. A 3-ring notebook, essentially, helps everyone to be on the same page.

Create a framework for team meetings

Prepare for team meetings ahead of time. Yes, you will have to adjust your agenda to meet your team’s needs, but there are certain parts of your meeting that can be in place long before you actually meet. A suggested framework is as follows:

1. Do an ice breaker, warm-up, or team building activity. Refer to our earlier post, Focus on teamwork: part 1, for ideas about where to locate these activities. You will find additional ideas at the New Hampshire DI Web site:

2. Develop the Challenge.  

At the beginning of the season, challenge development means reading and re-reading the Challenge. Encourage team members to divide the Challenge into sections, and explain it to each other. This helps students to take ownership of their eventual solution. Check the team’s understanding by asking questions; turn this into a game with an old Chutes & Ladders or Parchisi-style game board; write questions on an index card.

Use the areas of academic focus found at the top of page 1 of every Team Challenge to help the team develop a KWL chart that you can use to schedule educational opportunities such as speakers, demonstrations, workshops and field trips. K represents what the team already KNOWS, W represents WHAT the team needs or wants to learn, and L stands for what the team has LEARNED by the end of the season and serves as a great assessment tool after the final tournament, when it is time for the team to celebrate its success. Learning is a big part of that success! Remember to avoid Interference when you arrange for educational opportunities.

As the season evolves, your team will need to schedule time to get the actual work of the Challenge completed. This means researching, writing a script, creating props, building a theatrical set, making or locating costumes and developing devices. Make sure you have chart paper handy. Have your team fill in columns of an SML chart to keep track of individuals’ responsibilities and timetables. S stands for a SHORT period of time (24 hours), M represents a MEDIUM length of time (one week), and L stands for a LONG period of time (one month). Make sure you have a column that shows who is responsible for what task, and remind students to check and update the SML chart at each meeting. Having the team take responsibility for this chart keeps students accountable to each other.

3. Practice Instant Challenge. Make sure you practice different types of Instant Challenges (performance-based, task-based and combination) at every team meeting. It is even more important to debrief the team afterward. You’ll find sample debriefing questions in the Instant Challenge Practice Set found in the Resource Area, as well in Iowa’s theme-based Instant Challenge collection, A Roll of Plenty. Take advantage of the many resources in our Instant Challenge Library, which includes links to other online Instant Challenges.

4.Take time out for a snack.  Some Team Managers meet with students after a long school day and have discovered that before their team can focus on DI business, they need a snack. Other Team Managers use a snack in the middle of the meeting as an organizational break; while the team is enjoying a treat, the adult(s) are preparing for the next activity. And sometimes a snack simply breaks up tension. Do what works for you!

5. Plan for your next meeting. Take 5 minutes at the end of a team meeting to review what was accomplished today and what needs to be accomplished at the next meeting. Do team members need to perform independent research? Finish a project or two at home? Bring some specific power tools or working materials to the next meeting? Use pre-planning as a way to close your current meeting, and launch your next one.

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Understanding the role of an Appraiser

 appraisers, instant challenge, team support, tournament  Comments Off
Oct 272012
 

If you’re a Destination Imagination veteran, you have heard us say many times that we can’t hold a tournament without the help of our volunteer Appraisers. This is really true! Every team doing Challenges A-E and projectOUTREACH® is required to provide an adult Appraiser (age 18 or older) who spends one Saturday in January or February getting trained, one full day at the Sub-state tournament, and one full day at the State tournament. Every Rising Stars!® team is required to provide one adult volunteer who serves up to a half day in a non-scoring role at the Sub-state tournament, and does not need to have advance training.

Although Team Managers often ask a team member’s parent to step in as an Appraiser, there are many other ways to find one. Read How to Find Appraisers for suggestions. You may wish to share Top Reasons to Be an Appraiser with anyone you ask to serve in this capacity. We also welcome adults who are NOT representing a team to become an Appraiser. If you would like to become a Friend of cre8iowa by serving as a non-team affiliated Appraiser, please contact Keith Kutz at only_kman@yahoo.com.

The main role of an Appraiser is to keep an open mind in order to discover areas in which to “praise” teams by awarding them points. That’s why ApPRAISErs are called Appraisers. Appraisers set the tone of the tournament to a great extent. If they are happy to be there, then that is evident to the teams and their spirit is infectious. The scores you award teams at tournament provide them with critical feedback they need to evaluate themselves, to improve their solution at the next level of competition, and to set goals for their next Destination Imagination season.

It is definitely fun to watch teams’ creative performances and to award them well-deserved points. Many of our Board members, in fact, began their volunteer experience with Destination Imagination as Appraisers; most of them serve as tournament officials today (in addition to wearing other hats). At Destination Imagination Global Finals, it is considered to be a privilege to be selected as an Appraiser. You can see how some Appraisers celebrate the fun by participating in a Team Manager & Officials Challenge at Global Finals.

When you check in at Appraiser training, you will sign up to appraise a Challenge that is different from the one the team you represent is doing. Challenges focus on technical, scientific, fine arts, improvisational, structural or service learning areas, or—in the case of Instant Challenge—on on-the-spot problem solving. You can find a preview of the Challenges HERE, and can see what practice Instant Challenges look like by visiting our Instant Challenge Library. You’ll get an overview of the Destination Imagination program, become acquainted with the difference between objective, subjective and zero scores, learn all about the Challenge you will be appraising, and experience how to work together as a member of an Appraisal team.

Speaking of Instant Challenge, this week’s newly-released Instant Challenges include:

By becoming familiar with the same rules that teams follow, you’ll help us to create a fair and consistent playing field for every team at tournament. You’ll take what you learn at Appraiser training to the Sub-state tournament, refine your skills and learn some new lessons, and apply them at the State tournament, where the first place team in every Challenge and Level earns the right to advance to Global Finals. In a sense, you are doing the same thing that teams are doing, i.e., both of you are improving your performance from one tournament to the next. You’ll have a chance to evaluate teams for creativity, teamwork and problem-solving, and will nominate some teams and some individuals for exceptional creativity, expertise, DI spirit, community service and other areas.

Several points to keep in mind about being a DI Appraiser are that you are making a commitment to the team you represent by serving as an official.  The team is not allowed to advance to the next level of competition without your completion of training and your service at both tournaments. You will spend the entire tournament day at the site of the Challenge you are appraising, and will not be able to leave the site until the last team has performed and your Head Appraiser or Challenge Master excuse you. Your free lunch on both tournament days is provided by Students for a Creative Iowa. Teams who have a single Team Manager must be accompanied by that Team Manager at tournament, who may not also serve as an Appraiser. Appraisers can choose on what day to attend training, as follows. Check-in begins at 9:00 a.m., and training runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

  • Jan. 26, 2013 – Kirkwood Community College (Iowa City)
    • 1816 Lower Muscatine Rd.,  Iowa City, IA 52240
    • Check-In: Room ICCR 255
  • Feb. 2, 2013 – Kuemper Catholic High School (Carroll)
    • 116 S. East St Carroll, IA 51401
    • Check-In: Cafeteria/Hallway
  • Feb. 9, 2013 – Ames Middle  School (Ames)
    • 3915 Mortensen Road, Ames, IA 50014
    • Check-In: Commons

If you have never served as an Appraiser (or even if you have), and would like to have a better sense of what to expect as an Appraiser, you will benefit from visiting DI University. This is a free online training that gives you an overview of the program and explains some of the roles that Appraisers fill. It is not a substitute for learning about the Team Challenge you will appraise at tournament, since that information is provided at your official Appraiser Training, but it definitely helps to paint a picture for you. The two modules that will benefit you most include “Being a DI Appraiser” and “Rules of the Road.”

As we get closer to tournament, you will find updated Appraiser information, on the Appraiser Information page on our Web site. For now, you’ll want to add these 2 tournament dates to your calendar:

  • March 9, 2013 (Saturday). Sub-State Tournament. Ames Middle School, Ames.
  • April 6, 2013 (Saturday). State Tournament. Ames Middle School, Ames.
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 Posted by at 6:58 pm

Walking the line between facilitation and Interference

 instant challenge, team support  Comments Off
Oct 192012
 

It is the natural tendency of adult facilitators to want to be helpful to students solving a Destination Imagination® (DI) Team Challenge. In DI, however, the rules of Interference provide clear instructions about where the lines of Interference are drawn.

A Destination Imagination team is charged with interpreting its own Challenge, generating its own ideas, selecting its own resources, doing its own research, and constructing its own solution. When non-team members get involved in these activities, Interference rules have been breached, directly affecting a team’s success.

The success of a team is determined not only by its standing at tournament, but also by the knowledge and experience our students gain from the process. Competition is only one aspect of the Destination Imagination program. Most of the season, in fact, is spent learning about the process of creativity from imagination to innovation, and gaining life-long learning lessons in analysis and problem-solving, teamwork, performance, technical skills, time management, budgeting, organization, priority-setting, and more. When non-team members contribute to the solution of Team Challenges or Instant Challenge, this takes away from the team’s ability to learn these lessons and skills.

The importance and seriousness of Interference are highlighted by the fact that DI requires every team member and Team Manager to sign a Declaration of Independence at tournament. By signing this Declaration, the team members and Team Managers promise that the presented solution and all its ideas and research were produced by ONLY the team members, that they understand the rules of Interference, and that they do not know anything in advance about the Instant Challenge performed at competition.

Interference is one of the most serious obstacles for teams. If a tournament official observes Interference, then the tournament official gives a warning (if it is a minor matter of Interference), or a deduction to the team. In Instant Challenge, a team may be disqualified from competition because of Interference. Tournament officials are required to act in order to maintain a level playing field for all teams. We strive to promote a fun and fair competition; part of that involves giving warranted deductions, if Interference gives an unfair advantage to a team.

What can Team Managers, Coordinators, parents, teachers and audience members do to avoid Interference?

1. Early in the season, review the rules of Interference with team members and parents. Have everyone read and sign the Interference Contract found on page 28 of Roadmap.

2. Discuss the Interference Triangle, found on page 14 of Rules of the Road. The Solution makes up the top of the Interference Triangle, and represents the area where the Team Manager(s) CANNOT help the team. The bottom of the triangle, Skills and Challenge & Rules, represents the areas where a Team Manager CAN assist the team. For detailed information about Interference, refer to pages 14-16 of Rules of the Road. (Note: Veterans of the program would benefit from reading the rules about Interference.)

  • Skills are both those the team already has, and the new ones it acquires during the course of the DI season. It is the responsibility of a Team Manager to help a team acquire new skills. How? A Team Manager can arrange for a speaker or demonstrator to teach a broad range of general skills to the team. However, please note that these skills may not suggest a specific solution to the Challenge; it is up to the team to apply the skills they learn to their Challenge. In general, if a team does not know the skills to accomplish a task, then students either must learn those skills, or find a different way to solve the Challenge.
  • Challenge & Rules include the printed Challenge, Rules of the Road, and Published Clarifications. Published Clarifications supersede all other rules, and can be found HERE. Follow Destination Imagination on Facebook and Twitter and you will be alerted when a new Published Clarification is posted. It is the job of team members, the Team Manager(s) and tournament officials to know and understand these rules. If a team does not understand the rules, it can write for a Team Clarification. Each team is allowed to ask up to 10 Clarification questions by visiting http://www.diatlas.org/clarifications/login.php. The deadline for submitting Team Clarification questions is February 15, 2013. A Clarification will not be shared with any other team. Keep in mind that it is not the answers in Team Clarifications that are a secret. The answers come directly from the Challenge or the Rules of the Road. It is the team’s questions that are completely confidential and will not be shared with any other team. This is because the question often reflects the thinking and direction of the team’s solution.

Before your team submits a Clarification question, remind students to re-read the Challenge carefully, paying special attention to grayed text that provides special definitions or explains special rules. Encourage your team to use a standard dictionary if they don’t understand terms, and to discuss their understanding. Remember that it is NOT the Team Manager’s job to interpret the rules! A Team Manager may point out where the team is violating a rule by asking the team to re-read that section of the Team Challenge, but it is up to the team to come up with a solution.

3. Encourage your team to develop independence. One excellent way to do this is through Instant Challenge practice, where team members learn to rely on each other. Each week through November, you’ll find new Instant Challenges in cre8iowa’s Instant Challenge Library. This week’s Instant Challenges are:

If you have questions about Interference, feel free to contact Judy Nolan, Co-Affiliate Training Director, by email at: judynolan@aol.com.

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Training opportunities for facilitators

 team support, workshops  Comments Off
Oct 122012
 

Destination Imagination season is now well underway. If you’ve purchased your Team Pack(s) and are ready to dive into training, you’ll want to take advantage of the following opportunities:

The Basic Training Podcast for Team Managers & Coordinators is divided into 7 sections that you can listen to as your time allows. Whether you’re a new or returning facilitator, you’ll find useful information in these audio recordings. Returning Team Managers and Coordinators will wish to pay special attention to Getting Started, which contains a “What’s New This Season” segment.

An Advanced Team Manager & Coordinator Training Workshop is being held on Saturday, December 1 in Ames at the Iowa Energy Center. Training runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (although we may finish earlier). Even if you are a new Destination Imagination participant, you’ll benefit from this training which includes the following topics:

  • Helping Your Team Understand How to Make Materials Work
  • Drawing the Line Between Helping Your Team and Interfering
  • Developing Skill Sets for Your Team Challenge
  • Q & A with the Challenge Masters

Although this workshop is already included in your Iowa Membership Registration fee, we ask you to register HERE by Monday, Nov. 26th so that we can plan appropriately and have enough working materials on hand. Please note that it is NOT necessary for you to pay your Iowa Membership Registration fee in order to be able to attend this workshop. Coffee, water and snacks will be provided; just bring a sack lunch and yourself!

Finally, as you meet with your teams, take advantage of Instant Challenge training opportunities by visiting our Instant Challenge Library. This week’s newly-released Instant Challenges include:

Questions? Contact Judy Nolan at judynolan@aol.com.

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Focus on teamwork: part 2

 team support  Comments Off
Oct 052012
 

1 The Forming Stage

Last week I discussed the fact that at the beginning of the Destination Imagination season, teams are in what educational psychologist Bruce Tuckman calls the Forming Stage, when it’s time for students to get to know each other, not to make a major decision about what Team Challenge they are going to solve. The team, in other words, has to be more important than the Challenge itself before any effective progress can be made with the Challenge.

Some ways for teams to get to know each other, besides the ones described in last week’s post, include the following discussion activities that sell for under $20 at Amazon.com (and likely other places, such as your local educational materials store):

  • Conversations to Go, by Moonjar, is a fun discussion-based activity that is available for around $14.95. Question cards are inside a box that you shake up and open. Pick a question, read it aloud, and surprise each other with your answers. Sample questions include: What do you like to do most on the Internet? If you could have a conversation with any animal, which one would it be and why?  If you could shout something out loud what would you say?

  • TableTalk Conversation Cards, by US Games, is another discussion-based activity that sells for about $6. Each card in the deck presents an interesting fact and asks a question to get a conversation started. There are no right or wrong answers, and no special knowledge is needed. A sample card reads as follows: With the possible exception of the spiny anteater, all mammals sleep. The average human infant sleeps 16 to 18 hours per day. The average adult sleeps seven to eight hours a day, or about one-third of every day. How would your life be different if you didn’t have to sleep?

  • Would You Rather…, by Zobmondo!,  is a question-based game whose objective is to stimulate entertaining, ridiculous, and thought-provoking conversation with questions that act as icebreakers.  The game sells in many variations that range from about $9-$18. Sample questions include: Would you rather sing every word you speak –OR- always speak in rhymes? Would you rather live in a home without electricity –OR- in a home without running water? Would you rather run across a hungry alligator’s back –OR- run underneath an angry elephant?

2 The Storming Stage

It doesn’t take long before a team moves into the Storming Stage, when it becomes critical for members to learn to trust and respect one another. As they do this, it will be normal for you to see disagreements erupt. And that’s okay, as long as trust and respect are still there.  You’ll find that activities such as Helium Stick  and All Aboard will help promote teamwork. You can find many other team building activities at Wilderdom Games, Great Group Games, and Great Solutions to Team Challenges.

The Storming Stage is a good time for you to remind your team that there is no “I” in TEAM, that the team is stronger than the individual. But at the same time, it is important to reassure individuals that they are valued. I used to remind my team that there are really no bad ideas, only good ideas and better ones—and it is the team’s responsibility to develop good ideas into the most unique ones they possibly can. We tried very hard not to ignore stray ideas; in fact, every team member had a stack of Post-it Notes® handy so that if an idea occurred that wasn’t directly resulted to the current discussion, the team member could write down that idea and paste it to chart paper without interrupting the flow of the team conversation. This way, every idea was acknowledged and treated as a “jewel” to be examined later.

When teams are having trouble getting past disagreements during this stage, it is helpful for them to share an experience that helps them grow in their confidence to deal with a challenge as a group. If you refer to page73 in Road Map, you’ll see something called a K-W-L Chart. To use this chart, encourage your team to list skills they already (K)now and skills they want to (L)earn as a group. Then, zero in on a shared learning goal, such as an art technique, sewing, making a closed electrical circuit, using a power tool—or whatever interests your team; the number of learning opportunities is endless. If you bring in a speaker or demonstrator who can help your team learn a new skill, your team will feel empowered with its newly-acquired knowledge. Who knows how they will apply it? That’s up to the team.  I have seen more than one team develop an awesome Team Choice Element, however, simply because of a learning experience shared during the Storming Stage. At the end of the season, return to the K-W-L Chart and include the skill the team has learned in the (L)earn column as one of its positive outcomes, and make sure to celebrate it as an accomplishment when evaluating the team’s progress.

3 The Norming Stage

Although the focus is on producing results during the Norming Stage, it is still normal for a team to encounter personal conflicts as the season progresses. To the extent that a team deals with these conflicts constructively, that determines how much the group will grow.

As a Team Manager, you can help your team focus on what it needs to do during this stage by reminding team members of the objectives they set at the beginning of the season, as well as the timeline that the team (not you!) has set.  Encourage your team to modify its short-term goals (within 24 hours), medium-term goals (within a week) and long-term goals (within the month) as needs change, and to assign responsibilities to specific individuals. This keeps team members accountable to each other, and keeps the team moving forward.

If your team gets stuck, remember that you can use CPS (Creative Problem Solving) strategies to help your team get past an obstacle. In Roadmap, refer to ABC Brainstorming on page 59, and Mix and Match (also known as Morphological Matrix) on page 66 to help your team brainstorm more effectively. Use Decision-Making Matrix on page 38, Choice Helper (also known as Evaluation Matrix) on page 87, and Paired Choice Analysis on page 104 to help team members arrive at decisions efficiently. You can learn more about CPS strategies from this document in cre8iowa’s Document Library: Using CPS Tools to Teach Your Team Creative & Critical Thinking Strategies.

Remember that team building is a process that continues throughout the season. The ice breakers and games you play during the Forming and Storming Stages of the program continue to be useful as the season progresses. A fun problem-solving game that also promotes teamwork, discussion, creativity and reflection, and was developed by DI, is Schema, in which your team divides itself into a Challenge Team and a Building Team. You’ll find this game at ShopDI.org for $9.

The basics of Schema are as follows:

  1. The Challenging Team chooses a set of tasks from its cards and gives those tasks to the Building Team. The Building Team chooses items from its cards to build a device that completes all the tasks. The Building Team will have a set time to build the device from the items chosen.
  2.  If the Building Team’s device completes all the tasks, all the cards in play are removed from the game. If the Building Team’s device doesn’t complete all the tasks, the Challenging Team gets all the cards in play.
  3.  The teams then switch roles and repeat the process.
  4.  The first team to run out of cards loses.

As always, continue to practice Instant Challenge, which develops good teamwork and keeps the energy flowing. This week’s newly-released Instant Challenges can be found in cre8iowa’s Instant Challenge Library:

 4 The Performing Stage

As your team approaches tournament, it is normal for tempers to flare and for frustrations to build. You can help your team deal with this by encouraging open and honest (and respectful) communication. On page 100 of Roadmap, Team Managers are reminded that they serve the role of a facilitator. In concrete terms, this means helping your team walk through conflict resolution through discussion. Encourage team members to (1) identify the issues, (2) clarify people’s positions, and (3) pinpoint the underlying concerns, needs or desires of individuals. This helps everyone on the team to be on the same page, and to find a way to meet in the middle.

Sometimes a team will get lost in the proverbial forest without seeing the trees. Remind your team to re-read the Challenge, and point to the scoring rubric found in every Team Challenge to help them set appropriately their priorities for time, energy and effort. Every Team Challenge has a couple of pie charts in its Reward Points section that serves as a visual reminder of priorities.

5 The Adjourning Stage

The final stage of the DI season should be a celebration of all that the team has accomplished, whether it finishes its Team Challenge solution and showcases it at tournament or not. Tournament results represent only a small fraction of a team’s accomplishments. Stress the positive outcomes of the season, rather than trophies or special awards. Make sure you take the time to ask each team member, in a group setting, to describe an experience he or she particularly enjoyed, or an aspect of the program that was especially valued. You’ll hear responses such as, “ I really enjoyed working with my friends,” “I learned how important teamwork is,” and “DI was so fun this year; when will we start next season?”

Whether you hold a potluck dinner, pass out awards for individual or group accomplishments, go to a theme park to celebrate, or have a party, it is important to acknowledge everyone’s contributions, to list the objectives the team has accomplished, and to end on a positive note that reminds teams of the fun times they’ve shared. This sets the stage for the next season, whether that season involves DI or another team-based activity, or to the next stage in life if your team members are graduating.

Teamwork is the glue that forms a team and keeps it together. It is also one of the skills DI participants remember most years after Destination Imagination is behind them. Three years ago, 2009 Students for a Creative Iowa Scholarship winner Marissa Paulsen wrote in her application, “DI stresses the importance of teamwork, but I don’t think everyone realizes just how important it is for every aspect of Destination Imagination. Our DI team has many talented individuals, but I truly believe we could not have accomplished what we have without teamwork.”

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Focus on teamwork: part 1

 season kickoff, team support  Comments Off
Sep 272012
 

Many Team Managers teach students that the acronym TEAM stands for “Together Everyone Achieves More.” Sounds great, doesn’t it? The reality is that good teamwork, or effective collaboration, takes a lot of effort. Good teamwork does not develop overnight, and there are no shortcuts.

Destination Imagination is an educational program that is based on the concept that the creative process can be taught, from imagination to innovation, through team-based Challenges. Everywhere you look in the program, from the international headquarters housed in Cherry Hill, New Jersey to teams scattered around Iowa, you’ll see teams. A team of adult volunteers writes the Challenges, teams of students solve them, teams of Appraisers evaluate the students’ solutions, and a team of adult volunteers runs Students for a Creative Iowa, the non-profit organization that administrates DI in Iowa. All of these teams share in common a passion for learning about the creativity process, but they also share some growing pains which they gradually overcome as they learn about each other, and as they work together.

If you take a look at your program materials, you’ll notice that Roadmap is a great guide for the path your team travels during the program season. On page 11 you’ll find a brief description of a psychological framework for group development, originally published by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in 1965. According to Tuckman, all small groups or teams go through five stages of development that can overlap. At the beginning of the DI season, your team is in the Forming Stage, when behavior is characterized by reserve and politeness because group members don’t know each other well enough to be completely open with their feelings. Team members might also encounter roadblocks when generating ideas because they may not want to offend each other, and thus don’t share what’s on their minds. A Team Manager’s job, during this stage, is to help team members get to know each other, and to encourage disagreement—strange as that may sound—in order to get ideas flowing. This of course leads to the second stage of team development, Storming.

The Forming Stage conforms, to a great extent, to Stage 1 of the Destination Imagination season timeline, Recognize. Some teams will spend 2 weeks in this stage, while others will spend 4 weeks or more. This is a time for teams to focus on team building, not on choosing a Team Challenge right away. Whether a team is comprised of last year’s members, brand new ones, or a combination of returning and new students, it is critical for them to focus on teamwork at the beginning of the season. Not doing so often leads to conflict down the road, and sometimes to a team failing, or not finishing its Challenge.

Stage 1 in Roadmap is found on pages 19-54, and includes lots of team building activities: By the Numbers, Team Name, Shape Up, Let’s Hear It, and Team Planning—just to name a few. The 4th activity is called Team Choice Element Inventory, and can be used to help a team discover its interests. Please note that a team’s interests do not necessarily reflect its strengths, but instead where a team may be motivated to place its efforts, both learning and otherwise. The very last activity in Stage 1 is Reflection, when teams finally select a Team Challenge.

In truth, team building is an ongoing process that continues during the entire season. Sometimes the best teamwork is facilitated not by what goes on at team meetings, but by what goes on between the meetings. When I used to manage a team, every student had a special role, one of which was the Team Spirit Coordinator. It was this person’s job to communicate with team members about generating ideas for non-DI activities the team could do together. This resulted in a trip to the local Dairy Queen store for ice cream treats, a board game night, a combination birthday/winter holiday party, a movie night, bowling, and many shared pizzas. All of these activities contributed to team members getting to know, trust and respect each other—and in their not being afraid to disagree with each other, ultimately planting a rich soil for creativity to sprout.

Team building activities

You’ll hear experienced Team Managers tell you that Instant Challenges act as team building experiences, and this is really true. As teams practice Instant Challenge, they build a library of experiences that includes not only problem-solving skills, but especially teamwork skills. That is why you are encouraged, at every team meeting, to practice at least one Instant Challenge. This week’s newly-released Instant Challenges, which are found in the cre8iowa Instant Challenge Library, are as follows:

Improvisational and theatre games are an excellent way for team members to get to know each other. Felicia Borges, a long-time Destination Imagination volunteer from California, compiled and modified 21 pages of Kid Friendly Improv Games, based on information found at the Learn Improv site.

Icebreakers or warm-ups provide another great way for your team to develop effective teamwork skills. In 40 Icebreakers for Small Groups, you’ll find 32 pages of activities that are great to use with youths of all ages in a small setting (such as a home or classroom). Thank you to Grahame Knox from the United Kingdom, a youth ministry leader and trainer who has provided this free e-book on his blog, Insight.

Cre8iowa has a limited number of improvisational, drama and  small group activity books that are available to Iowa’s DI participants, as follows. To save costs, all books will be mailed via Media Mail, and shipping will be added to the book prices. Contact cre8iowa@gmail.com if you are interested.

  • Improvisation: Use What You Know—Make Up What You Don’t, 2nd Edition, by Brad Newton, founding member of Kidprov. Price: $15 plus shipping
  • Team Challenges: 170+ Group Activities to Build Cooperation, Communication, and Creativity, by Kris Bordessa, a Destination Imagination Team Manager. Price: $15 plus shipping
  • More Team-Building Activities for Every Group, by Alanna Jones. Includes 107 games and activities. Price: $15 plus shipping
  • On Stage: Theater Games and Activities for Kids, by Lisa Bany-Winters. Learn about improvisational games, make puppets, discover makeup secrets, build a set, and more. Price: $15 plus shipping
  • Theatre Games for Young Performers: Improvisations and Exercises for Developing Acting Skills, by Maria C. Novelly. Provides imagination-expanding exercises in pantomime, voice and improvisational acting. Price: $15 plus shipping
  • The Ultimate Improv Book: A Complete Guide to Comedy Improvisation, by Edward J. Nevraumont and Nicholas P. Hanson. Complete improve curriculum in 24 class-length units. Price: $18 plus shipping

Next week’s post will discuss a number of fun products that are great alternatives to book exercises for team building. Remember: If your team thinks DI is fun, you’re doing something right.

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cre8iowa calendar is finalized / Challenge E & Clarification information

 season kickoff, team support  Comments Off
Sep 142012
 

1. The cre8iowa Calendar has been finalized, so any dates marked tentative on our Web site have now been confirmed. The only date that has changed, since we are always subject to the logistics of our host site, is the Sub-state tournament, which will be held on March 9th, 2013, NOT March 2nd. Visit http://www.cre8iowa.org/current-season/calendar/ for the season calendar.

We recognize that no matter what date(s) we set, there will always be students who have a conflict. We encourage you, when you complete your cre8iowa Membership Registration, to let us know at that time about any special scheduling requests. The deadline for making special schedule requests is 3 weeks before any tournament; send an email to cre8iowa@gmail.com.

Often things can be worked out by scheduling your team very early or very late. We do our best to accommodate special scheduling requests. You should also know that not having a full team present at Sub-state has no impact on its advancement to the State tournament. Absentee Sub-state members can still perform at the State tournament. The minimum number of team members required, in order to perform at any tournament, is two. What is more important is that the team have a viable solution that reflects real effort, even if the solution is not complete. All of our teams do advance to the State tournament, since we consider the Sub-state tournament to be a dry run. It is an opportunity to work out kinks and get some scoring feedback. It is also a requirement for a team to perform at the Sub-state tournament in order to advance to the next level. In any event, it is always a good idea for a team to plan its performance with the thought in the back of their minds that some team members may be absent due to a conflict or illness. It’s all part of the creative problem-solving process!

2. Challenge E, Twist-O-Rama: A 58-page booklet about building a “ram” is now available at this link: http://downloads.destinationimagination.org/downloads/2012-13_ChallengeE_How_to_Build_a_Ram.pdf

3. Published Clarifications are rules that supersede all other Challenge instructions. Make sure you are having a team member check the Clarifications page prior to every team meeting: http://www.destinationimagination.org/challenge-program/clarifications

4. You can “follow” Destination Imagination on Facebook or on Twitter. When new Clarifications are released, they will be announced in these locations.

Questions? Contact Judy Nolan, Co-Affiliate Training Director, at judynolan@aol.com.

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I bought a Team Pack, so what’s next?

 season kickoff, start a team, team support  Comments Off
Sep 112012
 

Once you have purchased your Team Pack and recruited a team (see Recruiting Kit for more information), it’s time to take care of administrative details that will set the stage for your team–and your peace of mind–for the rest of the season. You are at Stage 1 in the program: Recognize. This means becoming familiar with the Challenge, team members, and resources.

1. Download your program materials from the Resource Area. You can wait until program materials are shipped to you by Destination Imagination headquarters (DIHQ), but you can also download these materials from the Resource Area. The link to the Resource Area is at the far right end of  the orange navigation bar found at the top of the redesigned Destination Imagination Web site located at http://www.destinationimagination.org. All you need in order to enter the Resource Area is a valid e-mail address and a team number that Destination Imagination provides. If for some reason you cannot find your team number(s), you can always e-mail me (judynolan@aol.com), and I’ll supply the missing information.

2. Familiarize yourself with the program materials, which consist of the following:

  • Roadmap is a guide to help a Team Manager manage a team from its first session to a tournament. It is the perfect place to begin reading, if you have never managed a team! It includes tools, activities and practice Instant Challenges that teams can do over the course of the season. If you have never managed a team before, Roadmap is a step-by-step guide that provides details about what happens at team meetings. If you are an experienced Team Manager, you’ll find that the CPS (Creative Problem Solving) tools in this guide provide you with constructive ways to hold team discussions without interfering with the team’s idea-generating process, or with their ultimate solution.
  • The Challenges section contains the complete set of rules for each of the six competitive Challenges and the non-competitive Early Learners Rising Stars!® Challenge. The Challenges themselves are divided into sections, beginning with Points of Interest, STEM Attributes, the Central Challenge, Team Choice Elements (not present in improvisational Challenge D), Presentation Site, Reward Points, and Tournament Data Form. When your team is choosing its Challenge, Points of Interest will provide the team with a summary of the main requirements of the Challenge. The STEM Attributes let you know where there are opportunities for learning in science, technology, engineering and math; these exist in every Challenge. The Central Challenge explains DI-defined rules for the main part of the Challenge, while Team Choice Elements are team-defined scoring opportunities that represent additional areas for the team to score points not already covered by the Central Challenge. The Presentation Site is a description of the competition area at tournament; it lets you know what to expect. Finally, Reward Points tells your teams exactly how they will be scored. The last few pages of every Challenge are the Tournament Data Form, which must be completed by the team (not the Team Manager) and brought to every tournament. The Early Learners Rising Stars!® Challenge is divided into similar sections with different names.
  • Rules of the Road are general rules that apply to every competitive team (not Rising Stars!®). They include details about the two main components of the program, Team Challenge and Instant Challenge; team formation rules; competition levels; Team Manager guidelines; scoring; rules of Interference; the Team Budget and Expense Report; safety, and much more. Rules of the Road are superseded by Challenge rules, so if you’re not sure what rule to follow, see your team’s Challenge.
  • Instant Challenge Practice Set. The Instant Challenge Practice Set does not ship with your program materials, but instead will be found in the Resource Area. The last time I checked, it had not yet been uploaded, but when it is released, you’ll want to download it right away so that your team will be able to practice Instant Challenge at every team meeting. (9/20/12 Update: The Instant Challenge Practice Guide is now available for download in the Resource Area. One week ago, we were notified that it had been discontinued, but apparently this information was not accurate.)  The skills students learn from Instant Challenge follow them into their Team Challenge, and also help team members to bond together. Meanwhile, you’ll find practice Instant Challenges in Roadmap, as well as in cre8iowa’s Instant Challenge (IC) Library. Here are links to 4 new Instant Challenges that were just uploaded to the cre8iowa IC Library:

3. Prepare for your first team meeting. In general, team meetings should include a warm-up activity and/or an Instant Challenge, provide discussion time to learn about or work on the Challenge, and allow for some reflection and/or planning (which creates a bridge to the next meeting). Most teams enjoy snacks, so allow time for that! Shorter meetings are appropriate for younger students, and longer meetings for older students. Let students’ attention span be your guide. You’ll find some suggestions for time management HERE.

When I was a Team Manager, I tried to include parents at the first meeting to make sure that parents, students and I were all on the same page.

  • Let parents and students know what you expect of them, and what they can expect of you. This is a good time to discuss behavioral expectations. (See Expectations for Teams in the cre8iowa Document Library.) Make sure you ask your team to set some ground rules for each other as well; they are more likely to follow rules they establish themselves. Discuss the need for an Appraiser. All teams doing competitive Challenges at Iowa tournaments are required to supply one trained adult Appraiser at both the Sub-state and State tournament. Cre8iowa provides training on one of three Saturdays in January and February that your Appraiser can select. A team parent typically fills this role, but if that is not possible, see How to Find Appraisers for other suggestions.
  • Collect contact information, as well as the age, grade and birthdate of each team member. You will need some of these details for the cre8iowa Membership Registration.
  • Become a cre8iowa Member. Registration information will be posted in October. Your cre8iowa Membership includes a Basic Training Podcast for Team Managers & Coordinators, an Advanced Training Workshop for Team Managers & Coordinators, Appraiser Training, e-mail/phone/blog support, and participation at all Iowa tournaments.
  • Set a meeting calendar. Take into consideration competition dates (see cre8iowa Calendar HERE), the Instant Challenger team workshop in January, other student activities, holidays, family vacations and other potential schedule conflicts. When I managed a team, I also asked my team to come up with a plan for decision-making, since it was known in advance that there would be frequent occasions when not everyone would be present at team meetings. My team decided that for less important decisions, the team members who were present would make decisions; for more important decisions, they would find the time to meet, or communicate electronically with each other.
  • Make sure everyone understands the rules of Interference. Review and have everyone sign the Interference Contract found on page 28 of Roadmap.
  • Ask for one or two students to be responsible for checking Published Clarifications on the Destination Imagination Web site. Published Clarifications supersede Challenge rules and are released whenever the Challenge writers (known as International Challenger Masters, or ICMs) determine that a particular rule needs further explanation. At every meeting, I asked my team members to report on any newly released Published Clarifications.
  • Provide program materials to team members. I found it helpful for each of my team members to have a 3-ring binder that they were responsible for bringing to every meeting. The binder contained sections for Rules of the Road, the Team Challenge, Clarifications, meeting agendas, and discussion notes (in the students’ own words). After a tournament, I also made photocopies of Appraiser comments and the Raw Score sheets, and distributed them to students for their binders. The purpose of the binder is not only to help students stay organized, but also to help them take ownership of their Challenge.
  • Establish an Instant Challenge routine at every team meeting. Ahead of time, print Appraiser and team copies of a practice Instant Challenge, and collect the materials. As a Team Manager, I found it convenient to store Instant Challenge materials in large Ziploc® bags. I clipped them to skirt hangers in a closet, ready-to-go anytime!
  • Start collecting ideas for warm-up activities that you can use at meetings to build teamwork. Teamwork does not happen overnight; even with an experienced team, students grow and change, and require team-building activities. You’ll find suggestions for team-building in the Document Library.

4. Most importantly, have FUN with your teams. If students are having fun, you’re doing something right!

Note: Many of the links in this post point to items found in the cre8iowa Document Library. You may find it helpful to visit this location our Web site.

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2012-13 Season officially begins

 destination imagination news, season kickoff, start a team  Comments Off
Sep 042012
 

Welcome to another great start of the Destination Imagination program season, which means that over the next few weeks our Web site will be updated with current information. If you missed some of our news over the summer, visit the following posts:

  • cre8iowa on IPR. Retired Affiliate Director Jay Swords and Team Manager Brett Monnard from Davenport are interviewed by “Talk of Iowa,” a program on Iowa Public Radio, about Fostering Creativity in Iowa. In this creative segment, Jonah Lehrer, the author of the new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, first expounds on creativity, then Jay and Brett speak about the DI program and its benefit for Iowa students.
  • 2012 Global Finals results. In the photos and video below, you’ll see highlights of some of the Iowa teams’ Globals Finals journey.

Dingbatz, a Secondary Level improvisational team from West Des Moines, performs its Team Challenge at Global Finals. This team was recognized for its 1st place Instant Challenge performance out of 46 teams.

Hypothetically we have a Giant Mushroom, a Secondary Level team from Fairfield , earned 7th place at Global Finals in its scientific Challenge out of 46 teams.

Meanwhile, are your teams ready to learn about the creative process, from imagination to innovation? On September 1, six new competitive Challenges and one new Early Learning Challenge (Rising Stars!®) were released. Click HERE to see the Challenge previews.

To Start a Team, follow these 5 easy steps:

1. Buy a 1-Team Pack, 5-Team Pack, 30-Team Pack or Early Learners Team. You can use a credit card, purchase order, or mail in your order. Visit DI’s shopping portal at http://www.ShopDI.org.

2. Download your program materials or wait for DI to ship your materials to you. All program materials are located in the Resource Area of the Destination Imagination site, located at http://www.destinationimagination.org. (The Web site has been redesigned, so look for Resource Area on the far right side of the navigation bar at the top of the home page.)

3. Subscribe to the Iowa mailing list by entering your e-mail address in the upper right side bar. By doing so, you will receive e-mail support every time a blog post is released.

4. Recruit your team: 1 Team Manager, 2-7 students for competitive teams or 5-10 students for Rising Stars!® teams, 1 adult Appraiser for competitive teams or 1 adult volunteer for Rising Stars!® teams. Download Recruiting Kit materials at http://www.cre8iowa.org/start-a-team/ so that you can hold an information meeting with parents and students. (Note: This part of the Web site is being updated over the next couple of weeks, so you may still see information that refers to last season.)

5. Purchase an Iowa membership registration when it becomes available: http://www.cre8iowa.org/current-season/iowa-membership-registration/

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please e-mail Judy Nolan, Co-Affiliate Training Director, judynolan@aol.com, or cre8iowa@gmail.com.

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