PTA Presentation

This is a sample presentation to pitch a DI program to a PTA or similar organization.

Introductions:

Josh Diamond – NYDI Eastern Regional Director – [email protected]

• My background: Software Engineer and consultant, when not doing Destination Imagination
• Involved in DI since 2006, when my son Max started in the program, as a 5th grader doing our Improv Challenge
• My wife, Zhanna, was the Team Manager – but DI seemed rather abstract and confusing to me until the team reached the NY State Finals – and then I was hooked!
• Huge breakthroughs for Max in his confidence, in how he interacted with his peers, and in what he could achieve.
• It is now 9 years later, and both Max and and my younger son, N’yoma, have competed at Global Finals (Max 4 times, and N’yoma three times).
• I have moved from confused parent to Team Manager, on to Croton DI coordinator, and then onto the NYDI board first as Webmaster, and now as Eastern Regional Director.

Audience Survey:

• Who is here?  Administration / Teachers / Parents / etc.?
• What do you already know about Destination Imagination?

Introductory Video:

How it Works:

• Question: What does the typical Elementary or Middle school classroom look like?
  • Sage on a stage?
  • More interactive?
  • Differentiated instruction for each student, or perhaps for identified groups of students?
• Who has ownership of the student’s learning?  The student, or the instructor?
• Flipped Classroom concept: Student learn content using books, video, or other interactive tools at home, and then receive personalized feedback and assistance from the teacher in the classroom.
  • Instead of flipping how time is used, Destination Imagination flips the role of teacher vs. student.
  • Students are all given a fixed task to accomplish
  • We do not specify much detail about which tools or techniques should be used to accomplish the task…
  • …but each Challenge is designed with a set of “points of interest” – or learning outcomes – in mind.
  • Kids want to solve the challenge – so they seek out sources for the required skills or knowledge needed to succeed.
  • Team Managers don’t instruct or direct – they facilitate the operation of the team, and support the team in finding skills training when they request it
• End results:
  • Students are engaged in learning in a fundamentally different way – driven not by external standards, but by their own imagination brought forth to solve the challenge.
  • Students have ownership of the process
  • The teams success is wholly their own

The Components:

• The Challenges:
  • Team Challenge:
    • Central Challenge
      • A long form problem to be solved over the course of 5-7 months, created by Destination Imagination.
      • 7 types: Technical, Fine Arts, Scientific, Improvisation, Structural, Service Learning, and Rising Stars (Early Learning)
      • Regardless of type, every Challenge has a “story” component, which is part of the team’s presentation
      • Each challenge has a well-defined maximum budget for items used in the actual presentation
    • Team Choice Elements – Team-selected add-ons to the Central Challenge which allow them to show off their unique skills, workmanship, etc.
  • Instant Challenge – A short form problem presented to the team and solved within about 8 minutes.
    • Types: Task Based, Performance, or Hybrid
• Training:
  • Team Manager Training
  • I/C Fiesta
• NYDI Tournaments – Where teams come to show off their solutions, and receive feedback and recognition for excellence
• Global Finals – Destination Imagination’s international tournament – the “olympics” of Creative Problem Solving

Let’s Solve An Instant Challenge:

• Knock It Off: Task Based
• Mix Up in the Factory: Hybrid
• Tower or Bridge: Task Based

Let’s Watch a Performance Video:

The Logistics:

• Program Materials:
  • Published each year in mid-summer
  • Includes:
    • All 7 Challenges
    • Rules of the Road – the detailed rules governing the program
    • Roadmap – a guide for Team Managers, includes sample Instant Challenges, meeting plans, scheduling guide, etc.
• Teams:
  • Usually form in the early fall, or sometimes late summer
  • Competitive teams may have no more than 7 members per team.
  • There are no limitations on Rising Stars teams
  • Five levels of competition: Rising Stars, Elementary, Middle, Secondary and University
  • Each team must have at least one adult Team Manager
  • There are no limitations on how teams are sponsored – tell us how you want to do it, and we will support you!
• Team Managers:
  • No pre-requisites other than participating in our Team Manager Training program
  • Sometimes Team Managers are teachers…
  • …but mostly Team Managers are just parents who care about bringing this program to the kids!

What Does it Cost and How Do We Pay For It:

• Basic cost per team is to be $430 for the 2018-19 program year.
  • Included:
  • • Team Manager Training and Mentoring Program
    • Instant Challenge Fiesta (in January)
    • NYDI Eastern Regional Tournament registration
    • NY Affiliate Finals registration – if invited
  • Not included:
    • The cost of materials needed to solve the Challenge (note overall out-of-pocket expense will probably exceed the defined Challenge budget).
    • Lodging at tournaments
• Global Finals is a separate cost:
  • Held in Kansas City, Missouri (May 2019)
  • Registration cost is approximately $700 per attendee – for team members, managers, and spectators alike
  • Team is responsible for transportation costs to Knoxville
  • Start your fundraising in September if you expect to attend Global Finals!