Full Resource Library

Need a crash course on DI terminology? Head to the Resource Area where you’ll find a DI Glossary in Rules of the Road, and check out our list of bonus terms below!

Affiliate:
Your local DI chapter. This can be a state, province, or, for international participants, a country.

Affiliate Director (AD):
The person(s) in charge of leading an Affiliate. Learn more about our Affiliate Director, Sue Brailey.

Regional Director (RD):
The volunteer who manages your local Region. Learn more about our Regional Directors, Jon Brennan and Josh Diamond.

Appraiser:
The incredible volunteers who evaluate your Team and Instant Challenge solutions at tournaments!

Challenge Master (CM):
The lead Appraiser for a Challenge. They are the expert on the guidelines for each Challenge! Regional Challenge Masters (RCMs) oversee the Challenge on a local level, Affiliate Challenge Masters (ACMs) oversee the Challenge on an statewide level, and International Challenge Masters (ICMs) oversee the Challenge on a global level.

Team Number:
The 8 digit number your team receives when purchasing a Team Kit. Your Team Number will be used for all registration information and forms, so keep this handy!

Ensuring team safety is NOT Interfering! Please help monitor your kid’s DI team activities to ensure their safety. This includes teaching students how to use tools safely and practice safe workspace habits such as:

• Appropriate protective gear (such as safety goggles, gloves, shin guards, proper ventilation, and good lighting) should always be used.
• The right tool for the job is always safer than the wrong tool.
• Sharp blades are always safer than dull blades.
• A neat and organized work space is always safer than a messy work space.

Have a younger team? A good rule of thumb is that if a tool is meant to be held with one hand, and the team member needs two hands to hold it, then it’s too heavy for them to use safely. Similarly, if a tool is meant to be held with two hands, and the team member needs help holding it, then it’s too heavy for them to use safely. If it’s not possible for the team to use the tool safely, they will need to find a different way to solve that part of the Challenge.

Remember that being younger should not limit your team too much! We have seen Elementary Level teams learn how to use power tools safely. It’s your job as Team Managers to open up possibilities for kids—with you there to ensure that it happens safely.

Want more safety info? Head to DI’s Resource Area and check your copy of Rules of the Road, Roadmap, and your team’s chosen Challenge.

Get your brainstorming started with our Creative and Critical Thinking Tools!

Want to up your Improv & Storytelling skills? Check out DI’s skill videos and companion activities!

Improvisational Skills

• Video tutorial
• Companion activities

Storytelling Skills

• Video tutorial
• Companion activities

The Creative Process

• Video tutorial
• Companion activities

When reading a Challenge, you'll often see that elements are scored in areas such as Creativity/Originality, Integration, and Teamwork. Here's how to breakdown what they mean:

Creativity/Originality
This means: The item should be innovative, novel, and unique.
How to rock your score: This item should make you go, "Aha! Wow!" Unrelated items should be synthesized to create a new idea.

Integration
This means: The item should be a vital, crucial part of your solution.
How to rock your score: The element should be vitally important to the story and the story would be confusing if the element was gone. The item should also work with other items in the Presentation to convey the story.

Teamwork
This means: Your team is effective, efficient, and collaborative.
How to rock your score: Leadership and team roles should be easily identifiable, and diversity of skills should be evident.

When reading a Challenge, you'll often see the terms must/will, may, and may not. These small words are key to solving the Challenge! Have your team read the Challenge and highlight each time these words appear.

Must/Will
This means: Your team is required to include this element.
Example: Your Challenge must take place in the future.
Solution: Your solution has to occur in the future or your team will receive zero points or an Illegal Procedure Deduction for that scoring element.

May
This means: Your team can choose to include or not include this item.
Example: Your team may use pre-recorded sound effects or live sound effects.
Solution: Your team may decide whether or not to use either pre-recorded sound effects, live sound effects, or both! All are acceptable solutions.

May Not
This means: Your team is not permitted to use or do this.
Example: Your team may not use electrical power during the Presentation.
Solution: Your solution cannot contain any electrical power or your team will receive zero points or an Illegal Procedure Deduction for that scoring element.

Understanding the difference between Technical Design and Technical Innovation is a key to success.

Here's how to breakdown what these terms mean:

Technical Design
This means: Is the device functional, effective, efficient, and reliable?
How it's scored: Your device will earn higher marks if it operates as your team intended it to, if it is designed to adequately solve its task, if all of the device's pieces have a meaningful purpose, and if it works every time it is used. If your team's device fails during the Presentation, your scores for this area may be impacted.

Technical Innovation
This means: Does the device use a new, unique, original, or creative manner to carry out or accomplish a task using Technical Methods?
How it's scored: Your device will earn higher marks if it is designed in an innovative manner or if it uses out-of-the-box methods to complete its desired technical task. If your team's device fails during the Presentation, your scores for this area may be slightly impacted, but your scores will be based more so on the device's core concept as opposed to its reliability.

Team Choice Elements allow teams to showcase their interests, skills, areas of strength, and talents. So how do you rock your Team Choice Element scores? By being specific! Let's use costumes as an example:

One Item vs. All Items
Is there one costume your team poured hours of labor into? If you want the Appraisers to focus their attention on this piece, consider listing just this costume as your Team Choice Element, as opposed to listing all costumes. If you list all costumes, Appraisers have to evaluate them as one unit. If you ask to be evaluated on a specific costume(s), Appraisers can focus their attention on the one(s) you love!

Specific Elements
Let's say your team made their costumes entirely out of recycled materials, and the use of this material ties into your Presentation on climate change. In your Tournament Data Form, you can ask the Appraisers to specifically evaluate your use of reusable materials! Being specific in what elements of your TCE should be scored will help the Appraisers give you as many points as they can!