This page will answer questions commonly asked by students and parents.
- What is Destination Imagination?
- Does my child have to attend the competition in March?
- Does my child have to be passing to attend the competition in March?
- When is the Competition dates?
- My child is having problems with a group member. Can they be switched to another group.
- My child was assigned a Challenge that they did not want to do. Can they switch groups.
- I can not be a team manager, but I would like to help out. How can I help my child's team?
- I would like to help coach a team. How can I help with this and what is involved?
What is Destination Imagination?
Destination Imagination was created to help students to learn
critical thinking skills and to develop answers to real world
problems. Each year a series of challenges are created for a
group of 5-7 members to solve a given problem. The students work
on these challenges to solve and present them at the Regional
Competion that usually occurs in March.
Does my child have to attend the competition in March?
Yes, any student that is enrolled in the Creative Problem Solving
course is expected to attend the competion. Since it is the main
purpose of what the students have been working towards several
grades will be given for attending the competion. Students will
recieve two test grades for simply showing up on competition day
and for their participation in the Instant Challenge. A Six Weeks
test grade will be given for their participation in their main
challenge.
Does my child have to be passing to attend the competition in March?
Yes, due to UIL rules all students attending the competion must be
passing.
When is the Competition dates?
There are three levels of competition: Regional, State, and World.
The dates for these levels are not known at this time. However, as
soon as I learn the dates I will post them on the calendar and will
send a letter home with the students.
My child is having problems with a group member. Can they be switched to another group.
I try very hard to make sure that I put students together who can
work together. However, sometimes this does not always work. I try
to work this out as much as possible, but once I submit the forms
for the group they are permanent. Students will have to learn to
work together and to resolve their differences. I will help as
much as possible, but in the end the students will have to resolve
the issue so that it does not effect the team. Students must also
realize that switching groups can cause them to have to work on a
challenge they did not want.
My child was assigned a Challenge that they did not want to do. Can they switch groups.
I base my group decisions on several factors. I look at how well
each student works together through a series of Instant Challenges.
I also look to see who is interested in what challenge and the
possible group sizes. Each team is limited to a certain number of
members. Even if there are enough members interested to form more
than one team, only one team will be formed. Since all of the
groups are working in the same class period, it would be unfair
for groups working on the same challenge to see what their
competing team is doing. Therefore, there will only be one group
per challenge. So some students may be moved to a challenge they
didn't want to do. They may also be put in a challenge they did
not choose if there are not enough members to form a group.
I can not be a team manager, but I would like to help out. How can I help my child's team?
Students complete a lot of work in class, however there will be
times that they will need to work outside of school. Many parents
offered their homes so that the students could work together.
Other parents helped give rides to students to get to and from
team meetings. I have also had parents contact me to see if we
could use various items in our class. If you feel that you can
donate any materials toward the group challenges please let me
know.
I would like to help coach a team. How can I help with this and what is involved?
Since I typically have three or more teams, I can not manage all
of the teams. I need parent volunteers who can act as a manager
for each team. Training for team managers is offered through MISD.
Managers are encouraged to meet with there teams as
often as possible to make sure that team is moving in the right
direction. Your team may also need your help with finding items
for their challenge. Each team will have an assigned budget, and
it is the managers responsibility to maintain that budget and keep
records of expenses. Managers will be responsible for sending in
all the forms for competition. However, I will be available to
help you every step of the way.