Montana Destination Imagination

Preparing 21st Century Learners

Would you like to hear students ask if they could solve more problems?

Why would students continue working on a problem if they experience set-backs?

How can you encourage students to work together?

Destination Imagination teams work for 3 to 5 months to solve open-ended challenges as creatively as they can. The teams use research and inquiry skills, involving both creative exploration, attention to detail, and teamwork in order to develop that creative solution.  They don’t stop at the first idea; they keep trying to improve their solutions. Ask students why they participate in DI and you will hear a wide variety of answers from, “It’s fun!” to “DI finally lets my brain work.”  Check out how Destination Imagination alumni feel it has helped them.

Tournament Registration Deadlines

Please register your teams and appraisers at the MTDI website as soon as possible.  (If you don’t already have one, you will need to set up an account to register your team.)  We need this information in order to know what challenges teams are solving so we will have enough appraisers, officials, and rooms for the tournaments.  Due to a problem with our website last week we have extended the Early Bird Deadline to December 22, 2011.  If you register your team AND appraiser by December 22, 2011 you will receive a coupon for 50% off your team’s challenge pins. All teams and appraisers must be registered by January 15, 2012.  To register your teams you will need the following information–

Everyday Creative Problem Solving

Do you ever want a new way to do the same chore?   When you ever hit a roadblock in your project and do you know how to overcome it?  Have you ever had a number of choices and were not sure which one to choose?  These are all situations where knowing Creative Problem Solving Tools will help you come up with new ways to do something or narrow down your choices to one that is within budget or more manageable.

College Scholarships

Montana DI Alumni who participated in Destination ImagiNation for two years or more qualify for three college Scholarships.  Check out the Montana DI Website to learn more about these scholarships and how to apply for them.  Two of them are open to students currently in post-secondary education.  Make sure your alumni know about these scholarships.  Deadlines: February 1 and February 15.

Building a Solid Team

We can’t stress this enough: Destination ImagiNation is a team activity. It’s important to remember that great teams don’t just happen; they are created. New and returning teams benefit greatly when presented Instant Challenges and Team Building challenges that require lots of teamwork to complete.