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Looking
for an activity that'll highlight your talents
and stand out on your admissions app'? Just
say 'creative problem-solving!'
Can't
We All Just Get Along?
By
Paul D. Rosevear
May 2002
The
CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- Would
you believe it takes more than just good
SAT scores and a high class rank to 'wow'
the admissions officers at your dream school?
It's true. These days, the head honchos
are in search of unique attributes. Participating
in a creative problem-solving program is
one way some college-bound students are
beefing up their brains and boosting their
resumes. Many are arriving at Destination
Imagination (DI) to do just that.
"On
[my team's] current project, we have to
build a balsa wood structure that will support
a certain amount of weight," says Julie
Chakrin, a senior at Manchester West High
School, Manchester, NH. And it's not only
about the structure, Julie adds. "You
learn to deal with all sorts of people.
By building communication skills, you learn
to make your differences work."
Julie
and her project pals aren't the only ones
benefitting. Such community-based problem-solving
programs are popping up all over the country.
Founded in 1983, DI has been refining its
teaching methods across the United States,
serving kids through their college years.
"We hope to promote skills in the creative
problem-solving process -- basic skills
that people tend to over-complicate,"
says Robert Purifico, president. "We
give kids challenges -- theatrical, technical,
etc. -- that develop those skills."
That
means students' creative juices begin to
flow when faced with the tasks of putting
together something from scratch, coming
up with an impromptu production in a limited
amount of time, or solving a techie problem
that requires quick thinking.
How
it works? Participants in DI are assembled
into groups of seven and are presented with
challenges to collaborate on for three or
four months at a time. Their solutions are
then entered into a competition and evaluated
by judges called 'appraisers.' "We
use competition as a stimulant for creativity,"
Purifico explains.
Julie,
who's gung-ho about the program, sees DI
in a win-win light, adding that "it
encourages you to think outside of the box."
According
to Purifico, the program teaches skills
that colleges want from their students,
ones that help both in and out of the classroom.
"Corporate America's major complaint
is that education doesn't necessarily deliver
problem-solvers to the workplace,"
Purifico explains. "Employers want
to be able to sit down with their workers,
explain x, y, and z, and trust that they
can come up with solutions."
Of
the three million students who have completed
DI, many have attributed their academic
and professional success to the experience
and knowledge they gained from the program.
Julie is so pleased that she wants to continue
participation either at the collegiate level
or as a team manager.
"DI
forces you to examine a situation from all
angles," Julie affirms. And, that's
how she's been able to test her creativity
and take her problem-solving skills to the
next level!
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