Help Kids Become a Global Hero

The response to the Global Hero Progam (see post on March 13) has been fabulous. Discovery Toys and NASA have both come on board as sponsors. The Orange County Public School System and the Girl Scouts have both signed up as participants.

As promised here are more details. Keep those ideas coming!!!

Getting Started
1) Determine the number of teams the school will support
2) Identify team and support coaches
3) Review roles of coaches
4) Present Global Heroes Team Challenge concept to students
5) Create teams from student volunteers
6) At initial meeting:
a) Review roles of team and coaches
b) Set ground rules, timeline
c) Discuss and select a challenge
d) Choose an aspect of the question to focus on (*see Helpful Tips section)

Recommended Steps
1) Determine whether an issue or potential issue really exists
2) Create an exact statement of the aspect of the issue the team will address
3) Identify what information is needed to understand the issue
4) Identify resources to be used to gather the information needed
5) Generate possible solutions
6) Analyze the options
7) Select the best solution
Present the solution in creative, concise and clear manner

To Register
All teams must register their intent to accept the Challenge and present their solution at the Green Earth Expo 2008. By registering, a presentation time slot and display space will be reserved for the team. Registration deadline is February 15, 2008. Register by emailing the following information to kathy.ford@globalgreenalliance.com :
School’s name and address
Team’s Name
Team Coach, email and phone number
Team members and ages
Question chosen

Confirmation of Participation
Teams must submit the written portion of their solution via email by Monday April 28, 2008 to confirm their participation in the Challenge. The email, send to the address above, should include all the information requested at registration (to verify all information is current and accurate), attachment of the written report and presentation requirements (display space and/or performance needs).

Instructions for the Expo, including presentation date and time, exhibit location and drop-off and pick-up dates and times, will be emailed to the team coach after receipt of the confirmation documents.

Help
* If your school would like someone to present the program and answer questions, please email kathy.ford@globalgreenalliance.com or call 407-340-4370 to schedule.

* If the team and/or coach has questions about the challenge, please contact Kathy Ford at email kathy.ford@globalgreenalliance.com or call 407-340-4370.

* Suggestions for next year’s Global Heroes Team Challenge? Email them to the address above.

Helpful Tips
1) When brainstorming what aspect of the question to focus on, cluster mapping can be a useful tool. Begin by placing the question in a ‘bubble’ and draw lines radiating from it with all the things that the team thinks of that will be affected by the situation.
- Generate as many ideas as possible
- Encourage wild ideas – helps to break out of traditional thinking
- Piggy back ideas on previous ideas
- Allow no criticism – make is safe for all ideas to be spoken

When there are no more ideas for the basic question, choose just one or two of those ideas, make another bubble and repeat the process. Do this three or four times (as example below suggests).

Allow all the ideas to simmer until the next meeting. Choose which aspect of the problem the team will address (will probably be found in the third or fourth layer of the brainstorm). Have the team clearly state the aspect of the question they will address.

Helpful Tips
2) It is important to clearly state the problem to be solved. How the problem is stated can significantly impact the way in which it is solved.

For example, there is a huge difference between posing the problem of how to
land a man on the moon and Landing a man on the moon and then returning
him safely back to earth again. The approach, the scope, the objectives are
quite different. The more precise the problem is stated, the easier it will be to
solve it.

3) Call a parents meeting to explain the team’s challenge and choice of topic.
Parents appreciate knowing the team’s meeting schedule and the dates of the
Expo. Also, they may know people who can act as support coaches or identify resources for research or presentation.

4) Meeting warm-ups can get the team in a creative mindset. Short activities at the
start of each meeting can help build team cohesiveness, get creative juices
flowing and strengthen problem-solving skills. Some suggestions for these
activities might be to give a short creative writing topic, scribble or doodle and
then tell a story about it, play a round of Pictionary or do 3-D puzzles.