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Welcome To The DenThis season on Dragons' Den, the Grade 9 students of Notre Dame will come before the Dragons to propose solutions to their identified problem. Will the Dragons invest or walk away?
Stay Tuned. |
Project Intro |
Welcome to the Den
Entrepreneurial and Innovative mindsets are extremely important in this current and future job market. For this project, you will engage in the Design Thinking process in order to solve a problem in your personal life, in your school life, or in your community. At the end of this unit you will present your projects to the Dragons who will have an influence over your final mark. |
Design Thinking |
Design Thinking is a cyclical, linear process that is extremely useful for problem solving, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.
It begins with Empathy. When we develop a deeper understanding of the challenges we face either as individuals, as a school community, or as a local or global community, we can better identify possible solutions. Then comes Defining the Problem. Once we've identified the challenges we face, we can clearly articulate the problem we want to actually solve. Brainstorming or Ideate is the next step. Here we brainstorm all the possible solutions - both big and small, out of this world, and realistic. This helps us refine, select, and develop solutions to our problem and challenge. Then we create our Prototypes, or series of prototypes to test all or parts of our solutions. Finally, we Test our prototypes and engage in a continuous short-cycle innovation process to continually improve your design. |
Let's Get Started |
For this project, you may work on your own, in a pair, or in a group 3.
Here's your to-do list:
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The Purpose
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So much alliteration!
The Purpose: The world is full of problems. My question to you is, which one do you want to solve? On your own, or in your group, decide on a problem either: in your own life, in your school community, or in your larger community that you want to solve. The Proposal In your already shared Google Doc titled: LastName_LastName_LastName_Dragons brainstorm all the problems you may want solve. Together, decide which one you are going to tackle and solve *do not delete your other ideas, simply leave them there (empathy) *Remember: these problems can be big, medium, and/or small; they do not have solutions at the moment, nor do they have a "simple solution"; they should require a product of some sort down the line. Once you've chosen one problem to solve, define it. Clearly articulate the problem you are going to try to solve and WHY*. Write a problem statement and the rationale behind your decision making. *Note: This is not the brainstorming solutions part. It's a problem statement + rationale. Ms. Citton's Example: getting out of bed in the dark during winter. Waking up early for a job or school is a reality for A LOT of people. In Canada, it is increasingly difficult to be motivated and energetic enough to get up in the winter time because it is SO dark outside. I think this is a problem that many others can identify with and would want a possible solution to. Before moving on, make sure your problem is approved by Ms. Citton. The Process Once your problem has been approved, use the rest of the Design Thinking process in order to solve your problem. ALL ideas, possible solutions, everything must be recorded in the Google Doc under the DATE of discussion. The Pitch/Final Presentation Are you ready to enter the den and face the Dragons? In your final presentation of MAX 8 minutes, you will present your problem, rationale, solution, and successful prototypes. How you choose to present yourselves to the Dragon's is up to you - we will discuss strategies in class prior to presentations. |
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Grading, Marks, and Assessment
Curricular Competencies |
Content |
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