Panther Pathways Michigan Design Challenge
By:  Justine Keuning-LaFrence

Project at a Glance :

This project was run through the Panther Pathways program, using the prompt from the Michigan Design Challenge. A small group of 4th and 5th graders completed the project during an after school program that lasted 6.5 weeks.
       
Driving Question:

How can we Design a physical product that promotes the  enjoyment of Michigan’s lakes, rivers, and water parks.            

Standards:

• 3.d - Build knowledge by actively exploring real world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories, and pursuing answers and solutions.
• 4.a - Know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts, or solving authentic problems.
• 4.c - Develop, test, and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.
• 4.d - Exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance, and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.

Team / Culture Building:

• Creative DNA​​

• Hopes/Fears/Norms

Entry Event:

• Take students on a field trip to Tunnel Park to see the lake and beach.
• Students solved water related riddles to open a lock box with supplies.
• The students sketched their favorite water related activity to share with group.

Stakeholders:

• K-12 youth in Michigan and their families.

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholder Map
• Empathy Map

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

• Dissect the driving question:  Give a few students the word design. Give a few students the words physical product. Give a few students the word promote. Then they present it to the group. Work all together to create a better understanding of the driving question. 
• Use the Chalk Talk protocol to create three posters - Tunnel Park, Sailing Presentation,  and the Holland Aquatic Center.​​

• Expert share:  Macatawa Bay Yacht Club youth sailing instructors and the Holland Aquatic Center tour
• Watch the Water Safety Video 
• Investigating water information on Chromebooks, using MeL.

Incubation:

• Use the Idea Quota strategy to generate solutions. First with a tower of ideas with the other groups.​

• Top 10 things to keep in mind
• 100 ideas - offering suggestions like, what if you couldn’t spend any money, what if you had unlimited amounts of money, what would a kindergartener use, what would a high schooler use, etc. 

Checking in:

• I like, I wish and what if with each group to help them narrow focus.
• Each group also presented their ideas to Denise Smyk, futurePREP'd director.

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Solution:

• Use Saturate and Group with 100 ideas sticky notes.
• NUFF test  - New, Useful, Feasible, & Fun

Critique & Revision:

• Dot Voting to narrow down ideas
• Storyboarding - each student will create a storyboard to see how close they are and help clear up misunderstandings.

Authentic Audience:

• Michigan Design Challenge group

Final Presentation:

• Create a video and prototype to present to the audience.​

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

• Reflection sheet ​

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:
Justine Keuning-LaFrence is a middle school librarian for West Ottawa Public Schools.
​
     "I love seeing how kids tackle real-world problems with creative and interesting solutions.  When kids work through a PBL experience, they have the chance to use their unique talents and develop their critical thinking skills."​