Design Challenge Overview

The Goethe School STEAM Team encourages students who are interested to sign-up for the second annual virtual Design Challenge. Workshops will be held each Friday virtually from 3:15pm to 4:15pm and Wednesdays when necessary.  All virtual sessions will be recorded for public viewing at a later date. Students who take on the challenge will construct a prototype at home, demonstrating the application of the question, “How do we create equitable living for all?,” and how it relates to Chicago. Two grade level bands will consist of students in grades Pre-K through Third and Fourth through Eighth that will separately be paired with teacher mentors.  Grade bands will complete a project review session in addition to presenting at the Design Challenge showcase on Saturday, May 21, 2022. Prototypes will be critiqued by STEAM faculty and partners on the basis of quality and degree to which prototypes meet the review rubric.

 

Mission and Goals

At the core of Goethe’s bucket-filling creed is a mission to create a humanitarian community that produces young adults who are curious about the world around them and are ready to solve problems, challenge ideas and succeed in an ever-changing world, and develop potential in its diverse population.  It is within Goethe’s school-wide goals to encourage participation from underrepresented populations in STEAM and to provide educators opportunities to collaborate around the Next Generation Science Standards.

 

Who Can Participate?

All Goethe School students, grades Pre-K - Eighth. 

 

It’s Not Just Kid “Stuff.” It’s life “stuff.”

The  student finalists will  have the opportunity to present to local businesses, educational institutions, and other Goethe School stakeholders at the future Design Challenge Gala that will be held at mHUB, located on Chicago Ave . Students will develop skills for life in areas including youth and adult learner collaboration, real-world problem solving, innovation through curiosity, STEAM career awareness, communication and product marketing, and first-hand experience with cutting-edge technologies.

 

The Design Challenge

To participate in the Design Challenge, each student will design and build a prototype at home of their solution and participate in a series of virtual workshops, a project review session, and a Design Challenge event at Goethe School, where they will share how their prototype could create equitable living for all.

 

The prototype must be presented in the form of a computerized simulation, physical prototype, or artistic model.  The prototype does not need to be functional, and can remain purely representational. If the prototype is not functional, students must explain during the Design Challenge event how it would function for the user.

 

The project review session will take place the week of May 9 - 12, 2022. Student prototypes must be ready for review, at this time.  During the project review session, students must share a detailed pitch outlining their prototype design, development experience, and usage plan for their prototype.  During their pitch students need to be able to identify the problem they addressed, describe their problem-solving process, identify the strengths and weaknesses of their design, and provide ideas for modifications to their prototype.