bsili curriculum 2010

8/9/2019 BSILI Curriculum 2010

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Institute Inquiry Questions

1. How can I help my c ollege establish,advance, and sustain a campus net wo rk that supp orts the success of our students,

especially th ose who are underpreparedf or learning in c ollege c ourses?

2. How can I c ollab orate with other BSIcoordinat ors in my regi on to create alearning net wo rk to devel o p and sustainleadership capacity and supp ort studentsuccess?

3. How can we work together t o establishsuch net wo rks am ong c ommunity

colleges in Calif ornia t o supp ort studentsuccess thr oughout the state?

Institute Topics and Leads

Thursday, 6/17: Framing the Issuesar ound Student C ompleti on

Friday, 6/18: Goal Identificati on andInteracting Fact ors Frame work Applicati on

Saturday, 6/19: Building Y our Campus Net work (R ose)

Sunday, 6/20: Evaluati on and L ogicModels (Tina and Michael)

Monday 6/21: BSILI 1.0 & 2.0

Tuesday, 6/22: BSILI 1.0 & 2.0

Wednesday, 6/23: Framing the Issuesar ound Student C ompleti on

Thursday, 6/24: Goal Identificati on andInteracting Fact ors Frame work Applicati on

GuestsTina Christie: Sun & M on

Rose Asera: arr Ontari o Friday, 3:35pm;dep Sunday, 3:00pm

Barry Russell: Sat & Sun, 6/19&20

Kay McClenney: Monday, 6/21

In

At the end of the BInstitute (BSILI), ea

y an articulated stcampus

y an inquiry plan to identify gapsimpede achievem

y a regi onal inqui pr ojects

y evaluati on skill(as necessary) th

y techn ology skiland regi onal necampus student


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Pre-Institute Homework

All Institute Attendees (BSILI 1.0 New Participants and BSILI 2.0 Returning Participants)

In preparati on f or a p ost-institute pr oject on your own campus, gather as much of the f ollow ing inf ormati on Leadership Institute:

1. W hat eff orts are already being implemented on your campus t o help students achieve their academic/careff orts such as th ose outlined in y our BSI acti on plan, grant based initiatives or learning c ommunities year experience pr ograms)

For one of the ab ove eff orts y ou have identified, please write a brief statement including the f ollow in

y W hat are the stated g oals of this initiative?

y How is success defined? W hat are the pr ograms outcomes?

y W hat data have been c ollected?

y W hat d o available data suggest ab out the success of the pr ogram or initiative?

Please bring the above report (including relevant data) in an electronic format, backed up on a flash drive. Also, laptop, as wireless service will be available, and technology will be an integral part of the Institute.

2. If you (or others fr om your sch oo l) attended a LINKS event, please bring the student c ompleti on goaoutline of the pr ocess t o pursue the g oal.

Homework assignments 1 and 2 will be the basis for our discussions on Days 1 and 2, so please do your best to be prepared to present to other Institute participants.

3. Please register f or the pre-c onference Basic Skills sessi on of the Strengthening Student Success Conferenin Orange C ounty. Since we are asking y ou to participate in that sessi on, we will reimburse the c ost oconference, including the pre-c onference Basic Skills sessi on.


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4. You will receive a link t o an online, pre-institute survey. Please resp ond t o the survey bef ore June 16

5. If you and a team fr om your sch oo l are planning t o attend the Tillery Institute in Berkeley on August their website t o register: http://gse.berkeley.edu/admin/events/tilleryinstitute/

BSILI 2.0 ONLY --1. Be prepared t o report out on last years regi onal inquiry pr oject(s) and y our eff orts t oward achieving y

outcomes.

To All Attendees:Alcohol is n ot offered included with meals at the Lake Arr owhead C onference Center. Y ou may, h owrefreshments (and we can st ore it f or you) or be prepared t o contribute t o the BSILI bar fund up on ar

Notes to attendees:

Lapt o p and wireless capabilityFiref oxReader Acr o bat/Flashheadph ones

Lapt o p checklistFaceb oo k


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Wednesday Evening, June 16 -- BSILI 1.0

Time Event/Activity Personnel Location Technology 4:-5:00pm Arrival and Check-in5-6:00 Marshmallow Challenge Icebreaker

Recepti on

Deborah, Lynn,

Nancy, Br ock, andBradley

Large r oom

6-7:00 BBQ Dinner Pati o 7-9:00 y Short welcome, intr oducti ons, etc.

y Instructi ons on how to post their h omework assignment online f or tomorr ow s sessi on

y Pair Work : Participants use flip cameras t o vide otape one an other: W hat is y our interest in (passi on f or) student success.

y Attendees will p ost their vide os, loo k atthose of others, ch oo se one that they findinteresting, and resp ond online.

Deborah, Lynn, Nancy, Br ock, andBradley

Bradley andDeborah

Bradley andDeborah

Large r oom Lapt o camera

Notes Refer t o Marshmallow Challenge materials and directi ons at the end.


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6. Can y ou make any c onnecti ons with theeff orts on your campus that y ou discussed thismorning?7. D oes the rep ort suggest anything ab outgoals we should f ocus on?

Discussion about what we can and cann otlearn fr om data currently available at our colleges.

12-1:00pm Lunch1 - 2:30pm y Individual Research: Go online t o the

RP Gr oups Center f or Student Successsite and find a student c ompleti oninitiative (pre-selected by Deb orah and/ or Bradley).

y Share/Analyze your online research with

the whole gr oup. How does the initiativedefine and evaluate success?

y Develop a rubric f or evaluatinginitiatives

Bradley andDeborah

2:30-2:45 Break 2:45-3:30 Individual Work:

Identify a g oal that y ou would like t o tentatively ch oo se as the f ocus of a p ost-institute pr oject on your campus. (If y ouattended LINKS y ou may use the g oal you

identified there.)

Using the rubric devel o ped in the previ oussessi on, how wo uld y ou evaluate y our statedgoal? W ould y ou like t o modify it in anyway?

Bradley, Deb orah,and Lynn


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3:30 - 4:30 Technology Work: Post/Respond Post a resp onse t o todays CAT question :

1. How did y ou define student success at the beginning of the day? In what way, if any,

wo uld y ou m odify that definiti on?2. W hat is the student c ompleti on goal youare c onsidering f or your c ollege? W hy didyou ch oo se that g oal?

Read other resp onses and respond to at leastone.

Bradley andDeborah

5:30 -6:30 Recepti on6:30 -7:30 Dinner


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Friday, June 18, Day Two Interacting Factors Framework Application -- BSILI 1.0

Time Event/Activity Personnel Location Technology 8-8:45am Breakfast9:00-9:30 Ho usekeeping

Parking L ot itemsSummary resp onse t o previ ous day CATPrevie w of the days wo rk

Deborah, Lynn,

Nancy, Bradley,and Br ock

9:30- 10:30 Presentation to Whole Group: Demb os Theory of Interacting Fact ors thatDetermine Academic Success in C ommunityCollege

Make a c onnecti on the LMC and Shul ock reports discussi on fr om yesterday;reevaluate/re wo rk rubric

Lynn and Deb orah

Nancy and Br ock

10:30-10:45 Break 10:45 - 12 Individual Work: Considering your student

completion goal:

1. W here is y our c ollege n ow in relati on to your g oal? W hat is the size of the gap

bet ween where y ou are and where y ouwould like t o be?

2. W hat are y our hyp otheses ab out what iscausing the gap?

3. Is there any way you c ould test y our hypotheses t o gather m ore inf ormati onabout the extent t o which the fact ors youhave identified are actually inhibitingstudent success?

4. Assuming y our hyp otheses are c orrect,what s olutions might be expected t o close


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the gap? How many students wo uld thesesolutions impact?

Considering Dembos categories:Knowledge (K), Motivation (M), and/or

Organizational Culture, Policies,Instructional Practices (O):

1. W hich aspects of the gaps y ou haveidentified are related t o these categ ories?

12-1:00pm Lunch1-2:00 Regional Share of individual work: give

feedback and d ocument electr onically(W ord d oc or flip vide o)

Lynn, Nancy,Bradley, Deb orah,and Br ock

2-3:30 Fishbowl to discuss the value of Inquiry to help y ou identify and address gaps bet ween

where y ou are and where y ou want t o be, the pr ocess of collecting and using evidence, etc

Lynn, Nancy,Bradley, Deb orah,

and Br ock

3:30-5:00 y Return t o/revise rubricy Resp ond t o CAT:

W rite a brief analysis of the primary fact orsthat y ou believe are inhibiting studentcompleti on at y our c ollege.

y Read others, and resp ond to at least one5:30-6:30 Activity outside6:30-7:30 Dinner


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Saturday, June 19, Day Three: Building Your Campus & Regional Networks -- BSILI 1.0

Time Event/Activity Personnel Location Technology 8-8:45am Breakfast9:00 Housekeeping


Deborah, Lynn,


9:30-N oon Individual Activity:How will you begin inquiring int o the KMOissues that impede achievement of your studentcompleti on goal?

Presentation: Building a Campus Team

1. C onsider who may need t o be inv olved in

this eff ort in order f or it t o be successful.

a. W ho has relevant kn ow ledge? b. W ho needs t o be inf ormed?c. W ho needs t o be a ware of what is happening?d. W ho could st o p it?e. W ho could be helpful?

2. Considering y our ans wers t o the ab ovequesti ons, write a tentative map (electr onicmind map) of who needs t o be on your

team and what their p ositions are.3. W hat d o you kn ow and want t o utilize ab out

other pr ograms/pr ojects/activities in thisarea? W hat d o you need t o know ?

4. To what extent is y our team an integratedone that includes instructi on, student

Lynn

R ose Asera

Bradley andDeborah


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services and administrati on? Are students a part of the team?

5. In additi on to the human res ources n otedabove, what fiscal and physical res ourceswill you need t o do your inquiry? How

might y ou access existing res ources?12-1:00pm Lunch1- 3:00 y Individual Work: Create a Plan of Action

for your campus project: Documentonline/in p oster f orm t o share with your region. W hat is y our questi on, who is onyour team, what is y our plan, what will theydo?

3-4:30 Whole Group: Bridging the campus to theregion: Regional Networks Overview

Regional Group Work: Share y our Acti onPlan with members of your regi on y Identify a regi onal questi on that will serve

as an umbrella f ocus.y How can the regi on as a whole supp ort your

eff orts on your campus?y W hat c ollab orations are p ossible?

How can we begin planning f or them?

Deborah and Lynn

4:30-6:30 Opti onal drinking game/c ompetiti on; CAT6:30-7:30 Dinner

7:30-9:00 Regional Group Activity: Create a metaph or to define y our team, pr o blem, or inquiry. Usethe marshmall ow to initiate the discussi on.


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Sunday, June 20, Day Four Logic Models and Evaluation: Are we there yet? -- BSILI 1.0

Time Event/Activity Personnel Location Technology 8-8:45am Breakfast9:00 Housekeeping


Deborah, Lynn,


9:30-12:00 Whole Group: Presentation -- Evaluationand Logic Models (Goal: Create regi onal l ogicmodels and an evaluati on rubric based on theregional theme identified on Saturday.)

Overview of the networks logic models: 1. W hat is y our the ory of change?2. W hat is y our the ory of acti on?

3. W hat IS an outcome?4. W hat are p ossible measures of success?5. W hat kind of data d o you need t o gather?(W hat IS evidence?)6. How do you get that kind of data on your campus?7. How do you use the data y ou collect? How do you analyze it and act on it?8. W ho needs t o be inv olved in y our evaluati oneff orts?

Tina and Michael

12-1:00pm Lunch

1 -4:00 BSILI 1.0 : Create and p ost electr onically aregional (theme-based) l ogic m odel

Bradley

4 5:00 Arrival of BSILI 2.0 attendees5 -6:00 Marshmallow Challenge f or BSILI 2.0. 1.0s

will o bserve and d ocument and all will reflecton the challenge.


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6-6:30 Recepti on with Barry Russell6 :30-8:00 Dinner

Notes:


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Monday, June 21, Day Five BSILI 1.0 & 2.0

Time Event/Activity Personnel Location Technology 8-8:45am Breakfast9-9:30 Ho usekeeping

Parking L ot itemsSummary resp onse t o previous day CATPrevie w of the days work

Deborah, Lynn,


9:30-10:30 Whole Group (BSILI 1.0 & 2.0)Presentation:Pre and p ost-survey findings

Tina and Michael

10:30-10:45 Break 10:45-12:00 BSILI 1.0 & 2.0 :

y 1.0s their regi onal logic m odels t o 2.0sy 2.0s gives feedback t o 1.0s

12-1:00pm Lunch1-4:00 BSILI 1.0 :

y W ork on regi onal logic m odel evaluati onsy Begin devel o ping evaluati on f or individual

action plans

BSILI 2.0 :Pre-Institute HW #1 :y Individual writing: W hat is y our definiti on

of student success ? How does the campusinitiative y ou have ch osen (h w #1) fit y our definiti on?

y Pair/Share your resp onse.y Whole Group: Share the stated g oals of

your campus initiative and h ow success isdefined f or it.

Whole Group Presentation/Discussion: W hat

Tina and Michael

Lynn, Deb orah, Nancy, and Br ock


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is student completion and why is it imp ortant?(Refer t o LMC Insights rep ort and Shul ock etal.s Advancing by Degrees.)

1. W hat inf ormati on do you get fr om the

report?2. W hat inf ormati on do you not get fr om thereport?3. W hat might y ou want t o know that the rep ortdo not tell y ou?4. D oes the rep ort make any assumpti ons?5. D oes the rep ort suggest additi onal questi onswe should be asking?6. Can y ou make any c onnecti ons with theeff orts on your campus that y ou discussed thismorning?

7. D oes the rep ort suggest anything ab out g oalswe should f ocus on?

Discussion about what we can and cann ot learnfr om data currently available at our colleges.

4-4:30 P ost work Bradley5:00-6:00 Recepti on6-7:00 BBQ Dinner/BSILI 1.0 g oodbye7-9:00pm Guest: Kay McClenney


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Tuesday, June 22, Day Six BSILI 1.0 & 2.0

Time Event/Activity Personnel Location Technology 8:00 8:45 Breakfast9 9:30 Ho usekeeping


Deborah, Lynn,


9:30-11:30

9:30-10:30

BSILI 1.0 Technology : Completing andrefining campus student c ompleti on websites(including l ogic m odel/inquiry plan/timeline)

BSILI 2.0 y Individual Research: Go online t o the RP

Gr oups Center f or Student Success siteand find a student c ompleti on initiative(pre-selected by Deb orah and/ or Bradley).

y Share/Analyze your online research withthe whole gr oup. How does the initiativedefine and evaluate success?

y Develop a rubric f or evaluating initiatives

Bradley

Lynn, Deb orah, Nancy, and Br ock

10:30-10:45 Break 10:45-12:00 Individual Work:

Identify a g oal that y ou wo uld like t o tentatively ch oo se as the f ocus of a p ost-institute pr oject on your campus. (If y ouattended LINKS y ou may use the g oal youidentified there.)

Using the rubric devel o ped in the previ oussessi on, how wo uld y ou evaluate y our statedgoal? W ould y ou like t o modify it in any


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11:30-12 BSILI 1.0 Check out12-1:00pm Lunch1:00 2:30 Presentation to Whole Group:

Demb os Theory of Interacting Fact ors thatDetermine Academic Success in C ommunity

College

y Make a c onnecti on the LMC and Shul ock reports discussi on fr om yesterday;reevaluate/re wo rk rubric

Lynn and Deb orah

2:30 4:00 Individual Work: Considering your studentcompletion goal:

5. W here is y our c ollege n ow in relati on to your g oal? W hat is the size of the gap

bet ween where y ou are and where y ou

would like t o be?6. W hat are y our hyp otheses ab out what is

causing the gap?7. Is there any way you c ould test y our

hypotheses t o gather m ore inf ormati onabout the extent t o which the fact ors youhave identified are actually inhibitingstudent success?

8. Assuming y our hyp otheses are c orrect,what s olutions might be expected t o closethe gap? How many students wo uld these

solutions impact?

Considering Dembos categories:Knowledge (K), Motivation (M), and/orOrganizational Culture, Policies,Instructional Practices (O):


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y 1. W hich aspects of the gaps y ou haveidentified are related t o these categ ories?

4:00-5:00 1. Fishbowl to discuss the value of Inquiry to help y ou identify and address gaps

bet ween where y ou are and where y ouwant t o be, the pr ocess of collecting andusing evidence, etc

Lynn, Nancy,Bradley, and Br ock

5:30-6:30 Recepti on6:30-8:00 Dinner


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Wednesday, June 23, Day Seven BSILI 2.0

Time Event/Activity Personnel Location Technology 8:00 8:45 Breakfast

9 9:30 HousekeepingParking L ot itemsSummary resp onse t o previ ous day CATPrevie w of the days wo rk

Deborah, Lynn, Nancy, Bradley,and Br ock

9:30- 12 Individual Work: Create a Plan of Action foryour campus project: Document online/in p oster f orm t o share with y our regi on. W hat is y our questi on, whos on your team, what is y our plan,what will they d o?

Whole Group: Bridging the campus to the

region: Regional Networks Overview

Regional Group Work: Share y our Acti on Planwith members of your regi on y Identify a regi onal questi on that will serve as

an umbrella f ocus.y How can the regi on as a whole supp ort your

eff orts on your campus?y W hat c ollab orations are p ossible?y How can we begin planning f or them?

Lynn and Deb orah

Nancy and Br ock

12-1:00pm Lunch1 2:30 Regional Group Activity:

y Regional Group Activity: Create a metaph or to define y our team, pr o blem, or inquiry. Usethe marshmall ow to initiate the discussi on.

2:30-3:30 Regional Group Activity:Post your regi onal theme, artifact, metaph or, and


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plan3:30-4:30 Evaluati on of the l ogic m odels4:30-5:00 P ost todays CATs resp onse5:30-6:30 Recepti on6:30-8 Dinner

Notes:


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Thursday, June 24, Day Eight BSILI 2.0

Time Event/Activity Personnel Location Technology 8:00 8:45 Breakfast9- 9:30 Ho usekeeping


Deborah, Lynn,


9:30-11:30 Start the pr ocess of revising regi on logic m odelto supp ort campus c ompleti on pr ojects andregional questi on/theme

Deborah, Lynn, Nancy, Bradley,and Br ock

11:30-12:00 Check out12-1:00pm Lunch1:00 Departure


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The Marshmallow Challenge

Find 45-60 minutes when y our team can fully engage in the challenge. Ive run challenges withgr oups c ontaining as f our pe o ple t o as many as 800 pe o ple. Ensure that y ou have tables f or each

team.

Step One: Schedule a Meeting

In advance of the meeting, create a marshmall ow challenge kit f or each team, with each kitcontaining:

y twenty sticks of spaghettiy one yard of masking tapey one yard of string and one marshmall ow y These ingredients sh ould be placed int o a paper lunch bag, which simplifies distributi on

and hides the c ontents, maximizing the element of surprise.y measuring tape

1. Spaghetti: Ensure that y ou use unc oo ked spaghetti. Av oid spaghettini as it is t oo thin and breaks easily. Fettucini is t oo thick.

2. String: Include string that can be easily br oken by hand. If the string is thick, includesciss ors in y our kit.

3. Marshmall ow: Use a name brand or private label brand of marshmall ow s that measurethe standard size, ab out an inch and a half acr oss. Av oid mini or jumb o marshmall ow s.Also avoid stale marshmall ows. Y oull want squishy marshmall ow s that give theimpressi on of lightness.

4. Masking Tape: Get standard masking tape. Generally, y oull want t o put the tape on theside of the table, the back of a chair or a nearby wall. R olling it in the bag tangles thetape.

5. Paper Lunch Bags: Standard size lunch bags wo rk well as d o letter size manilla envel o ps.

Also ensure that y ou have the f ollow ing t oo ls to run the challenge:

1. Measuring Tape: Have a c ontract ors retractable measuring available after the challengeis finished s o you can measure the height of the structures.

2. Countd ow n Applicati on or Sto pwatch: The actual marshmall ow challenge takes eighteenminutes. Eighteen minutes seems t o be the magic time. T wenty minutes is t oo long and

fifteen is t oo short. Y ou can use a st o pwatch, but better yet is t o use a vide o pr oject or anddisplay the c ountd ow n time. F or Share ware W indow s applicati ons, c onsider http:// www .timeleft.inf o/ and http:// www .orzeszek. org/bl og/2009/08/21/simple-countd ow n-timer-f or-windows/. For a Mac, c onsider, http:// www .baldgeeks.c om/3-2-1.htm.

3. Vide o Pr oject or and S ound System ( o ptional): F or more impact, use a vide o pr ojector to deliver the Marshmall ow Challenge Presentati on (or your own) and a s ound system f or


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music during the challenge. Time out a play list of exactly 18 minutes of music. Y oullwant the challenge t o end at the c onclusi on of the last s ong.

4. Dow nload a c o py of the presentati on: Y ou can find the pdf instructi ons here:TED2010_T om_ W u jec_Marshmall ow _Challenge_ W eb_Versi on.pdf

Step Two: Assemble a Kit for Each Team

Be clear ab out the g oals and rules of the Marshmall ow Challenge. Use the Acr o bat Presentati onto intr oduce the challenge as well as t o visually reinf orce the instructi ons:

1. Build the Tallest Freestanding Structure: The winning team is the one that has the talleststructure measured fr om the table t o p surface t o the t o p of the marshmall ow . That meansthe structure cann ot be suspended fr om a higher structure, like a chair, ceiling or chandelier.

2. The Entire Marshmall ow Must be on To p: The entire marshmall ow needs t o be on the t o pof the structure. Cutting or eating part of the marshmall ow disqualifies the team.

3. Use as Much or as Little of the Kit: The team can use as many or as fe w of the 20spaghetti sticks, as much or as little of the string or tape. The team cann ot use the paper

bag as part of their structure.4. Break up the Spaghetti, String or Tape: Teams are free t o break the spaghetti, cut up the

tape and string t o create ne w structures.5. The Challenge Lasts 18 minutes: Teams cann ot hold on to the structure when the time

runs out. Th ose touching or supp orting the structure at the end of the exercise will bedisqualified.

6. Ensure Every one Understands the Rules: D ont worry ab out repeating the rules t oo many

times. Repeat them at least three times. Ask if any one has any questi ons bef ore starting.

Step Three: Deliver Clear Instructions

Introduction: Generally, a tight presentati on intr oducing the challenge will m otivate the team.Let them kn ow this challenge has been c onducted by tens of thousands of peo ple in everycontinent, fr om the CFOs of the F ortune 50 t o Students at all levels. The less ons learned areuniversal.

Goals & Rules: Be very clear ab out the g oals and rules of the challenge. Generally, y oull wantto repeat them three times and reinf orce them visually.

Cheating : In alm ost every challenge, there is at least one team that will want t o cheat or bend therules in their fav or. The clearer y ou are ab out the rules the better the results.

Prizes : Offer a prize t o the winning team. A standing ovation fr om the rest of the gr oup is great.Books, s oftware, perks - even cash are als o great incentives. But be wary of big prizes as y oullread in the Less ons of the Challenge.


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Music : Select the appr o priate music f or the challenge. I prefer driving R ock or Po p, but dramaticclassical wo rks well t oo.

Tips: Start the c ountd ow n clock and the music with the start of the challenge.

1. W alk ar ound the R oom: Its amazing t o see the devel o pment of the structures as well asnotice the patterns of inn ovation most teams f ollow .

2. Remind the Teams of the Time: C ountd ow n the time. Usually, I call 12 minutes, 9minutes (half- way thr ough), 7 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minute, 30seconds and a ten-sec ond c ount d own.

3. Call Out How the Teams are D oing: Let the entire gr oup kn ow how teams are pr ogressing. Call out each time a team builds a standing structure. Build a friendly

rivalry. Enc ourage pe o ple t o loo k ar ound. D ont be afraid t o raise the energy and thestakes.4. Remind the Teams that Holders will be Disqualified: Several teams will have the

powerful desire t o hold on to their structure at the end. Usually because the marshmall ow ,which they just placed onto their structure m oments bef ore, causing the structure t o

buckle. The winning structure needs t o be stable.

Step Four: Start the Challenge

After the cl ock runs out, ask every one in the r oom to sit d ow n so every one can see the structures.Likely, just over half the teams will have standing structures.

1. Measure the Structures: Fr om the sh ortest standing structure t o the tallest, measure andcall out the heights. If y oure documenting the challenge, have s omeone rec ord theheights.

2. Identify the W inning Team: Ensure they get a standing ovation and a prize (if y ouveoffered one).

3. W rap up with the Less ons of the Marshmall ow Challenge: Deliver the attached presentati on or just describe s ome of the key less ons of the marshmall ow challenge:

4. Kids d o Better than Business Students: On virtually every measure of inn ovation,kindergarteners create taller and m ore interesting structures.

5. Pr ototyping Matters: The reas on kids d o better than business sch oo l students is kidsspend m ore time playing and pr ototyping. They naturally start with the marshmall ow andstick in the sticks. The Business Sch oo l students spend a vast am ount of time planning,then executing on the plan, with alm ost n o time t o fix the design once they put themarshmall ow on to p.

6. The Marshmall ow is a Metaph or f or the Hidden Assumpti ons of a Pr oject: Theassumpti on in the Marshmall ow Challenge is that marshmall ow s are light and fluffy andeasily supp orted by the spaghetti sticks. W hen y ou actually try t o build the structure, themarshmall ow s dont seem s o light. The less on in the marshmall ow challenge is that we


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need t o identify the assumpti ons in our pr oject - the real cust omer needs, the c ost of the pr oduct, the durati on of the service - and test them early and often. Thats the mechanismthat leads t o effective inn ovation.


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Marshmallow Challenge Rules

1. Build the Tallest Freestanding Structure: The winning team is the one that has the talleststructure measured fr om the table t o p surface t o the t o p of the marshmall ow . That meansthe structure cann ot be suspended fr om a higher structure, like a chair, ceiling or

chandelier.2. The Entire Marshmall ow Must Be on To p: The entire marshmall ow needs t o be on theto p of the structure. Cutting or eating part of the marshmall ow disqualifies the team.

3. Use as Much or as Little of the Kit: The team can use as many or as fe w of the 20spaghetti sticks, as much or as little of the string or tape. The team cann ot use the paper

bag as part of their structure.4. Break up the Spaghetti, String or Tape: Teams are free t o break the spaghetti, cut up the

tape and string t o create ne w structures.5. The Challenge Lasts 18 minutes: Teams cann ot hold on to the structure when the time

runs out. Th ose touching or supp orting the structure at the end of the exercise will bedisqualified.

Key Lessons of the Challenge

1. Kids d o Better than Business Students: On virtually every measure of inn ovation,kindergarteners create taller and m ore interesting structures.

2. Pr ototyping Matters: The reas on kids d o better than business sch oo l students is kidsspend m ore time playing and pr ototyping. They naturally start with the marshmall ow andstick in the sticks. The Business Sch oo l students spend a vast am ount of time planning,then executing on the plan, with alm ost n o time t o fix the design once they put themarshmall ow on to p.

3. The Marshmall ow is a Metaph or f or the Hidden Assumpti ons of a Pr oject: The

assumpti on in the Marshmall ow Challenge is that marshmall ow s are light and fluffy andeasily supp orted by the spaghetti sticks. W hen y ou actually try t o build the structure, themarshmall ow s dont seem s o light.

4. The less on in the marshmall ow challenge is that we need t o identify the assumpti ons inour pr oject - the real cust omer needs, the c ost of the pr oduct, the durati on of the service -and test them early and often. Thats the mechanism that leads t o effective inn ovation.

bsili curriculum 2010

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