Students benefit from STEM and Core Curriculum In all Destination Imagination team challenges

CHERRY HILL, N.J., May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Destination Imagination has included science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and Core Curriculum components in its critical thinking and problem solving challenges for more than two decades. This year, because legislators and educational leaders are realizing their importance for the future of our youth, DI's focus on STEM and Core Curriculum is more intense than ever.

"STEM is being viewed by legislators and educational leaders as extraordinarily important elements in preparing our youth to meet the challenges they will face in the future global marketplace. At Destination Imagination, we've always included them in our challenges as key components in the creative process," said Chuck Cadle CEO of the non-profit Destination Imagination, based in Cherry Hill, NJ.

"Because of that enhanced interest in STEM and the Common Core Curriculum standards, we have actually broadened the STEM elements in all of our challenges for the 2011-12 challenge year," said Cadle.

Please visit http://www.idodi.org/11-12downloads/di_and_stem.pdf to view the details.

Cadle explained further: "DI advances quantitative reasoning skills through STEM challenges. As students progress into quantitative problem solving, habits such as perseverance, critical reading, self-confidence, and procedures to prevent faulty or careless problem analysis can impact student academic success in STEM. Failure to break down a complex problem into manageable chunks, or jumping to conclusions, or lack of initiative to see a conclusion through to its end, all impact success in quantitative reasoning. DI STEM challenges enable students to learn and practice the steps in problem solving and quantitative reasoning, which will lead to academic success."

More than 1.5 million youth and adults have benefitted from taking part in DI's critical thinking and problem solving challenges.  This year, another 100,000 have competed in tournaments throughout the U.S. and in 30 countries.  

Of the 100,000 students participating all over the world, only about 8,000 earned the right to compete at Global Finals May 23-26, where they will find out of they have the creative skills to be counted among the world's best creative thinkers.

Destination Imagination officials said today they expect more than 1,200 teams to qualify for a shot at world problem solving bragging rights when they converge on what will become their epicenter of creative thinking from May 23-26: the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, which is hosting the worldwide competition again this year.

SOURCE Destination Imagination