Challenge Kits
Challenge Kits are impactful, deep inquiry units that teachers facilitate with students. Over 150,000 students have spent over 1.5 million hours solving real-world problems with I-Think.
“This is something students are going to remember forever. The freedom of thinking that the Challenge Kit’s created in my students is well worth the time and energy that it takes because the takeaway for them is so deep. Once the kids have these tools in their back pocket, because they’re so versatile, you can pull them out anytime, however you want to.”
- Teacher, Middle School, Halton DSB
What is a Challenge Kit?
Teachers loved the Pro-Pro and wanted to bring real-world problem solving into their classrooms. But they ran into two challenges: finding the right community partner, and creating rigorous, meaningful opposing models. That's where our Challenge Kits come in. Each kit is a unit-length experience built around a real-world problem and a set of opposing models, so you can spend less time building from scratch and more time facilitating deep learning.
Challenge Kits are a complete resource and entry point to facilitate students through a real-world problem, to actionable solutions. Each Challenge Kit comes with:
Facilitator Notebook
Slides to guide the student learning, that you can customize
Curriculum-connected Activity Plans to build student knowledge
A real-world problem with opposing models
Explore the 6 Challenge Kits below. All are available for free download.
Available Challenge Kits
Grades 5 - 12 & BSAs
AfroFuturism
How might we make African Heritage Month and beyond meaningful to our school community?
Grades 6 - 12
Joy of Movement with Ophea
How might we help Ophea help every student find joy in movement?
Grades 5 - 12
Remembrance Day
How might we make Remembrance Day meaningful to our school community?
Grades 6 - 12
Artificial Intelligence
How might AI enrich the lives and possibilities for every student?
K - 12
(Re)Building Community
How might we help our school (re)build community?
K - 12
Well-Being
How might our school community be partners with students to support their well-being?
“It’s really nice working with a real-world organization and to know that you’re solving real-world tangible problems instead of just sitting in class and trying to solve the 45th math problem of the day and not knowing where it goes.”
- Student, Middle School
Top 5 reasons for using a Challenge Kit
1. Moving beyond polarization isn't as simple as telling students "Be more open."
Integrative Thinking, the methodology that underlies the Real-World Problem Solving Journey, invites students into problem solving where they can practice the skills required to navigate tension and be unafraid of different perspectives and ideas.
2. Skill building requires practice.
Students need a replicable process for problem solving that builds their transferable skills, opening up possibilities for their future. They need a way to approach problems that require critical thinking, innovation, self-directedness and collaboration. The Real-World Problem Solving Journey gives them just that and Challenge Kits create the experiences for them to practice.
3. Real-world problems are messy and complex.
Instead of going from learning about a topic to brainstorming solutions or engaging in debate, Challenge Kits guide the critical thinking required for students to thoughtfully get from learning to solutions.
4. Framing a problem requires sophistication.
We’ve done the research, talked to the experts and worked with educators and students to make each problem in our Challenge Kits relevant and curriculum connected. Our problems are grounded in context, from an organization perspective so that recommendations can be implemented, and have the opposing models already figured out!
5. It works!
The results speak for themselves. Over 80% of teachers said that the Challenge Kit improved their teaching practice. Students have seen improvements in academic achievement, mattering and engagement through this experience. Every student deserves the same opportunity.
A community of real-world problem solving
