SXSWedu panel proposal Submitted by Michelle Fishburne, Project Paradigm michelle@projectparadigm.org

1. Innovating Kindness
Through Authentic PBL
Benjamin Stern: Successful teen inventor/entrepreneur (Shark Tank and 1st
Place 2017 Paradigm Challenge Division 3 Winner)
Leon Tynes: Teacher at the Engineering & Science University School (New
Haven, CT), 2017 Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship, 2017 ISTE Technology in
Action Award, 2016 Henry Ford Teacher Innovator Award, and 2016 PBS
Digital Innovator Award
Michelle Fishburne: Teacher/parent of award-winning teen inventor and
youth empowerment advocate Alexis Lewis
Jeff Richardson: Founder and CEO of Project Paradigm, which created,
funds, and runs The Paradigm Challenge, the largest youth innovation and
kindness competition in the world

2. Innovating Kindness Through Authentic PBL:
Student Success Stories
• Stern: “Nohbo” balls solution to reducing plastic waste by eliminating the need for plastic
shampoo/conditioner bottles
• Tynes: 28-student team’s solution to reducing waste by creating a “Wasteless Urban
Composter”
• Fishburne: Student’s Emergency Mask Pod solution to reducing injuries and fatalities from
home fires
• Richardson: These student success stories are part of an accelerating youth movement.
Students aged 4-18 from 173 different countries answered The Paradigm Challenge to
generate new solutions to real-world problems during the Challenge’s first two years.
Examples:
• Arkansas elementary school girls invent device to alert their hearing-impaired
teammate (and others similarly situated) when a smoke alarm goes off
• Washington high school students invent simple device to save lives from home fires.

3. Innovating Kindness Through Authentic PBL:
Making In-School Teams Work
• Tynes: The 28 students on the Wasteless team experienced what the corporate
world of problem-solving is like:
• Ideated as a team & learned the challenges of collaboration
• Built solution using multi-disciplinary inputs & realized the necessity of
collaboration for creating viable solutions
• Learned from mentors & discovered the benefit of having leaders.
• Stern: The importance of community mentors.
• Richardson: Students across the world are working in teams to solve real-world
problems.
• Team of students from India and New Zealand worked together and won 2nd
place in their age division in the 2016 Paradigm Challenge
• Team of second graders from Kentucky won 2nd place in their age division in
2017 Paradigm Challenge with “Litterless Lunch” video

4. Innovating Kindness Through Authentic PBL:
Scaffolding and Resources
• Hear about teacher and student resources that lead to success.
• Tynes: Teacher’s perspective
• Stern: Student’s perspective
• Fishburne: Parent’s perspective
• Richardson: Empower teachers, students, and parents
• Present real world problems.
• Show steps to for problem-solving (“SOLVED” method: Study the problem,
Observe what others are doing to help, List all imaginable ideas, Visualize
each idea, Engage others for further input, and Decide on the best idea)
• Provide resources about the problems
• Community mentors