is Madix and the BIFBOTS?
Madix and the BIFBOTS is a creative problem solving experience for young teens (10-13yrs). Developed around a combination of creative arts and STEM activation, Madix is a platform that unleashes creativity using mediums young teens want to engage with.
did we create Madix?
Middle school years are the time when young teen brains are being re-wired for adulthood. It’s at this juncture we must fire and wire for future proofing creativity. Madix and the BIFBOTS is carefully designed to play this critical role.
In the NASA longitudinal study, 98% of 5-year-old children fell into the 'genius category of imagination'. This number dropped to 12% for 15-year-olds. We need to urgently reverse this decline in ways that prepare our young teens for the challenges of the 21st century - in which the capacity to imagine, innovate and solve problems will be their defining advantage.
Our BIF Aspiration
does Madix work?
Madix and the BIFBOTS is creative literacy but not as you know it.
It falls under the term ‘edutainment’ - first Madix is an entertaining story for either in class/at home self-directed engagement, then accompanying education through individual and shared learning & doing.
It works like this:
1. Starts with Story
We’ve narrated young teen themes in a Graphic Novel story that poses the question; how does a creative girl survive and thrive in a digital world?
Volume #1 establishes the future world, introduces the creative challenge Madix and friends face, and introduces technology via a sentient robot. The story narrates through BIF behaviours from individual creativity through to shared collaboration. In this way, story #1 establishes creativity and innovation as a platform to ignite young teen learning and doing.
2. Then, Ideas Workbook
Madix connects with the secret life of young teens to ignite new confidence to express their creativity. As the Graphic Novel aspires the truth that they (Madix and friends) are creative, and can collaborate - so too can our young teen readers can do likewise.
To achieve this, we’ve developed an accompanying Madix ‘Ideas Journal’ workbook to ignite a positive collaborative experience of learning and doing with others in fun, productive, and rewarding ways.
The Workbook follows the chapters in the story. It takes each Chapter Behaviour and challenges young teens to mirror the story to their own creativity by using their ideas to solve each part of the workbook. This builds towards a final idea that answers the Workbook challenge: what happens next in the story?
We deliberately end Madix and the BIFBOTS Volume #1 on a cliffhanger. So, young teens apply their creativity to imagine and create any idea they wish for what might happen next - then illustrate it, design it, play, write, perform, sign, produce, etc etc.
For a breakdown of the creative behaviours mirror to individual and shared creativity click through on the chapters below:
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As young teens follow Madix wakening to her own curiosity, they're inspired to become aware of their powers of curiosity and notice how they're responding to their inner and outer worlds.
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As Madix learns that empathy informs new understanding that can inspire ideas, young teens are encouraged to develop their own capacity to empathize with themselves and others.
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Madix learns that she can only solve problems with the help of others. Our young teens pair with others to create their Madix and the BIFBOTS ideas using artistic expression, media, and technologies - new stories, song lyrics and music, illustrations, animations, character analysis, story boards, poetry, performance, etc.
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As Madix and friends learn to pick themselves up after failures, so our young teams present their early ideas for feedback; developing confidence to present unfinished ideas, suggestions where they might improve their ideas, and encouragement to push on.
3. Sharing Outputs
We’re encouraging all young teens to produce and share their ideas in our closed, secure community.
This is an online space for creative expression - sharing ideas, building on each others ideas, and being part of crafting, designing, and produce more stories in the series.
Novel and Workbook
Madix and the BIFBOTS V1
Madix and the BIFBOTS explores the story of how a creative girl survives and thrives in a digital world.
Ideas Workbook
The companion workbook to follow the story and apply for personal learning & doing.
Meet Madix
Madix is a 15-year-old girl living in the near future, whose natural creativity receives an explosive boost when she is gifted a strangely un-robotic robot she names Beauchamp. Beauchamp’s desire to learn about Madix and her creativity leads her - and later friend Tyker too - to new levels of interest in the world around them, but also into danger. Madix and the BIFBOTS follows them as they go on a journey of creative discovery that may be the chance to change their - and everyone else’s - world forever...
Read more about our mission
Featured
Interested in Madix for your school?
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We’ve designed Madix and the BIFBOTS as a term long program for schools. We provide digital copies of the graphic novel and e-workbook. Taken together, it’s a 4 Part program with 4 sessions in each part. If a class does 2 sessions per week (50 min class) Madix in schools is an 8 week program
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We support Educators in 2 ways. First we provide all teachers using Madix in class with access to our BIF Educator program. Then we also provide a Madix resource prepared by a teacher to share and showcase how it’s been introduced to Middle Schoolers
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We give Educators access to our Madix program resources in our secure community space. There you will find the Graphic Novel in sections and as completed Book (PDF), and the Workbook in both PDF and .docx formats
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The Workbook has a session where students learn to present their ideas confidently and creatively. Then we ask students also share their ideas in our community space to inspire other Educators and students interested in using the Madix program to ignite their creativity
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We want to foster an active BIF community sharing and innovating better ideas for people and planet.
As that grows, Matt and team are super keen to support and respond with that community however is best.
So yes we intend to deliver adhoc live sessions as open invites, invited guests for inspiration and many other ideas we have.
If you are so inspired on how we might better serve our growing community please get in touch and we can collaborate with you.