Odyssey of the mind
Published on November 20th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - Your mission: to design, build and run three small vehicles to transport items from an orbit area to an assembly station. The items will be added to a three dimensional representation of a scene of the Earth as viewed from space. As the items are added, the scene will change. The vehicles will be powered in different ways. One vehicle will carry its energy source while the other two will travel on the momentum caused by different energy sources.
You also have to present a humorous performance about the scene and its changes.
Are you still with me?
If your head is spinning like mine is, take no comfort in the fact that two groups of South School students, ranging from third to fifth grade, are not intimidated in the least and are tackling just that problem head on. In the process, they are also learning a whole lot more about creativity, imagination, problem solving and working together.
The project is sponsored by Odyssey of the Mind, an international program which seeks to promote creative problem solving skills in children. Under supervision of project coaches, the students work together to complete a problem under strict Odyssey criteria.
This is South School’s first foray into an Odyssey of the Mind program and so far, coordinator and South School parent Tammy Ford has been pleasantly surprised by the level of enthusiasm and commitment the students have displayed.
"It teaches kids to think outside of the box," Ford said of the program she first learned about last year.
Ford was excited to find an extracurricular program out there for students that provided an alternative to sports. She presented the idea of offering it to elementary school students to South School Principal Nick Leonardos who fully supported the concept.
"This is a great supplement to what goes on during the school day," Leonardos said.
Leonardos had heard of the Odyssey of the Mind program previously, and praised it for its ability to help students learn to work together toward a common goal. In addition, he credited the program for helping students develop skills that will eventually be necessary for success in the working world.
Fourteen students have signed on and make up two separate teams working on the same project.
Ford coaches one team made up of fifth graders Rob Reed, Emily McCular, Danielle Mahnken, Paul Gallagher, and third graders Jamie Mc-Dermott, Gregory Cann and Michael Ford. South School parent Lisa Cann serves as this team’s assistant coach.
South School parent Linda Corapi coaches the second team made up of fifth graders Allison DeStefano, Seanna Buckley, Kristiana Lyons, and Alicia Farina, fourth graders Samuel Han and Kevin Corapi, and third grader Adam Arsenault.
The students were able to vote on which problem to work on, out of the five that Odyssey offered this year, and the majority of both teams chose the one described above titled "A Scene From Above."
Each problem has a budget within which the students must work. This forces the students to be economical and use their money wisely, Ford said.
From the beginning, Ford stressed to both the students and parents the level of commitment required to participate. The project will extend through most of the academic year and while a student is allowed to drop out if necessary, program rules dictate that he or she can not be replaced.
Outside help, including that from coaches and parents, is not allowed. Coaches serve to supervise and help the students think creatively but all the work must be done by the students working as a team. The only exception to this rule is that an adult may explain or demonstrate a concept (how energy is distributed, for example) or help with more precarious parts of the project (such as use of outlets or power tools).
Both teams meet once a week and are considered two separate entities which are expected to come up with two different approaches to the problem. Ford fully expects the groups’ meetings to increase as they approach the state tournament which is tentative scheduled for April.
During the tournament, each team will be rated on its creativity, problem solving, and on a performance which illustrates the team’s long term solution. In addition, teams will be rated on their ability to answer a series of spontaneous questions from tournament judges.
"The kids have to be able to think quickly on their feet," Ford said.
The team that takes top honors in the state competition will advance to the national tournament. The date and location of this year’s national event have yet to be finalized.
Corapi was initially intrigued by Ford’s proposal and signed on as coach. Yet her experience since then has been one of pure amazement at the students’ commitment and abilities. During one of her team’s early meetings, one student quipped matter-of-factly that he was a genius. Now that she has spent time with these kids as they turn an intense word problem into a visual concept and learn about cooperation and believing in their own abilities along the way, she thinks they’re all pretty special.
"It’s really a great program and the kids are enjoying themselves."
Leonardos praised the South School parent community for its support and commitment to the school and students.
"This is one great example."
Ford hopes that this year’s involvement with the project will serve as the prototype for other such programs in the years to come.
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