Solving Problems through Vermont Odyssey of the Mind

Where can you see pirates, ballerinas, race car drivers, talking vegetables, mad scientists, circus clowns, and space aliens all in one place?  Come to an Odyssey of the Mind tournament and you’ll see all those things and lots more.  An Odyssey of the Mind competition may look like chaos to many people, but behind all the costumes and wild action, what you’ll notice is teams of students displaying their creative solutions to challenging, but fun problems to panels of judges and an appreciative audience.

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving program in which groups of students choose a problem of interest, ranging in focus from vehicle, technical, and structural engineering to theatrical arts and classical history, music, and art.  Each fall a new series of Odyssey of the Mind “Long-Term” problems are released, and teams of students engage in a process of brain-storming, research, as well as trial and error to attempt to “solve the problem.”  After constructing all the contraptions, costumes, and props needed for their solution, teams from school and community group around the state of Vermont converge at the annual State Odyssey of the Mind Tournament to show their solutions in a huge creativity competition.  Teams compete within grade divisions spanning Kindergarten through College; specifically, Primary (K-2), Elementary(2-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12), and College.

All Odyssey of the Mind problem solutions are presented as 8-minute skits that incorporate the problem solution as well as the team’s “Style” (self-determined theme).  Teams are judged on how effectively they meet the problem criteria, on the creativity of their solution, and on how their Style elements all work together. 

In addition to the Long-Term and Style presentation, teams are also judged on how well they solve a “Spontaneous” problem.  These are either verbal, hands-on, or a hybrid problem

Photo courtesy Tim Perkins

that teams do not know in advance, but must solve within a time frame of 2-10 minutes (depending upon the problem).  The Spontaneous competition assesses how well teams can “think on their feet.”

Teams are scored and ranked within their respective Long-Term problem and grade divisions.  Those teams that rank first and second, along with teams that receive the Ranatra Fusca award for exceptional creativity are invited to attend the annual Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, where they compete in the same problems with teams from around the globe.  Over 800 teams compete annually at World Finals.  Although Vermont is a relatively small state in terms of participation (about 60 schools/groups and 110 teams participate each year), creativity is apparently not measured by size alone as our state tends to hold our own at this event.  Three Vermont teams have received 1^st place at World Finals and two have received Ranatra Fusca Awards within the past five years, with several other teams placing within the Top Ten teams. 

Cost of participation in Odyssey of the Mind is relatively modest, with an international membership of $135 annually (allows multiple teams to participate) and state tournament fees of $40 per team.  Coaches training (including a resource DVD) and practice scrimmages are provided free of charge.

So how do you learn more?  You can visit the international Odyssey of the Mind website (http://www.odysseyofthemind.com) and the Vermont Odyssey of the Mind website (http://vt.odysseyofthemind.org) for background information to start, however by far the BEST way is to come and see the creative teams in action at a tournament.  The 2011 Vermont Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, March 19^th, from 9:00am-7:00pm, at Champlain Valley Union High School in Hinesburg, Vermont.  To arrange a tour, contact Dr. Tim Perkins, VT Association Director by emailing vtootm@accessvt.com or calling (toll-free) 1-800-805-5422.  We hope to see you there.

Maintaining a Rich Art Experience for Our Students

By Irene Dagesse

In the midst of hard economic times and the slashing of school budgets, we need to be especially diligent in our efforts to offer enriching experiences for our students.  Lack of time and money can often get in the way of our best intentions so the following information may help overcome these factors.  First of all, how does a school set up collaboration with an artist?  The Vermont Arts Council publishes a Teaching Artist Roster, a resource that describes Vermont artists that are both high quality artists and experienced teachers in their artistic disciplines.  The Roster includes several artistic disciplines:  Dance, singing storytelling, visual arts, film and video, theater, puppetry, ceramic sculpture,... Each listing briefly describes the juried artist and their work and supplies the contact information if you want to know more.

The VAC also offers grants for schools to hire an artist listed in the Roster for a residency program that stresses collaborative learning. They even offer a Big Yellow School Bus Grant to help with transportation costs associated with field trips to cultural institutions.

Recently Coventry Village School began their school year with a performance for students (grades K-8) and staff by the No Strings Marionette Company (financially supported by the VAC Teaching Artist Express Grant).  The performance was entertaining, educational and so much fun.  All students were given a scheduled backstage pass to see the puppets up close and were taught by the puppeteers, Barbara Paulson and Dan Baginski,  how to handle them.  All of us found this art form engaging and several teachers discussed how to bring puppetry into the classroom.  Three months later, with the help of the Teaching Artist Residency grant and another local grant, Coventry Village School hired The PuppeTree Company to provide a week long residency.  Ann Legunn and three interns (artists recently graduated from college) provided K-8 students with a very hands-on lesson in how to produce a show from start to finish.  The older students wrote story boards, collaborated with classmates to write the story line and then were taught how to make shadow puppets, and scenery.  The youngest students made hand puppets, and learned how to manipulate them while singing a song.  All of this was accomplished in less than 10 hours.  The final afternoon was set aside for the performance for parents and community members.  This experience challenged our students and teachers in many ways (an amazing amount of problem solving and risk taking took place everyday), and sharing the outcome of the week's residency with parents and community members made it clear that nurturing the creative and artistic sides of us is as important as the academic.

New England Conference on Gifted and Talented Education

Sheraton Burlington Conference Center – October 13-15, 2011

By Carol Story

The 17^th annual New England Conference on Gifted and Talented Education is coming to Vermont in 2011.  The conference theme is “Journey to Belonging: Listening to the Voices of the Gifted.” 

The event starts on Thursday evening with check-in and an open reception for all participants.  Friday begins at 8:30am and features a keynote presentation by nationally known expert in gifted education, Dr. James Delisle.  Jim is the author of many books and articles including Guiding the Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Youth, Parenting Gifted Kids, and The Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide (this one co-authored with Judy Galbraith).  There will be smaller breakout sessions throughout the day for teachers and parents offering a better understanding of the nature and needs of the gifted learner. 

Saturday’s keynote address will be delivered by Colleen Harsin, head of the Davidson Academy, a private school for gifted children in Reno, Nevada.  The academy is a part of the Davidson Institute which provides leadership in the field of gifted education, and some funding for gifted learners all over the United States.  As with Friday, there will be smaller breakout sessions throughout the day for teachers and parents.

A special feature of the Saturday program is a Kids’ Conference.  Students in grade 1-8 will be provided a keynote speaker and many session choices in the arts, science, math, history, and more.  Teens are invited to participate in the conference as assistants in the program for younger students.  Their day will include an opportunity to meet with and interview Dr. Delisle.  The teens may consider applying this to the community service requirements expected at many high schools.  If interested, teens should contact Lucy Bogue at lucybogue@yahoo.com.

The Vermont Council for Gifted Education is the host for this conference.  VCGE has been providing services for gifted children, their families, and their teachers since the early 1980s.  Membership is open to any interested Vermonter.  More information about VCGE may be found on their web page at www.vcge.org.  Additionally, the conference is co-sponsored by the Green Mountain Center for Gifted Education, the Vermont Department of Education, the Vermont-NEA, and the state gifted associations from all the other New England states.  As a result of these co-sponsorships, some partial scholarships for attendance by adults or children will be available.  For further information, see below.

Further information about the conference and registration information will be available after February 1^st at www.necgt.org.  It is important to note that there will be scholarships available for both adult and student participants.  Questions and comments may be directed to the conference Planning Committee chair, Carol Story at cmsphd@myfairpoint.net.

Welcome

The Vermont Council for Gifted Education (VCGE) is a non-profit organization of educators, parents, and others who recognize the need to provide appropriate education and support for gifted and talented students. VCGE works actively on the local, state, and national levels to help educators and parents foster the growth and development of children and youth who have exceptional abilities, talents, and needs.