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November-December 2007 Selected Content
Interview with Susan Smylie Odyssey of the Mind Coach - Mary Nix
Susan Smylie has coached a high-school Odyssey of the Mind team since September 2006. Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving, teamwork competition that was created by Dr. C. Samuel Micklus in 1978. In March 2007, the team competed at the Texas State Finals where they placed second, earning them a trip to the World Finals at Michigan State University at the end of May, where they placed 17th out of 40 teams. They also won a Renatra Fusca award at the State tournament, the highest honor given by Odyssey of the Mind, awarded for extreme creativity.
Mary: First of all, congratulations to you and your team. How did you learn about Odyssey of the Mind?
Susan: I first heard about it from friends who were coaching Odyssey teams for their kids through the schools. When a local homeschooler (Michelle Kretzschmar) started a team, I jumped at the chance to be involved. Michelle went on to found San Antonio Home Education Resources and Opportunities (SA-HERO).
Mary: How does the program work?
Susan: Any organization can sponsor a team--schools, churches, chambers of commerce, Boys and Girls Clubs, homeschool groups. Each team spends the year working to solve a long-term problem and learning spontaneous problem-solving skills. You can read the synopses of the current problems at the Odyssey of the Mind website. Anyone purchasing a membership receives detailed descriptions of the problems, which always fall in to five categories--Vehicle, Technical, Classics, Structure, and Performance. All long-term solutions are presented as a performance, so acting is included in all problems. In addition, there is a cost limit on each problem, so the teams have to be creative in their use of materials.
Teams are made up of up 5-7 members, divided up into age groups--you can have varied-age children on the same team--they will compete in the division of the oldest child on the team. Odyssey of the Mind is something any child can do. Last year a friend's team went to Worlds with a Downs Syndrome child on the team. He could not speak, but he was able to learn his role well enough (he was a volcano, so it was okay if he erupted spontaneously!) He was on their team again this year.
Mary: How is the competition judged?
Susan: The long-term problem counts for 200 points--the problem description contains a score sheet detailing exactly what will be scored. One of my main jobs as coach was to periodically ask the team members what they were doing to meet the requirements of each scoring element. For example, this year, one of their scoring elements involved a character who "changes in size or appears to change in size, using technical means." Turns out they had not remembered this change had to involve a character until a few days before Regionals. Hence, a hamster food bowl, which had previously been inanimate, came to life!
Style (which can be anything from creative use of materials in a costume to an accent used by a character) counts for an additional 50 points. Style is presented with the long-term solution, but is judged separately. The audience has no way of knowing what the style elements are, but the judges are told ahead of time.
Spontaneous counts for 100 points. The team members are given a problem "on-the-spot" that they have to solve. This is done behind closed doors so that all the teams can be given the same problem without anyone knowing what it is. Problems range from word associations to building structures.
The team that is most consistent in all three areas is the one that wins.
Mary: The Odyssey of the Mind program is a "no outside assistance allowed" program. Could you share your perspective on this?
Susan: This is one of my favorite parts of Odyssey of the Mind. The team members are the only ones who can solve their problem. Others are not allowed to contribute ideas or work on the solution in any way (this includes the coach, siblings, friends, kids on other teams, parents!) We can provide resources (e.g., providing a book on puppet making when they want to make puppets) and teach skills (last year my son learned to use a circular saw), but we cannot help them work on anything directly related to their solution (my son had to learn to use the saw, because they had a lot of wood to cut!) When they get stuck, I ask a lot of questions such as "can you think of some other way to do this?" (avoiding questions like "Have you thought about using Super Glue?" which would be outside assistance.) The other thing I do is take notes at their meetings and when they get stuck, review their previous ideas with them. This will often spark new ideas or cause them to reconsider something they had forgotten. Reviewing the score sheet with them is another way I help them without giving outside assistance. I don't ever say, "you are missing this element." I simply ask them to tell me what they have for each element. I don't make any judgment calls on whether something meets the requirement of the problem--they have to figure that out for themselves.
The great part about this is that the kids truly end up creating something that is theirs.
Mary: In March 2007 your team placed second. Can you tell us about their entry and what that experience was like?
Susan: Their story is pretty silly, involving a teenage boy who is intent on taking over the world with the help of his mutant hamsters and the hamster's efforts to prevent this. The long-term problem requirement involved a story coming to life, starting out on "small pages" and coming to life on "large pages" (the actual performance). One of the elements involved a change in scene using technical means. The team members created a Rube-Goldberg machine that had about 15 steps, including things like a CD covered with foil rolling down a ramp, which completed an electrical circuit, turning on a motor, which powered a fan, etc. The judges at all three competitions were really impressed with this device--the use of so many different types of technology was something new. This is the device that won them the Renatra Fusca, awarded for extreme creativity. You can read more about their problem (and their overall experience) and see a video of the Rube-Goldberg machine on their blog.
(http://hero-om-worlds.blogspot.com/)
Mary: The state win earned them a trip to Michigan State University at the end of May. Can you share how they raised the $10,000.00 and tell us a little about the World Finals?
Susan: We held a variety of fundraisers, including bake sales, a barbeque, merchandise sales and requests for donations. About a month into our fundraising we received a very large anonymous donation that put us at our goal. We remain grateful in ways words cannot express to the individual who made this donation. I am an experienced fundraiser and was not daunted by the need to raise so much money, but had underestimated how much work it would take to raise it in such a short period of time. In addition, most of the team members and parents are involved in advocacy efforts for the people of Darfur, Sudan. April was a very busy month for us, with four Darfur events already planned prior to our advancing to Worlds. I had decided to give up sleep when this donation came through. An answer to a prayer I had not even thought to make.
Mary: What did the team enjoy most about the competition?
Susan: At Worlds, the Florida teams had shirts on that said, "The Journey is the Destination." That sums it up for me. The week-to-week getting together and working with friends is mostly what Odyssey of the Mind is about.
Worlds was an amazing experience. One of the parents said it felt like a celebration, not a competition. Meeting people from all over the world, seeing so much creativity in one place, hearing everyone's stories--it was incredible! I think the team's favorite part was our Polish buddy team--every US team can request an International buddy team. They all spoke English, so language was not a barrier. We were housed with them in the dorms, ate meals together and just hung-out. The thing we all learned is that we have much more in common than we do differences. And our buddy team won! They were in the vehicle problem and did an amazing job. I loved watching them all week, because they were very serious about getting ready, but also found time to have fun. It was clear they were trying to place, but they did not let it make them crazy.
I think the story that best illustrates the spirit of Worlds involves a team from North Carolina. They had been invited to compete in China (I am not sure why) and won there! They then came home and competed in NC, but did not place. So, they attended Worlds representing China! It really illustrates what I felt all week, that we were all there to celebrate creativity and teamwork and that there were no boundaries between us.
Mary: What was the biggest challenge they faced as a team?
Susan: Finding time to get together! It is so funny to me that the perception is that homeschoolers have an advantage in programs like these, because we can get together when we want. All the kids on this team were involved in other activities and trying to find a time to meet was a major undertaking!
Mary: What advice can you share with other homeschoolers who would like to participate?
Susan: Odyssey of the Mind rewards "outside the box" thinking, which is something homeschoolers are good at. Check out some of the state Odyssey of the Mind websites; you will find lots of coaching advice and practice problems (Virginia is a good place to start). Make sure everyone on your team is aware of the time involved and committed to going to all the competitions, including Worlds. We usually meet for a month (doing team-building and creativity activities) before we start working on the long-term problem, so families can decide if this is truly what they want to do before they commit to a team. Consider fundraising year-round, so that you don't get caught having to do a lot at the last minute (participating is not expensive unless you go to Worlds)!
Finally, remember that the journey is the destination. My team members all want to participate again, which to me is the biggest sign of our success, more so than anything we did at any competition.
Mary: Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience with us! Congratulations again to your team!
Susan: Thank you. It was an awesome experience!
Resources
SA-HERO Odyssey of the Mind Blogspot
http://hero-om-worlds.blogspot.com/
Odyssey of the Mind
http://www.OdysseyoftheMind.com
Odyssey of the Mind from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_of_the_Mind
VA Odyssey Into Creativity Explorations
http://va.odysseyofthemind.org/
© 2007, Larry and Susan Kaseman
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