Odyssey of the Mind

I know that bloggs can be quite boring when all the bloggers do is write about themselves, but on the topic of Creativity in Public Education, I feel inclined to share an experience of mine...

In Elementary school I was introduced to a worldwide competition called Odyssey of the Mind. Students were placed in teams of 5-7 people and given a problem that they had to solve in a creative 8 minute skit. There were about 5 or so different problem categories ranging from Classics to Structure building. Here is an example of a problem for this year's competition...

"Problem 2: DinoStoriesDivisions I, II, III, & IV. What might have happened to the dinosaurs that existed so many years ago? In a humorous performance, teams will present their original theory of what caused the dinosaurs to become extinct. The performance will include a dinosaur, a replica of the same dinosaur, an animal that is not a dinosaur, and a technical simulation of the team's "extinction theory." At least part of the performance will take place in a setting from the Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous periods. Cost limit: $145 USD."

Along with the problem solving there was also the "Spontaneous" part of the competition. The group would be given a question, have 1 minute to think about it and 2 minutes to go around and give creative responses. For example, the question would be "Use box in a sentence". Answers would get extra points if it was something creative like " I'm boxed in a situation".

From 3rd-8Th grade I participated in this competition, finally making it to the World Competition in Colorado where I met teams from Hong Kong, Poland, and China, just to name a few. Not only was it some of the most fun experiences I had growing up, but it gave me the opportunity to think outside of the box on a daily basis and learn the importance of teamwork.

Anyway, I guess what I am saying with this post is that I completely agree that creativity in school is something not to be overlooked or pushed aside. With OM, I was able to learn about "creative strategy" before I really understood what it even meant. If I hadn't been given the opportunity to compete in OM for so many years there's a good chance that I wouldn't be taking this class right now, designing my very own pair of creative socks!