Tournament of the Minds
Call for expressions of interest
Interested in a new challenge to help solve some knotty real-world problems with healthy dose of creative flair? I’m putting the word out for expressions of interest in potentially joining a Northcote High School tournament of the minds team to enter into the competition in July. Interested in signing up or want to know more? I’ll be hosting a brief meet up in B5 on Monday 22nd May at recess if you have questions, or send me an email at dean.ashton@nhs.vic.edu.au.
~Dean Ashton
Tournament of Minds is a problem solving program for teams of students from both primary and secondary years. Tournament's aim is to enhance the potential of our youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment.
They are required to solve demanding, open-ended challenges from one of the following disciplines:
- The Arts
A new discipline for those who have a love for the visual and performing arts!
The long term challenges will involve research before developing a creative interpretation in response to the Challenge. Plenty of opportunities for artistic expression in the form of dance, song, musical instruments, theatre and all forms of the Visual Arts. - STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
A new discipline starting in 2018.
The combination of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics principles provides an integrated approach for students to deepen their conceptual understanding and use their creative and critical thinking skills to solve the challenges within an authentic context. - Language Literature
Language Literature Challenges will involve in-depth analysis and research of texts from a variety of fields. - Social Sciences
A journey through the moral and ethical issues confronting society in the 21st Century.
Tournament of Minds is an opportunity for students with a passion for learning and problem solving to demonstrate their skills and talents in an exciting, vibrant and public way and offers real world benefits as it looks beyond academic achievement and understands that the pursuit of excellence knows no boundaries.
The Tournament process provides a platform for excellence and equips participants with twenty-first century skills and strategies.
Objectives
- Provide the stimulation of real, open-ended challenges
- Develop creative problem solving approaches and techniques
- Foster cooperative learning and team work
- Promote knowledge and appreciation of self and others
- Encourage experimentation and risk taking
- Expand and reward creative and divergent thinking
- Stimulate a spirit of inquiry and a love of learning
- Develop enterprise
- Celebrate excellence
Encouraging Teamwork
Teams are required to work together on a Long Term Challenge for six weeks without assistance from teachers, parents or peers. They are encouraged to explore possibilities and experiment with ideas as they endeavour to produce their best possible solution. They develop a creative and original way to communicate this solution to others, working within predefined parameters such as limited materials, complex challenge criteria and the deadline of Tournament Day.
Students present the product of their ideas - their challenge solution - to a panel of judges and an audience on Tournament Day. They have ten minutes in which to present and must do so within a 3 metre by 3 metre performance area.
The teams must also participate in an unseen Spontaneous Challenge on Tournament Day. This challenge requires rapid interchange of ideas, the ability to think creatively and well developed group cooperation skills.
Judges for both the Long Term and the Spontaneous Challenges are professionals chosen from all areas of education, the arts and industry. They are thoroughly trained to enable them to assess the creative performance and technical aspects of the presentation.