Tournament of the Minds

​Tournament of Minds is a collaborative competition where students tackle challenging problems across STEM, Language Literature, Social Sciences, and the Arts. Over six weeks, teams develop their creativity, critical thinking, and presentation skills while working on a long-term project that culminates in a 10-minute presentation before a panel of judges. On competition day, our students will also participate in a spontaneous challenge designed to showcase their teamwork, resilience, and creative thinking. 

Last Thursday, 14 students from Ben Venue Public School travelled to Tamworth South Public School to participate in the Tournament of Minds (TOM) Workshop—a day dedicated to sparking creativity, teamwork, and innovative thinking, in preparation for the competition. They eagerly engaged in spontaneous dramatic performances, embracing quick thinking and collaborative skills. The main challenge for the day was to rewrite the classic nursery rhyme Jack and Jill, exploring what truly happened on the hill and whether Jack was pushed. Students worked together to compose creative poems, thoughtfully incorporating different performance devices.

Teams then took to the stage to perform their rewritten rhymes according to TOM rules, outlining and explaining their creative choices. The workshop provided an exciting environment for students to develop critical and creative thinking while tackling a range of problem-solving activities.

It was a fantastic day filled with collaboration and fun, as Ben Venue students worked together to solve various challenges. Their enthusiasm and teamwork highlighted their maturity and engagement and they should be congratulated on their efforts on the day.

Sarah Pryce

Learning Support Teacher