Program Guide, Spontaneous, Odyssey Academy
Wanting some help figuring out the fine points of Odyssey of the Mind, acquainting yourself with the rules or helping your team practice spontaneous problems? We have just what you need to do all of this...and more.
2021-2022 Program Guide
We encourage you to completely review the 2021-2022 program guide. This on-line booklet (also known as the OM Bible) will answer all your questions and guide you through the entire program from starting a team, to requirements and rules, to scoring, and how you need to approach the competition season.
Chapter 5 of the program guide contains the rules. You will notice there are very few rules and what rules there are have been made to keep the "playing field" equal for all teams regardless if you are the largest school in the state or the smallest...every team has an equal chance to be "the champion". In general, in Odyssey of the Mind, if it doesn't say you can't, then your can. But if you want to be sure, just ask for a clarification as explained in the Guide. Just be sure to ask before February 15, 2022.
So whenever you have a question or not sure, just click on this button and find the reference in the Program Guide Index.
Spontaneous Problems
One of the Odyssey of the Mind program parts is the Spontaneous Problem solving competition. On the day of the competition each team is given a spontaneous problem to solve. While each team has ample time throughout the year to practice spontaneous problems, the problem they will be asked to solve at the competition is one they have never seen before. Many times throughout the year coaches will make up practice spontaneous problems for the teams to use for practice, or perhaps the coach will use problems that have already been written. You can purchase books of spontaneous problems on the National website or you can use problems that appear on state OM web pages or Facebook pages of the various states. Two good sources for spontaneous problems are the Connecticut website and the Tennessee website. Both of these states have a great variety of verbal, hands-on and combination problems.
The Odyssey Academy
Odyssey Academy is a FREE,15-lesson online experience that comes with your membership and walks you and/or your team through the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) program from A to Z! Whether you watch one video a week for 15 weeks or work on a different schedule, Odyssey Academy is designed to be your mentor and "coach" whether you have a brand new team or an experienced returning team. By the end of the series, you will have everything you will need to lead your team so they will have a complete OM project they did entirely on their own!
Most of all it is the answer to the question we hear most: “I know OM is an amazing program but I just don’t have the time to figure it all out and besides if I attend a training class early in the year, I forget what I was told by the time I need it.”
Click the "Odyssey Academy" button and start you "Odyssey of the Mind".
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