Year four, five and six students at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic primary school in Wyoming have been trying out for the school’s Tournament of Minds team.
Tournament of Minds is a problem solving program for teams of students from both primary and secondary years.
They are required to solve demanding, openended challenges.
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.
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 10 minutes to present and must do so within a three square 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.
Newsletter, 27 May 2015
Frank Cohen, principal,
OLR Primary School