21st Century Skills
Odyssey of the Mind
Complex Technical and Artistic Problem Solving
Global Awareness
Global Competitiveness and UnderstandingTeams meet other teams from around the world at the annual World FinalsIntellectual Curiosity
Research to find information needed to solve the problem Choosing a problem and idea that is personally excitingInterpersonal and Collaborative Skills/Communication
Team work - consensus, collaboration, communicationUnderstanding and valuing the power of diversity within the teamUnderstanding personal strengths and weaknessesProblem Solving & Creative and Critical Thinking
Analyze complex open-ended real world problemsIdentifying challenges within the problemBrainstorm possible technical solutionsBrainstorm possible thematic and artistic solutionsEvaluate potential solutions- How creative is this solution? Will other teams have thought of this?Spontaneous-training your mind to generate creative solutions by analyzing and evaluating your ideas and learning to use targeted thinking strategies.Self Direction
No Outside Assistance rule-team generated research, solutions and decision makingSelect potential solutions using scoring criteriaPlanning for tournamentsAuthentic Assessment Accountability and Adaptability
Team reflection on effectiveness during spontaneous practiceTeam reflection on tournament resultsPlanning and refining for future tournamentsCreate-test-improve-re-test best solutionsInventive Thinking
Experts agree: As technology becomes more prevalent in our everyday lives, cognitive skills become increasingly critical. "In effect, because technology makes the simple tasks easier, it places a greater burden on higher-level skills" (International ICT Literacy Panel, 2002, p.6). The committee on Workforce Needs in Information Technology (2001) defines intellectual capabilities as "one's ability to apply information technology in complex and sustained situations and to understand the consequences of doing so" (p 18). These capabilities are "life skills" formulated in the context of Digital Age technologies.
Inventive thinking is comprised of the following "life skills":
Adaptability and Managing Complexity: The ability to modify one's thinking, attitude, or behavior to be better suited to current or future environments; and the ability to handle multiple goals, tasks, and inputs, while understanding and adhering to constraints of time, resources, and systems (e.g., organizational, technological).
Self-Direction: The ability to set goals related to learning, plan for the achievement of these goals, independently manage time and effort, and independently assess the quality of learning and any products that result from the learning experience.
Curiosity: The desire to know or the spark of interest that leads to inquiry.
Creativity: The act of bringing something into existence that is genuinely new and original, whether personally (original only to the individual) or culturally (where the work adds significantly to a domain of culture as recognized by experts).
Risk Taking: The willingness to make mistakes, advocate unconventional or unpopular positions, or tackle extremely challenging problems without obvious solutions, such that one's personal growth, integrity, or accomplishments are enhanced.
Higher-Order Thinking and Sound Reasoning: The cognitive processes of analysis, comparison, inference and interpretation, evaluation, and synthesis applied to a range of academic domains and problem-solving contexts.
West Virginia Odyssey of the Mind
(a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation)
The Original and Largest Creative Problem-Solving Program in WV
