Become the best OMer you can be with Odyssey Academy! Dr. Jim Mourey— OM alum, long-time volunteer and an actual professor at DePaul University— will guide you step-by-step through the entire OM experience.
Lesson 1: What is OM?
An introduction for students, parents, teachers, and coaches to the OM experience:
- What is OM?
- What is divergent thinking?
- STEAM
- Who else does OM?
- The three parts of OM
- What this class will do
Lesson 2: What You Will do in OM
Find out about your role in OM and what’s expected from your team:
- Working with a Team
- With whom you cannot work
- What is Outside Assistance
- How Odyssey Academy works
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Lesson 3: The Long-Term Problems
The heart of the Odyssey of the Mind Program:
- What is a Long-Term Problem
- The SIX LT Problem Categories
- The LT Problem Structure
- Age Divisions
- Choosing your LT Problem
Lesson 4:Creativity and Brainstorming
Tools on HOW to come up with creative ideas:
- What is creativity?
- Associative network
- What is brainstorming?
- Brainstorming tools
- Limitations, boundaries & creativity
Lesson 5: Solving Your Long-Term Problem
A walk-through on HOW to solve a LT problem:
- What is your LT problem about?
- What are the required elements?
- How will those elements be scored?
- Thinking about a calendar/schedule
- Big picture/details/big picture
Lesson 6: Focus and Style
How to focus on your LT solution and the scored STYLE element:
- Scoring and point allocation
- Teaching Moment: Rubrics & Evaluations
- What is Style?
- Avoiding Style & LT Overlap
- Points, points, points!
Lesson 7: How to Write a Skit
A skit-writing lesson from a professional and why it is needed in OM:
- What is a skit?
- Five-point scene structure
- Proper formatting for scenes
- Skit through the lens of point allocation
Lesson 8: Building Your Solution
Making your creative ideas reality:
- What are props?
- What are costumes?
- What is a backdrop/scenery?
- What MUST you have? Improv approach
- Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT)
- Problems 1, 2, & 4
Lesson 9: Tweaking for Improvement
You’re well on your way! Now’s a good time to take a step back and see if there’s room for improvement:
- Does your solution actually solve the problem?
- Room for Improvement: Revisit creativity
- Keep it simple, silly
- The curse of knowledge
- Completely foreign v. Familiar with a twist
Lesson 10: Spontaneous
The third (but important!) component of OM:
- What is Spontaneous
- The three types of Spontaneous Problems
- How to practice Spontaneous
- The importance of keeping the “Sponto Secret”
- Creativity, teamwork, & quick thinking
- Use the skills you’ve acquired
Lesson 11: Practice, Practice, Practice!
You have created your solution, decided on Style and worked on Spontaneous, now what? Practice!
What is Stage Presence?
Maximizing the 8 minutes
Choreographing every movement (even backstage)
Pacing v. Speed Running
Your Millionth Time, The Audience’s First
Getting Feedback from Reactions
Lesson 12: The Paperwork
What is required and why you need it. Sound boring? Psst…it’s a way to get maximum score!
- What is paperwork
- Style form
- Cost form
- Outside Assistance form
- Team List
- Paperwork-not an afterthought
Lesson 13: How to Compete
It’s competition time, oh boy! Get rid of nervousness and get even better at OM:
- Competition
- Registering with your Association
- Checking in and competition schedule
- The LT flow
- The Spontaneous flow
- Virtual competition (if applicable)
Lesson 14: Understanding Judge Scores
Making sense of what the judges are telling you:
- Why is creativity scored?
- Understanding the LT scoresheet
- Understanding Style scores
- Understanding Spontaneous scores
- Raw scores v. Calculated scores
- Special Awards
Lesson 15: Reflecting on What You Have Learned
Congratulations! You have have completed Odyssey Academy. Reflect back on what you have learned and get creating!
- What World Finals is like
- Reflecting on your “Odyssey”
- One last question…
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