Okay, so if you read yesterday's post, you've been waiting anxiously (don't laugh, it could happen) for the story of the OSU team and their success. Warning: this post is loooooong. Too long. Sorry. Skip to the end for the video of the 2013 First Place Problem 3 Division IV team. Then come back and enjoy the story of how it all happened.
GO POKES! Oklahoma State University's first ever OM team comes home World Champions!
A short history of OM in Stillwater
In the 2005-2006 school year, my daughter Tory and son Robin agreed to try putting together two OM teams. We knew of OM from schools in Nebraska (where Tory was too young for a team) and at the DODDS school in Germany (where Tory actually participated one year on a team.) We knew the basics; we knew that Destination ImagiNation was an option as well (having had friends who had participated in both programs), and we started researching to find out how to begin a team.
Judith and Robin on the vehicle they constructed, with the beginnings of Sassy the Sasquatch (later covered in fur.) 2006.
At the time, I was a Gifted and Talented Program Specialist for Stillwater Public Schools. OM and DI are often used for gifted programming, so I asked for and received permission to bring the program to Stillwater Schools. At the time, DI did not have a presence in the state, so we went with OM. We formed two teams (one sixth grade, Division 2, and one high school, Division 3.) The kids and I recruited team members, the teams chose problems, and we got to work.
That first year was crazy hard. I went to every training and support meeting I could and searched for any information I could find online (remember, YouTube wasn't up and running yet.) I even visited the other region's tournament the week before our tournament just to make sure we were on the right page. (We were, sort of, and some of my other students attended that tournament with me and got excited about forming teams the following year.) Until you've actually attended a competition, you really don't have any idea what the program is all about. Our kids did okay, enjoyed the whole process, and most came back the following year.
Another shot of our pathetic first attempt at the vehicle problem, 2006. Nice dragon, huh? He did have electronic eyes, which was pretty cool.
On the middle school team were a very young Robin and Mason, two sixth grade boys with huge potential. Mason's comment after the first year: "This is the most fun activity I have ever been involved in." Something about power tools, creativity, teamwork, and autonomy (the team must create all aspects of the solution and make all decisions with no outside assistance from anyone) really piques kids' interest, and these two were hooked!
2008 - Stillwater fielded twelve teams!
Mason and Robin continued enthusiastically - every year recruiting new team members to replace those who left. Their second year they qualified for World Finals (winning first or second at State earns the team a trip to Worlds) and continued to qualify every year after (sometimes just barely). Our first trip to Worlds was to Michigan State University in 2007, and we GOT SO LUCKY to be housed on the same dorm floor as a team from Edmond, Oklahoma (it's about an hour away from Stillwater) who were the same age. Our kids hit it off and became good friends, and we enjoyed competing with (and often against) them every year. Once Facebook enabled them to correspond easily, they even started going to each others' birthday parties and other events.
2007 World Finals - Michigan State - the year we met the Edmond team.
Competitors, yes, but friends too.
The cool thing about these teams becoming friends: Never was the fact that they were competing against each other an issue. They cheered for each other and encouraged each other and celebrated together. For instance, at many competitions they would form victory arches for the other team to run through. Best kids ever.
Mason, Claire, Lucy, Robin, Jacob, Slava at a pizza place in Maryland in 2008. Great to see our friends again!
Over the years, our solutions got better and better (although our style never even came close to the scores of the Edmond team.) Finally, in 2011, the Stillwater team heard their name called at the World Finals awards ceremony. Fourth Place, a big win for our team! (You can see the video of that Problem 5, Division III, "Full Circle" performance here.)
Robin, me, and Mason after hearing our team won FOURTH PLACE in the world! 2011 - University of Maryland.
At World Finals awards ceremonies, only the top three teams get to cross the stage. Mason's comment when we won 4th place was, "Next year, we walk." Unfortunately, they did walk - across the stage at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, where they graduated from high school the same night they could have been competing in Iowa. Not competing during their senior year was a super tough decision; Robin had been saying for years that he wouldn't mind missing high school graduation to go to Worlds, but then three of the seven team members were elected class officers - and all of them had to speak at graduation.
(In fact, "not doing OM during senior year" ended up not working so well. I asked for some help coaching a new team, and within hours Mason and Robin were inspired to form a team of three. Madi, new to OM but anxious to try it, and Robin and Mason started working in January on an incredible three-person farce, with slamming doors, multiple characters and costume changes, and characters climbing in and out of windows and up and down stairs.)
(In OM, you really need at least five people on a team due to the nature of the Spontaneous Problem-Solving part of the competition. For this three-person effort, Logan and Kelsey were recruited to attend competition at Regional and State simply to add their skill to the spont team. Perfectly legal and legit. It happened again this year; more on that later.)
2012's three- (or is it five-?) person team before competing at Regionals.
All-Star Team
High school is rough for OM kids. The season is long, it involves many, many hours, and the type of kids who like to do OM are the same kids who are in band, orchestra, Youth In Government, school plays, student council, and so on. Several times when trying to recruit team members, we discussed the idea of forming an "Oklahoma All-Star team" made up of kids from both Stillwater and Edmond. That's exactly what happened this year.
Mason and Robin getting ready to perform; Lauren getting in character behind them.
OM has a collegiate division open to any adult taking college classes; teams can be made up of members from a variety of schools. Our team knew going into their freshman year that they wanted to do OM as Division IV competitors, and six of them attended OSU, so the Institute for Creativity and Innovation at OSU sponsored the team (thanks, Melanie!) Five Stillwater kids and two Edmond kids competed, using Google Docs and GroupMe to plan their script during the school year. Once finals week ended, they all started hanging out at my house in order to build their solution. Two weeks later, they put their stuff on the props truck and boarded the bus, headed for Michigan once again.
Claire, University of North Texas vocal performance major, sings as the music box opens.
Their solution was phenomenal. Division IV usually has fewer participants but bigger crowds, and the crowd at this team's performance was hugely appreciative of their work. In true college-level fashion, the team used metaphors to meet the required elements. Their problem ("Art-chitecture: The Musical") required a replica of an actual structure, with artwork that goes missing and is later integrated into the structure. Teams had to have two sets of choreographed moves with music and lyrics.k Several of the elements were judged on artistic quality, and the quality of the performance is also important in Problem 3.
One set of choreographed moves had The Shah picking up the female assistant and shoving her in front of him for protection. Another had a sword brandishing in "four-four time" like an orchestra conductor. Subtle things you don't notice unless you are the judge or know the team's work.
Without further ado, I give you the video of the winning performance. Problem 3, Division IV, Odyssey of the Mind World Finals 2013 at Michigan State University; here is Oklahoma State University's solution. Congrats to these great young adults!
(Listen closely to the father at the end. It will give you goose bumps or make you cry. Or both. Usually both, for me.)
Aren't these kids fantastic? And aren't we lucky they are still doing OM?
Why what you see when you walk by a classroom isn't always the whole story.
A teacher peered through the tiny window on my classroom door. Inside, she saw a group of fifth graders, all clutching tissues, sniffing and wiping away tears. "Well!" she thought. "Once again, Mrs. Clower has worked those emotional, high-strung gifted kids into a frenzy. Wait until the principal hears about this!" She charged off down the hall, righteous head held high, ready to report my failings as a teacher to whomever would listen.
Here's the thing: appearances can be deceiving. Would you like to know WHY my kids were crying in class that day?
Taylor and Hailey created a model of Hungary's St. Matthias Church. Check out the tile roof!
The back story:
What kind of teacher am I?
My career as a military spouse provided me the opportunity to practice my teaching skills in a wide variety of locations and schools. I've taught every elementary grade level, some middle school, worked with high schoolers, and even taught college undergrads (thank you, U.S. Air Force, for providing me with a long and interesting resume').
One of my favorite positions: the Enrichment Coordinator at two elementary schools. The Enrichment program (a name chosen to disguise the fact that we were pulling out the gifted and talented) was designed to provide challenges above and beyond traditional classroom work. As such, it was up to me to design curricula (and provide a classroom setting) that would inspire my kids to become lifelong learners and to learn to utilize their talents.
(Oh my gosh, what a great job!)
I was hired for the position based on several qualifications, even with no previous Gifted Ed coursework: I had good elementary teaching experience, I had excellent volunteer experience including being a Girl Scout leader and event organizer and a classroom volunteer in my children's GT classes, and I was volunteering and substituting at one of the schools which needed the position filled. The teachers and principal could see my work ethic and classroom management skills, and knew that I could work well with the staff.
Gfited Students and Project-Based Learning
Gifted students often do not have to exert much effort to maintain grades and remember the material presented in class, and sadly, they often spend vast portions of their day waiting. (Please note that I am in no way criticizing teachers; it's nearly impossible to meet every child's needs in a traditional classroom and teachers often feel compelled to focus on the lower-achieving students. This is one of the many valid reasons for providing educational enrichment classes to gifted kids.) My job, then, was to give the kids real challenges through the study of interesting themes, and help them choose research projects that would occupy their minds and require a great deal of effort. In addition, I wanted them to have the opportunity to practice some real-life skills that they would need as adults.
Turns out, what I designed was a type of Project-Based Learning (one good explanation is here), which allows each student to choose a topic or theme to explore, create a project, and present the project to showcase his or her learning. (I started teaching this way early in my teaching career in the regular classroom and have continued even in my library classes. I do love helping kids work on projects. I appreciate the real learning that is involved, and the fact that each child can work at a level appropriate for him/her is a huge bonus!)
Skills we integrated into almost every unit, regardless of the actual project created:
public speaking (how to write a good speech; how to speak clearly and loudly, how to inject personality into your speech and be comfortable and even have fun with your audience, and how to effectively utilize visual aids during your speech)
graphic design (utilizing desktop publishing skills and traditional poster-making skills)
elements of a quality product
time management and planning
decision-making
working with partners or small groups
research and synthesis of data (including evaluation of sources, research and note-taking skills, organization, citing sources)
Do these look like skills adults use? Are there any that you could use more practice on? Consider: What if you had been practicing these skills since early in elementary school?
And now, to the story of my crying kids.
Fifth grade, spring semester. I've had these kids once a week since second grade. They've worked hard for me during every unit: creating an art museum full of Roman statues and a model of a Roman bath (the art museum had a fantastic display of Ancient Roman artifacts the year these kids were in fourth grade, so our unit choice was obvious), inventing new products, creating prototypes, and developing a sales pitch, and discovering the glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly and experimenting with organic, non-representational art.
Something a little less academic is in order
They've been through the research, learn, synthesize, create, and present cycle numerous times, and we only have a few weeks of school left. It's time for something a little less intense. Their choice? They wanted to learn some basic cooking skills. (Cooking skills? Okay, I think we can figure out some interesting lessons for a cooking unit!)
First up: Knife handling in the kitchen. The internet to the rescue! We watched several different videos about how to safely and easily chop, dice, and mince. (One of the best on knife use is at The Reluctant Gourmet; http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/chef_knife_skills_video.htm) To safely supervise kids with knives, I divided the (already small) class into 2 groups: one group went to the computers to research types of knives, their construction, use, cost, and care; the other group washed hands and got ready to dice and chop.
(This is one of the videos we watched before donning our aprons. It's Cooking Coarse by Chef Todd Mohr at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiZr9cPPe1Q).
"The root end is our friend," we reminded each other as we diced our onions into nice, neat squares. By the time both groups were finished, we had piles of diced onions, bowls of diced onions, bags of diced onions...millions and billions and trillions of onions. The entire hall outside my classroom smelled of onions and we all had tears streaming down our faces. We finally got all the onions bagged up (to freeze for use in next week's lesson) and I sent my kids back to their classrooms, holding tissues, sporting red, swollen eyes and still sniffling slightly.
To the world outside my door, the kids looked as though they had spent the entire enrichment class in tears. Had they, in fact, been crying in enrichment class? Yes. Was there a valid educational reason for the tears that would not be readily apparent to an outside observer? Well, if you discount the wafting odor of onions, the aprons, the cutting boards, and the bags full of diced onions, I guess it's possible that you might think I was making my kids cry. Sadly, teachers who are willing to judge harshly are also too often willing to disregard the evidence and will jump to (negative) conclusions.
My kids, despite the tears, were delighted with their new skill. Several went home that very evening and showed their parents how to dice an onion. It's a life skill, people!
A "simple" unit becomes much more through collaboration
We finished our unit several weeks later by combining with the other fifth grade group, who had been studying countries and cultures. We came up with the idea of "Eating Around the World" and created "restaurants" to showcase our learning. My non-cooking class researched eating habits and typical restaurant decor in a country, while my cooking students researched and planned how to prepare a food to serve from the country. Each country group built a "restaurant" in a corner of the classroom (separated by sheets hanging from the ceiling) that included tour guides, tables, placemats, decorations, and even "views out the windows." (Vicky and Zoe spent days after school creating a scene of Venice for the Italian restaurant. Nate and Riley took apart one of my bookshelves to make a low table for their Japanese restaurant, and even convinced their parents to take them to the local Hibachi place to take a lesson from the cook there. Payton learned some French to properly greet her patrons.) We invited third graders to come in, learn about each country, and sample a food from that country.
Paris, anyone?
Third graders at the Hungarian "restaurant."
Italian food and geography: In addition to the mural (not pictured) the girls made a salt-dough map of Venice and a drawing of Pisa's Leaning Tower to show the kids, too.
Sigh...why is it even my simple units end up complicated?
The answer: Such is life with gifted kids who have been encouraged to push the limits and do their best work. Disregard that sigh and instead, celebrate with me! Here's to crying in class!
