Tournament of Minds
Tournament of Minds (TOM) is a problem solving program for teams of students from both primary and secondary schools. They are required to solve demanding, open-ended problems from one of the following disciplines:
Language Literature, Maths Engineering,
Social Sciences or Applied Technology
TOM 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 Problem 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 problem criteria and the deadline of Tournament Day.
Students present the product of their ideas - their problem solution - to a panel of judges and an audience on Tournament Day. They have ten minutes in which to present and must do so within a 3 metre by 3 metre performance area.
The teams must also participate in an unseen, Spontaneous Problem on Tournament Day. This problem requires rapid interchange of ideas, the ability to think creatively and well developed group cooperation skills.
Judges for both the Long Term and the Spontaneous Problems are professionals chosen from all areas of education, the arts and industry. They are thoroughly trained to enable them to assess the creative performance and technical aspects of the presentation.
TOM Website
