Role of a Coach
Volunteering to coach Odyssey of the Mind is an adventure.
A coach’s job, essentially, is to help guide up to 7 creative students to learn to solve difficult problems, while allowing all ideas and solutions to be the students’ own.
So… how does a coach get them to learn things without telling them answers?
Coaches may ask questions designed to ‘stimulate’ thinking rather than ‘influence’ thinking. Coaches ask questions like, why did the structure break there? what else could you use to make it look like a . . .? since we can’t do X, how could you do the same thing in another way? Coaches can take teams to bridges to see and discuss what makes them strong enough to hold a train. They can take them to a TV station to see how a program is really created. They frequently take the team to local hardware, fabric, or craft stores to look for ways to solve specific problems (to make the clock look like it’s real, to disguise the robot’s arm, or to figure out a way to make the vehicle move, to consider different glues) and for materials they might use for their device, vehicle, giraffe or unicorn.
Above everything else, Odyssey of the Mind should be FUN: fun for the students and fun for the coach! Every moment will not be fun, of course, but if the team and the coach are not having a good time most of the time, the coach needs to evaluate what has taken the fun away. Being creative, getting to do things all by themselves, figuring out difficult challenges, working out how to solve problems together … these should all be exciting for the team.
Coaches wear many different hats (some silly!), with multiple parts to being a successful coach.
Components of being an Odyssey of the Mind Coach
Scheduler
Determines how often and where a team meets
Helps the team stay organized
Assists the team develop a timeline for projects
Helps the team keep track of tasks and deadlines
Gets the team ready for tournament – registration, information etc.
Team Builder
Encourages all team members to participate
Fosters team members to develop skills and confidence
Helps resolve conflicts
Facilitates team building sessions and activities
Cheerleader in chief!
Guide
Helps the team read and understand the problem
Helps the team utilize information in the Program Guide
Guides brainstorming sessions (without injecting ideas)
Guides note keeping (keeping track of the team’s previous ideas)
Guides goals and the path to reach them
Explains scoring
Supply Master
Takes team members to stores for supplies.
Organizes parents to provide snacks (fuel for the busy brains)
Gathers materials to use in spontaneous training sessions
Teacher
Teaches basic skills without direct focus on any solution
Brings in “experts” requested by the team to discuss & teach skills – again not on the specific solution
Asks QUESTIONS (to help team focus, open-ended)
Teaches the components of creative problem solving
Encourages prototyping to assess feasibility
Spontaneous Skill Developer
Practices these OFTEN
Gathers a variety of practice problems
Teaches strategies
Debriefs spontaneous trainings
Form Facilitator
Helps primary & division 1 team fill these out, dictated by the team
Makes sure the older divisions have completed all forms before competition
Helps team make sure their forms are fantastic!
Liaison
Communicates with and for the team
Communicates with the School/Regional Director
Communicates with parents/guardians
Communicates with New York State Odyssey of the Mind (NYSOMA) officials
Uses Odyssey of the Mind HQ website for registration, downloads, submitting clarifications etc.