Tournament of Minds

Last updated
Tournament of Minds
Founded1987;36 years ago (1987) in Australia
Headquarters
Australia
Number of locations
17 branches (2022)
Website tom.edu.au

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is an academic competition focusing on collaborative problem solving and critical thinking. It is open to both primary and secondary students in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and a number of other locations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Students work in a team to create a dramatic performance outlining their solution to an open-ended Long Term challenge in one of four disciplines. Students also participate in a shorter, unseen Spontaneous Challenge on the day of the Tournament. TOM Challenge Release, Regionals and Branch Finals take place during Australian Term 3, with successful teams coming together for an International Final in a chosen state or territory.

Contents


History

Tournament of Minds was founded in Australia in 1987, when a group of educators came together to develop a program through which to develop creative thinking and collaborative problem solving within students. The concept of a competition was floated, and quickly took off, with schools and educational institutions across the country signing up to take part in the Tournament. Over the years, TOM has undergone a number of changes, including the development of additional 'disciplines' for students to participate in, and the establishment of branches outside of Australia, including in New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Hong Kong, Uganda, Egypt, and the UAE, alongside a number of others. [1]

Disciplines

Tournament of Minds is divided up into four separate competition disciplines. As of 2022, the disciples are: the arts, language, literature, social sciences and science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM). [2] The arts is the most recently added discipline, having been added in 2018. Previously, the STEM discipline had been divided into engineering maths and science technology or applied technology. [3]

A STEM team presenting at Tournament of Minds Perth Regionals in 2022 A STEM team presenting at Tournament of Minds Perth Regionals in 2022.jpg
A STEM team presenting at Tournament of Minds Perth Regionals in 2022

Competition structure

The competition operates in a number of difference branches. Each state and territory in Australia operates as an individual branch, as does each other country participating. Students compete in teams of five to seven students in either the Primary division or the Secondary division. The age of the students in each division varies slightly according to local school systems.

A team of students at the Tournament of Minds Perth Regional event in 2017 A team of students at the Tournament of Minds Perth Regional event in 2017.jpg
A team of students at the Tournament of Minds Perth Regional event in 2017

Schools in the majority of branches receive their long term challenge in the first weeks of Term 3 in the Australian academic year. They have six weeks to prepare their response without any assistance from people outside of their team. Students must make all props, costumes and any STEM device required using recycled materials as outlined in the TOM Instruction Manual. Students must be prepared to present their solution within a 3x3m square and ensure that at least four team members are within the square at any given time during their performance.

The six weeks of preparation time culminates in a Regional Final, often held at a participating high school or at a university. Students present the solution to their Long Term Challenge to a panel of judges as well as any supporters or competitors who wish to watch. The Spontaneous Challenge is completed separately with only a judging panel present.

A Tournament of Minds team participating in a Spontaneous Challenge at the 2022 Perth Regional event A Tournament of Minds team participating in a Spontaneous Challenge at the 2022 Perth Regional event.jpg
A Tournament of Minds team participating in a Spontaneous Challenge at the 2022 Perth Regional event

In larger branches, such as New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and New Zealand, successful teams from this regional event are invited to participate in a Branch Final. The Branch Final allows teams three hours to create a ten-minute dramatic presentation outlining their solution to a different challenge in their Discipline. During their preparation time, they also complete another Spontaneous Challenge.

A STEM team presenting at the Perth Tournament of Minds Branch Final in 2022 A STEM team presenting at the Perth Tournament of Minds Branch Final in 2022.jpg
A STEM team presenting at the Perth Tournament of Minds Branch Final in 2022

The top-scoring team from the Primary and Secondary divisions of each Discipline is invited to participate in the TOM International Final (TIF), which follows the same competition format as the Branch Final. The event rotates through the Australian capital cities. [4]

Venues

YearPlaceNotesRef
2013 Australian National University, Canberra
2014 La Trobe University, Melbourne
2015 University of New South Wales, Sydney
2016 Griffith University, Gold Coast
2017 Flinders University, Adelaide
2018 Charles Darwin University, Darwin
2019 University of Tasmania, Hobart
2020Held onlineDue to COVID-19 pandemic
2021Online TIF held and coordinated from Edith Cowan University, Perth Due to COVID-19 pandemic

Edith Cowan University was expected to host the event

2022Australian National University, Canberra
2023La Trobe University, Melbourne

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Rugby</span> Rugby union club competition

Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hemisphere competitions dating back to the South Pacific Championship in 1986, with teams from a number of southern nations, the Super Rugby started as the Super 12 in the 1996 season with 12 teams from 3 countries: Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The Super 12 was established by SANZAR after the sport became professional in 1995. At its peak the tournament featured the top players from nations representing 16 of the 24 top-three finishes in the history of the Rugby World Cup. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the competition to split into three, the reformed competition in 2021 and beyond will only include Oceanian clubs representing Australia, New Zealand and from the Pacific islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Maryland, Baltimore County</span> Public research university in Catonsville, Maryland, U.S.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Catonsville, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs and the first university research park in Maryland. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Street High School</span> School in Australia

Fort Street High School (FSHS) is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Petersham, an inner western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1849, it is the oldest government high school in Australia and, notably, the first school not founded by a religious organisation. Today, it remains a public school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education. As an academically selective secondary school, it draws students from across greater metropolitan Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odyssey of the Mind</span> Creative problem-solving program involving students from kindergarten through college

Odyssey of the Mind, abbreviated OM or OotM, is a creative problem-solving program where team members present their solution at a competition to a predefined long-term problem that takes many months to complete and involves writing, design, construction, and theatrical performance. A spontaneous portion of the competition has the team also generate solutions to a problem they have not seen before.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Technical High School</span> School in Australia

Sydney Technical High School (STHS) is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in Bexley, a southern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1911 as part of Sydney Technical College, the school was one of the six original New South Wales selective schools and caters for boys from Year 7 to Year 12. The school is colloquially abbreviated to Sydney Tech, STHS or simply Tech.

<i>University Challenge</i> (New Zealand game show) New Zealand game show

University Challenge is a long-running New Zealand television quiz show, running originally from 1976 to 1989 before its revival in 2014 after a 25-year hiatus. The format was based on the British show of the same name, which was itself based on the American College Bowl. The 2014–2017 series were produced by Cue TV in Invercargill. The title holders are the University of Canterbury, who won the final series on 21 January 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith's Hill High School</span> School in Australia

Smith's Hill High School, also known as Smiths Hill High School, is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Wollongong, in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia.

An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Conferences often, but not always, include teams from a common geographic region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caringbah High School</span> School in Australia

Caringbah High School is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Caringbah, in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school was opened in 1960 as a co-educational high school and was nominated to become selective in 1989, over the neighbouring Port Hacking High. As of 2021 approximately 907 students were enrolled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Youth Australia</span> Youth Organisation

UN Youth Australia is a national youth-led organisation which seeks to educate and empower young Australians on global issues and foster an understanding of the work of the United Nations, human rights and International relations in young Australians. The organisation is fully operated by volunteers who have left high school and are under the age of 24, over 15,000 young people participate in UN Youth Australia’s programs, activities and events each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roseville College</span> Independent, single-sex, day school in Roseville, New South Wales, Australia

Roseville College is an independent Anglican day school for girls, located in the suburb of Roseville, on the North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gisborne Secondary College</span> State government secondary school in Gisborne, Victoria, Australia

Gisborne Secondary College is a co-educational secondary school located in Gisborne, Victoria, established in 1981. The current enrolment is 1071 students. Students attend from years seven to twelve. The college serves a large proportion of the southern Macedon Ranges district in Victoria, with over 800 students attending school via school bus. The College has a large range of subject offerings, including electives from Year 9 onwards, and at the Senior School, VCE, VCE-VM, and VET programs.

Mount Carmel Catholic College is a systemic Catholic co-educational secondary school of the Marist tradition located in Varroville, a suburb 46 kilometres south-west of Sydney. It is situated within the city of Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia. The current principal is Stephen Lo Cascio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Girls High School</span> School in Australia

Sydney Girls High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school located at Moore Park, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

St Peter Claver College is a Roman Catholic co-educational secondary school located in the suburb of Riverview in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was founded in 1976, on the traditional lands of the Ugarapul clan of the Yuggera Nation, and was named in honour of St Peter Claver, the Spanish Jesuit priest and patron saint of the slaves.

Netball New Zealand is the national body which oversees, promotes and manages netball in New Zealand, including the Silver Ferns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bash League</span> Franchisee cricket tournament in Australia

The Big Bash League is an Australian men's professional club Twenty20 cricket league, which was established in 2011 by Cricket Australia. The Big Bash League replaced the previous competition, the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, and features eight city-based franchises instead of the six state teams which had participated previously. The competition has been sponsored by fast food-chicken outlet KFC since its inception. It was in 2016/17 one of the two T20 cricket leagues, alongside the Indian Premier League, to feature amongst the top ten domestic sport leagues in average attendance. The winner of BBL 12 (2022/2023) was the Perth Scorchers, who beat the Brisbane Heat by 5 wickets in the final.

The International Physicists' Tournament (IPT) is a physics competition for undergraduate students, bachelors or master level, in which students representing their nation and institution have typically 9 months to solve a set of challenging unsolved physics problems, then present and defend them to other teams. The tournament originated in Ukraine in 2009 between the Ukraine and the Russian Federation, but, it has since grown to encompass numerous countries spanning multiple continents. It was initially inspired by the International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT) and follows a similar model. Undergraduates may be accompanied by team leaders, who are usually academic research staff or doctoral research students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Educational management</span> Administration of education systems

Educational management refers to the administration of the education system in which a group combines human and material resources to supervise, plan, strategise, and implement structures to execute an education system. Education is the equipping of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, habits, and attitudes with learning experiences. The education system is an ecosystem of professionals in educational institutions, such as government ministries, unions, statutory boards, agencies, and schools. The education system consists of political heads, principals, teaching staff, non-teaching staff, administrative personnel and other educational professionals working together to enrich and enhance. At all levels of the educational ecosystem, management is required; management involves the planning, organising, implementation, review, evaluation, and integration of an institution.

<i>InterswitchSPAK</i> 2017 Nigerian TV series or programme

InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition is a High School Science Television contest show that started in Nigeria. It debuted in 2017 as SPAK.

References

  1. "TOM - About". tom.edu.au.
  2. "TOM - Challenges". tom.edu.au.
  3. https://www.esperanceshs.wa.edu.au/sites/default/files/TOM%20History.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  4. https://www.nca.gov.au/events/tournament-minds# [ bare URL ]