Hyperlexia@GeoCities.com.
By: Amy Bailey
Amy Bailey is a high school English teacher and the mother of a hyperlexic first grader.
She has coached Division III Odyssey of the Mind teams since 1987, and has judged
Division I, II, and III teams at regional, state and World Finals competitions.
As children enter their elementary school years, many become involved in team sports.
Such activities give them the opportunity to develop budding athletic abilities as well as
more advanced social skills. They learn invaluable lessons in sportsmanship and teamwork
that can enrich their lives. But for hyperlexic children, many of whom have delayed
development in the motor skills and other issues that may make organized team sports
inappropriate, parents must find alternative ways to provide these experiences. One
solution is membership on an Odyssey of the Mind Team. OM is an organization that
promotes a world wide problem solving competition which fosters creativity and
innovation, and because students work in five to seven member teams, the same lessons of
sportsmanship and teamwork can be learned in an environment more appropriate to the
hyperlexic learning style.
WHAT IS ODYSSEY OF THE MIND?
OM is an association that organizes an annual problem solving competition in which
students work in teams to create a solution to both a long-term and spontaneous problems.
According to the OM mission statement, "The OM Association values and nurtures
creativity. Through its activities, the OM Association provides opportunities to develop
creative problem-solving skills that are important in an ever-changing world. OM's mission
includes the encouragement and development of co-operation, self-respect, and the
appreciation and understanding of others."
WHO PARTICIPATES?
There are over 13,000 members in the OM Association, mainly in the United States, but
students from counties all over the world, including Russia, Philippines, Germany, Russia,
China, and Australia, compete at the World Finals each spring. Students from
kindergarten through college compete in specific divisions based on age. There is a primary
problem designed for students in kindergarten through second grade which is
noncompetitive and serves as an introduction to the program. Usually children who are
ages 8-12 compete in division I, but younger children are not prohibited from competing. I
have seen a kindergarten team compete in division I and do an outstanding job. The rules
say that to participate in division I, a child must be less than 12 years of age on June 30 of
that competition year. Division II members must be 15 or younger, and division II
members must be 19 or younger. There is also a Division IV category for collegiate and
military membership.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
OM membership is fairly inexpensive. A $135 membership fee entitles a school to all
problem materials and handbooks and rule books, a subscription to the OM Newsletter,
and detailed curriculum materials that correlate with each problem. This membership
entitles the school to enter one team in each of the long term problem competitions for that
school year. A small fee for registration in tournaments is also required. Each problem has
a cost limitation that limits spending to around $100 and students are encouraged to use
throw away items such as cardboard and plastic milk jugs in their solutions. The idea is
that making something from nothing is more creative than an elaborate and expensive
solution. This also allows poorer schools to compete on equal footing with those with
greater financial resources. Often PTO's and corporate sponsors provide the needed funds.
CAN HOME SCHOOLERS PARTICIPATE?
OM encourages children who are home schooled to take part in the program. They may
either compete (with the permission of the school) in an established program within their
regular school district, or they may purchase a home-school membership. Last year, a
division III home school team from Chapel Hill won the North Carolina state competition
and finished in the top ten at World Finals.
WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS LIKE?
The problems are of two types, long term and spontaneous. Long term problems are given
out to members in the fall and students work for many months to prepare their solutions.
These are presented at regional competitions, and from there, winners go on to state
competition ,and finally, the World Finals. The problems require many types of skills
including artistic, musical. theatrical, mechanical and engineering and while each long term
problem may have a specific flavor (there is always a problem that focuses on the arts and
humanities, one that requires building a balsa wood structure, and one that involves either
miniature or ride-on vehicles and some sort of obstacle course), to be successful, OM teams
must have a highly diversified membership. The team that builds the balsa wood structure,
for example, must present its solution to the problem in an eight minute skit that is
evaluated on its style or artistic aspects as well. A brief synopsis of this year's problems is
available at the OM website, and complete problems from prior competitions may be
downloaded for the purpose of evaluating the program. Spontaneous problems are given to
the teams on the day of the competition and may involve verbal or hands-on abilities. A
typical verbal problem might be to name as many types of keys as possible. Students are
given more points for creative responses than ordinary ones. A creative response might be
"key to a test," or "musical key" or even "monKEY" while "car key" would be considered
a common response. Teams are give a couple of minutes to think and a couple of minutes to
give responses. A hands-on problem might ask the team to build a structure using materials
such as straws, spaghetti and marshmallows that is of a certain height and can bear weight.
Points might be given for the number of heavy objects the structure might hold with bonus
points for additional height.
WHY IS OM A GOOD IDEA FOR HYPERLEXIC CHILDREN?
OM values creativity and diversity and rewards divergent nonlinear thinking, skills at
which these children are adept. It also fosters a sense of self esteem in all participants and
puts a great deal of emphasis not just winning, but good sportsmanship and fair play. At
each competition, awards are given to those who embody the spirit of OM. For example, at
World Finals a few years ago, the team from Oklahoma City had a fire on the bus they
were traveling on and many of their props and costumes were damaged. Several teams
donated spare parts and helped the team get the needed materials to make the necessary
repairs so that they could go and compete as planned. Unsportsmanlike conduct is
discouraged and actually penalized and the resounding message among OM participants is
that it is OK to be different. I have coached teams in which LD students who were not
very successful in academics were given a new sense of intellectual pride by working with
academically gifted students who were amazed at these students' problem-solving skills and
treated them as intellectual equals. They understood that intelligence comes in many forms,
not all of them traditionally recognized in school.
A team is made up of five to seven members, but only five team members are allowed to
present the actual solution or participate in the spontaneous problem. This allows
hyperlexics to be a part of the team without the pressure of performing in competition if
they are not comfortable in doing so. Their input is still valuable, and they are rewarded as
a team members, but some of the stress of performance is eliminated. For example, a
hyperlexic team member may be very uncomfortable in solving a verbal spontaneous
problem, but might do extremely well in a hands-on one. He might be comfortable
performing a well-rehearsed script, but be uneasy about an unpredictable spontaneous
problem, or, she might choose to be a nonperforming member in both types of problems,
yet still be an important member of the team.
The team is small enough and works together for an long enough period of time for the
hyperlexic to develop a rapport with other team members. The solution is often divided up
into component parts (you figure out the steering system for the vehicle and I'll design the
costumes) which can allow the hyperlexic to work independently, bring ideas back to the
group and make revisions based on the team's input. This independence coupled with
working as a team is ideal for the hyperlexic style.
A younger child with advanced skills in an area of expertise, such as mechanical design,
may work with a team of older children. The age limitations has no lower limits, only upper
ones. This allows a hyperlexic to utilize the advanced skills and interests with older
children.
HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE?
OM has a very good website at www.odyssey.org where you can learn about the program in great detail. The web page is easy to navigate and there are also links to many of the state associations which have sites as well. You may also write to :
Odyssey of the Mind
PO Box 547
Glassboro, NJ 08028
A great way to learn about OM is to visit a competition and see the teams present their
solutions. Check the OM web page to find out when and where your regional competition
will be held.
This Web Site was created by Charlotte Miller. I welcome your comments and feedback. Please write to me at
Hyperlexia@GeoCities.com.
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