What an Odyssey of the Mind Coach should do:

• Organize and schedule meetings of the team
• Set rules and regulations for behavior at meetings
• Set up a timeline for task completion
• Guide activities
• Set up and practice Spontaneous problems 
• Be sure the team has updated clarifications
• Secure materials requested by the team (but don't select things for them)
• Secure experts to demonstrate/teach the team new skills, if necessary.  Remember that someone may teach basic wiring or how to work with a sewing machine, but the team members (and only the team members) must apply those skills to their solution themselves!
• Meet with parents to explain rules, philosophy and your meeting schedule.  Set up a snack schedule.  For younger OMers (and some of the older ones), snack is a BIG part of the meetings/practices.
• Stress the importance of each member's attendance.
• Oversee that all paperwork for the tournament is completed.
• Distribute information on tournaments, directions and schedules to parents/relatives.
• Instill the Odyssey of the Mind spirit in your team.  Remember, if you emphasize the score as the only measure of their success, you could be setting up your team to feel like failures.  Please EMPHASIZE that the learning process, the experience, and FUN are the goals to achieve.

 (adapted from the VOMBO Coaches Guide)

Comments

Search

CoDo  - Yes! and...   |Administrator |2008-09-27 20:00:54 I would also add communicate, communicate, communicate! Parents are a huge part of the team, and they need to feel part of the team. The more they can get together and work together, the better it is for the team as a whole. Don't be shy about asking for help. (For crying out loud, that's how most of us got into it). Also, snack is not optional. I don't see it going away anytime soon, and my kids are soon to be Div. 3 (actually, it just gets bigger). Plus with some parents, it's the only time you see them. And for new coaches, double check that paperwork thing. Make sure you read the Program Guide. Make sure you read the program guide. That was said twice ON PURPOSE. I know from experience. Just don't ask.

Only registered users can write comments!

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."