Future Problem Solving
Future Problem Solving Students Bring Home Several Awards from State Bowl!
Last weekend, 10 St. Anne School Future Problem Solving teams traveled to San Jose to represent the School at the California State Bowl. These students have been working hard over the last few weeks preparing for State Bowl and came home with some serious hardware, including one team that qualified to compete at the FPS International Conference in June!
Mrs. Abbey Hilliard, Director of Future Problem Solving, could not be prouder: “All of the students showed teamwork, creativity, and an exceptional level of problem-solving. The FPS coaches are so proud of these Knights for being such great representatives of St. Anne School.”
Global Issues Problem Solving - Team Booklet: Junior Division
- 1st Place (going to Internationals!) - Leo E., Darius J., Andres J., Evan W.
- 3rd Place - Brody P., Levi W., Zoe C., Jude I.
- 6th Place - Mackenzie C., Sammie T., Ava M., Lauren B.
Presentation of Action Plan: Junior Division
- 3rd Place - Brody P., Levi W., Zoe C., Jude I.
- 4th Place - Leo E., Darius J., Andres J., Evan W.
- 5th Place - Fernando V., Lucas P., Austin W., Max L.
- 6th Place - Valentino R., Annalise R., Mia S., Vihaan A.
Presentation of Action Plan: Middle Division
- 1st Place - Peyton G., Ava W., Reef S., Evan B.
- 4th Place - Kaitlin G., Sofie P., Grace K., Landry B.
St. Anne School’s Future Problem Solving (FPS) program is designed to develop research, critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork abilities in students grades 3 through 8. The program melds the demanding intellectual challenge of creative problem solving with an interdisciplinary study of the future and promotes interpersonal communication, ethical leadership, and responsible group membership through its various components.
Students learn how to:
- Research topics broadly and discerningly
- Dissect and structure complex problems
- Brainstorm creatively
- Collaborate through teamwork under time pressure
- Develop informed, transparent decision-making
Through participation in the program, students research three to four topics a year in depth and explore social, political, economic, and technological implications. Students meet weekly and participate in two practice rounds to prepare for competitive events that can advance them to the annual state bowl and annual international competitions.
Multiple measures are used to identify candidates for the Future Problem Solving Program at St. Anne School. Students chosen for this program are invited based on a combination of MAP test scores, OLSAT scores, current standing in the program, and criteria-based teacher recommendation. Based on these criteria, invitations for the following year are sent out to students in the spring.
FPS students compete in the Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS). GIPS is a competitive component of FPSPI which can be accomplished as a team of four or as an individual activity in which participants research a series of global topics and learn a six-step creative problem solving process. Problem solvers apply their topic and creative problem solving knowledge to address a charge presented in an imagined situation, termed Future Scene.