This week has been the start of our journey with the Future Problem Solving NZ competition. 12 students have been chosen to take part in a stream called Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS). (Other students will be engaging with the thinking strategies related to this initiative in the coming terms.
I have been looking for a way for our Whakaaro students to engage with global issues for a couple of years now. With our beloved Tournament of Minds suspended for 2021, it is the perfect opportunity for us to engage with FPSNZ.
I have to say, the programme is tough! It's tough to coach (there's a lot for me to learn) and it's a real challenge for the students to relate to the material presented to them. I'm often proud of these kids but this week has blown me away. They all knew they would have to 'buckle up and hold on tight' for us to get the first stage of the competition completed by its due date of April 15th and they have given their 'all' this week. We have had big conversations and their ideas have been challenged as they learn to give weight to their opinions, back up their assumptions and tackle a problem from a global and futuristic perspective.
Stage one of three is almost complete. This has involved an initial brainstorm of what we know about youth participating in competitive sports. Then we built on that knowledge through shared conversation and some group research to build our vocabulary around the topic. The teams have been looking at a comprehensive Future Scenario related to youth participating in competitive sports set midway through this century. They have had to draw either 10 (Year 5&6) or 16 (Year 7&8) problems from their scenario. The next step will be to ascertain an underlying problem, which, if solved, would overcome a number of the initial problems identified.
I'm grateful to the students for their tenacity, commitment and their willingness to trust me and give this a go! Looking forward to Stage 2 and 3 before the end of the term!
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