Future Problem Solving
The Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP) – available at Central Middle School and Eden Prairie High School - encourages critical and creative thinking skills and developing a vision for the future.
FPSP has a six-step model for problem solving:
- Identify challenges in the future scene
- Select an underlying problem
- Produce solution ideas to the underlying problem
- Generate and select criteria to evaluate solution ideas
- Apply criteria to solution ideas
- Develop an action plan
With the guidance of teachers/coaches, teams of up to four students in grades 4-12 use the model to explore challenges and propose action plans to address the challenges. Ninth graders compete in the FPSP middle division with grades 7 and 8. Sophomores, juniors and seniors compete in the senior division.
Each team completes two practice problems and one qualifying problem at school during the school year, getting feedback as they go from trained evaluators. The FPSP provides some background information for the problems, and team members do further research, mainly over the internet. At CMS, these meetings have been held before school on days that fit best with student schedules, beginning in October. Watch the school bulletins for information about registration. The first problem is due to judges by Christmas break. There is a regional tournament in February for all teams. The top scoring teams on the qualifying problem are invited to FPS bowls held in the spring. Winners of each bowl advance to the international conference in June held in Connecticut or Kentucky, where they compete against winners not only from the U.S. but also Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Malaysia and Russia. Eden Prairie placed 2nd in international competition in 2004 with a group of 8th graders competing in the high school division.
Scenario writing is an optional, individual competition. The top writer is invited to take part in international competition.
** You may see FPS students mentioned in our EPCGT NEWS Applause section as having received a “2-6” award at regional competition. What does the scoring mean? That is an award given after preliminary reading of the problem. The numbers refer to the 2nd and 6th steps of the FPS process – identifying an underlying problem (2) and the action plan (6). These two parts are a good indication of a well-written problem, even though it is still possible to not earn enough points on the other four parts to qualify for state.
For more information on the Future Problem Solving Program, see www.fpsp.org