Future Problem Solving of NJ

What is the Future Problem Solving Program?

The Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP) is a nonprofit educational corporation administering creative problem solving activities for students in elementary, middle, and high schools. Opening doors to student imaginations since its founding in 1974 by creativity pioneer, Dr. E. Paul Torrance, FPSP stimulates critical and creative thinking skills and encourages students to develop a vision for the future. FPSP features curricular and co-curricular competitive, as well as non-competitive, activities in creative problem solving. Inspiring and motivating, FPSP helps students discover rich and varied ways of thinking. The program teaches students how to think, not what to think.

Who can participate?

The Future Problem Solving Program is open to all students in grades K-12 or equivalent school year levels. A school affiliation is not required to participate. There are 43 FPSP affiliate programs in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Korea, including the New Jersey Future Problem Solving Program (NJ FPS). Annually, over 250,000 students from around the world, including the above countries and Canada, participate in FPSP activities.

How does the program work?

The Future Problem Solving Program teaches a six-step model which serves as the foundation to build dynamic, creative thinking processes:

Identify Challenges Related to the Topic or Future Scene
Select an Underlying Problem
Produce Solution Ideas to the Underlying Problem
Generate and Select Criteria to Evaluate Solution Ideas
Evaluate Solution Ideas to Determine the Better Action Plan
Develop an Action Plan

Students can participate in one of three divisions in competitive FPSP components:

Junior Division - grades 4-6
Middle Division - grades 7-9
Senior Division - grades 10-12.

In addition, the non-competitive Action-based Problem Solving component offers three divisions:

Primary - grades K-3
Junior - grades 3-6
Middle - grades 6-9.

Program Goals

Increase creative thinking, reading, and writing abilities
Improve analytical thinking skills
Stimulate an interactive interest in the future
Extend perceptions of the real world
Explore complex societal issues, ranging from business and economics to science and technology
Refine communication skills - written, verbal and technical · Promote research
Integrate problem-solving into the curriculum
Encourage cooperative, responsible group membership and teamwork
Offer authentic assessment

Components

Team Problem Solving

Under the guidance of a teacher/coaches, teams of four to six students in grades 4-12 use the FPS six-step model to explore challenges and propose action plans to complex societal problems, such as fads, financial security, amateur sports, the Internet and genetic engineering.

Teams are divided into three divisions: Grades 4 - 6 (Junior), Grades 7 - 9 (Middle), and Grades 10 - 12 (Senior) Teams complete two practice problems and one qualifying problem throughout the school year.

Trained evaluators score student work and return it with feedback including suggestions for improvement. The top seven scoring teams on the qualifying problem are invited to the State Bowl held each spring. The winners of the State Bowl in each division receive bids to the FPSP International Conference in June.

In 1998, students from Woodbridge High School in Woodbridge, New Jersey won 2nd Place at the International Conference in the Senior Division of Team Problem Solving. In 2002, students from Park Ridge High School in Park Ridge, New Jersey placed 4th in the Senior Division at the Conference, and students from Freehold Intermediate Middle School in Freehold, New Jersey placed 7th in the Junior Division there as well.

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Individual Problem Solving

In this competition which runs parallel to team problem solving, a student works individually rather than as a member of a team. The individual follows the same six steps on a smaller scale

The top three scoring individuals on the qualifying problem are invited to the State Bowl held each spring. The winner of the State Bowl in each division recieve bids to the FPS International Conference in June.

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Action-based Problem Solving

This year-long, non-competitive component is designed for use in the regular classroom and introduces students to the skills of creative problem solving in a hands-on, non-threatening manner. Teams consisting of four-six students are encouraged to work on two topics, one per semester. Three divisions are offered: Primary (grades K-3), Junior (grades 3-6) and Middle (grades 6-9).

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Community Problem Solving (CmPS)

Teams apply their FPS skills to real problems in their community. A community problem is a problem that exists within the school, local community, region, state or nation. Implementation of the action plan is included in this component. Teams move from hypothetical issues to real world, authentic concerns. The top Community Problem Solving Team projects are invited to the FPSP International Conference in June.

In 2002, students from the Dr. John Howard Jr. Unique School of Excellence in East Orange, New Jersey won the International Grand Championship in the Junior Division of CmPS, having completed a project in which they united and assisted people in their community who had experienced personal tragedies in their lives.

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Scenario Writing

Students compose futuristic short stories (1,500 words or less) related to one of the current year's topics. The first place winner in each affiliate program is invited to the FPSP International Conference. Additionally, the top three essays are entered in the International Scenario Writing Competition.

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