Four Future Problem Solving [F.P.S] Teams (Year 7, 8, 9 and 10) have been preparing assiduously for this week’s Qualifying Challenge on the topic of Agricultural Industry.

After G.A.T.E. lessons in Semester 1 focused on whole-class collaboration on F.P.S. practice problems addressing Food Security and Rising Sea Levels, students were nominated to be part of the qualifying teams. The teams are:

Year 7
Harrison Jones
Elisa Robin
Annabel Truelock
Dominic Vesely

Year 8
Annabel Christensen
Lacey Frost
Flynn Hansen
Henry Teakle

Year 9
Declan Bendeich
Oliver Prickett
Marceline Smith
William Stroud

Year 10
Xavier Jennings
Ashley Jones
Annika Kolomeitz
Hayden Philp
Riley Thorpe

The teams are provided with a 2 hour window in which they must complete 6 steps after analysing and interpreting a ‘Future Scene’ set 30 to 40 years in the future. The students have fully embraced the opportunity to develop the cognitive and ‘soft’ skills demanded by this challenge, and that are essential for our young people to navigate their futures proficiently. Some of these skills include creativity, collaboration, communication, classification, justification, prioritization and considering issues from multiple perspectives, in order to solve problems and make decisions together in an informed and ethical manner. Once their submissions have been evaluated by external judges, they will learn if they have qualified for the Future Problem Solving National Championship to be held in November. No matter the results, these students have demonstrated commitment, enthusiasm, intelligence and cognitive resilience through engaging in this program. Well done!

Sharee Verdon 
Learning Enrichment Teacher