Four students in the final of the international Future Problem Solving competition in Indiana

We are excited to share this incredible news with our educational community. Four of our Secondary students have passed the regional phase of the Future Problem Solving in the "Open Affiliate" division, qualifying for the international final that will take place next June in Indiana (USA). 

We are talking about Alberto, Elisa, Jana and Martin from Year 7, who in the regional phase tested their problem-solving skills and abilities against 21 teams from France, UAE, India, Pakistan, Canada and USA. Of those 21 teams, 16 made it to the second round and of those 16, only three have been invited to the international conference. 

Kerryn Koh, the teacher who has accompanied them on this adventure, is really proud of the achievement of these young students, who are only 12 years old. Critical thinking and problem solving is a key skill in the British curriculum, and although they started preparing for it last year, this was their first official competition. "It's a high-pressure exercise that not only tests problem solving but also teamwork and strategy. I am very happy with how they have approached this challenge and I am sure it will be an unforgettable experience for them," she adds.   

For our four stars, reaching the final has been a great surprise. ‘We saw how we improved in each of the tests, going from 130 points in the first round to 250 points in the last one’, they admit. This improvement was also noticed by the jury, who always highlighted their progress in their evaluations, especially notable in their case as it was their first contact with this competition. We were really nervous at the time of the final deliberation, but we are even more excited to be able to live this experience, travel so far, meet Indiana and make many friends from all over the world, let's go for it,’ they conclude. 

Future Problem Solving  

Future Problem Solving is a global event that brings together more than 2,500 problem-solving champions from around the world, who compete throughout the school year at local and regional levels, to qualify for the grand final held in June at Indiana University in Bloomington (USA). At this event, our students will have unique experiences as they compete with their peers and collaborate with new friends. Students will compete in four different rounds, always using their problem-solving skills to address unique challenges designated for the International Conference that affect the global community. This year's theme is air quality. In the past, IC themes have included Intellectual Property, Space, the Global Status of Women, Green Living and more.   

During their participation at the international conference, our Problem Solvers will have to analyse a scenario based on the future, deduce possible problems that may arise and come up with solutions to them, all within a maximum of two hours.   

We wish the Coruña British International School Problem Solvers all the luck in the world, but above all, we hope they enjoy this unique experience, which gives young people the opportunity to find real solutions to global problems in order to change the world.