TEENAGE STUDENTS DO not normally attend school voluntarily on Saturday morning; much less spend two hours creating and solving taxing intellectual problems in strict exam conditions. But prick-up-the-ears comments such as 'it's fun to challenge your brain' and 'this is the best thing we've done' merit further investigation. The occasion was the inaugural competition in Hong Kong of the Macquarie Bank Future Problem Solving Programme (FPSP), held at King George V School on April 24. Four teams of four students from Hong Kong International School and KGV were presented with the same possible scenario of the future, based on the theme of 'Artificial Intelligence'. Their daunting task was to find 16 potential problems arising from the scenario, write them in sentences conforming to a set format, choose the most significant underlying problem and find up to 16 solutions and present the best one, judged against a rigorous set of criteria. 'It is a good way of addressing the needs of gifted kids,' says Catherine Wiebusch, FPSP convenor in Hong Kong. 'Students are encouraged to be creative and innovative; to come up with original thoughts and ideas about the world they will live in as adults.' The rewards, however, are tangible and based more in the present. 'The winner has the right to compete in the Australian National finals in Melbourne in October and the winner of that can go to the United States for the big final after that,' Ms Wiebusch says. She was encouraged to promote the programme in Hong Kong by Valerie Volk, deputy director of FPSP Australia. 'Valerie was the head of my English department at Immanuel College, Adelaide, a private, co-educational boarding school. I was aware that she was a very successful FPSP coach who won the national competition. 'When I came to Hong Kong I attended a conference for gifted education and met a colleague, Audrey Young, who was interested in FPSP and had experience of it in Australia. She also knew Valerie, and we were keen to see it started here.' The first step was to set up a workshop to train about 40 coaches at HKIS, where Ms Wiebusch works as a teacher of humanities. 'I was surprised by the interest and it was really encouraging. And from that group we formed a steering committee that tends to meet about once a quarter to monitor progress and make plans.' Future Problem Solving is the brainchild of Dr E. Paul Torrance who died last year. In 1974, he accepted an invitation to work with a group of gifted students at Clarke High School in Athens, Georgia. The resulting six-step process he devised for creative problem-solving to design and promote positive futures for the society in which the students lived has grown into an international programme involving hundreds of thousands of students of various ages in a growing number of places throughout the world. The steps Torrance's model advocates are that students first identify challenges in a future scene, then select an underlying problem inherent in it. They produce ideas for a solution, generate criteria to justify their ideas and then select the best criteria. Finally, and most importantly, they develop a feasible action plan. The aims of the programme are to get students to think more creatively, develop research skills, relate effectively, improve oral and written communication skills, become interested in the future, solve problems and think critically and analytically. 'An important aspect is the research element,' says Ms Wiebusch. 'Once the students get the future scene then they have to find out as much as they can about the topic to help them generate problems and solutions. This is especially difficult in the competitions as students only get two hours to read the specific scene and use this research as best they can.' Before competition day there were two practice sessions in which teams tackled sample themes of the future to practise competitive techniques and strategies. This year's themes were 'Smart Clothes' and 'Rage/Bullying'. It's not all about competition, however. As well as the competitive programme, schools can opt for alternatives that promote the same intellectual and social virtues. Groups can learn and practise advanced thinking skills using a similar standardised scenario booklet without looking to vanquish other teams. Others may wish to develop their ability to write 1,500-word scenarios enlarging and enriching their own images of the future. Alternatively, students can undertake a real-life activity called community problem solving in which teams or individuals investigate a problem in their community and develop a plan to implement their best solution. There is even a simplified version for lower primary classrooms. Some schools embed the FPSP approach to problem-solving into their curriculum, while others offer it as an extra-curricular activity. One teacher said: 'It really works as an encouragement to a pool of more able students. Because the FPSP structure is quite prescriptive, they need to be able to follow the rules while being able to cope with the technical, social and political aspects.' Although the programme originally was designed for school groups, there is provision for independent students and their peers in, for example, family or youth groups to go it alone. Students can be of different ages and their coach could be a parent or even an older student. There are costs, but these are kept to a minimum. The international Future Problem Solving Program based in Lexington, Kentucky, US, and its affiliates are non-profit making bodies that rely heavily on sponsorship and the efforts of volunteer teachers. Schools pay to register teams in the various categories, but even the most expensive competitive division costs HK$150. This charge is inclusive of research materials, guidance and marking, support for coaches and evaluation of students' work by experts where necessary. FPSP also makes available a comprehensive catalogue of resource materials designed to further support schools, teams and coaches. During 2004, FPSP estimates that more than 6,500 students from throughout Australia and Southeast Asia will participate. Ms Wiebusch was disappointed that there were teething problems with fewer than expected numbers, but is hopeful for the future. 'We have made a really good start and I am sure we can build on solid foundations,' she says. 'We have an enthusiastic steering committee and there are a whole lot of international schools out there who would benefit from the programme. 'These students are high-powered people who will go to top colleges and be movers and shakers in society. If they can be empowered to think more critically and laterally, the planet benefits from their leadership and initiative.' But she sees specific value close to home. 'I think Hong Kong is an international city that is future-looking with particular problems of its own. They are significant and include social, political, economic and environmental challenges. We need to develop students in our schools in all the different sectors who can be proactive in identifying and generating possible solutions to these and empower them to make a difference. It is all about self-motivated learning rather than regurgitation or rote-learning. We need to educate people to think for themselves.' Ms Wiebusch believes schools which teach in languages other than English should participate. 'It is important to give as many students as possible access to FPSP skills and strategies, and with the growing interest we should not restrict ourselves solely to English speakers.' She is aware of various other initiatives in Hong Kong for educating gifted and talented students. 'We can all learn from each other and help each other,' she says. 'It is an exciting field to explore at the moment and particularly relevant to our high-achieving students.' She is at pains to point out the intellectual demands and the rigour of the FPSP programme by declaring, 'It is not a fluffy feel-good club. To get the most from this, you have to be committed, open-minded and enjoy a real challenge.' Not that this is a complete damper on fun. One youngster, entering the room for the gruelling two-hour contest, was seen to playfully punch a fellow team member and say with a wide grin: 'Off we boldly go then into the future, we may never come back.' For information visit the Future Problem Solving Programme at www.fpsp.org
