Our FPSB Programs

Illinois-FPSB, Inc.

Our FPSB Programs

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

Serving Illinois since 1980, Illinois-Future Problem Solving Bowl, Inc. is dedicated to teaching students and teachers the collaborative thinking skills for success in the 21st Century.

Program options available through

Illinois-FPSB, Inc:

4 PERSON TEAMS

Designed for grade levels 4-12, the FPSB 4 Person Team component is a statewide, national, and international competitive program. Students form a 4 Person Teams. Students research topics that have implications for the future. FPSB teams apply the 6 step process to three topics annually. A future scene or imagined future story prompts students to tackle social, scientific, political, economic, or technological issues. Teams explore challenges to the future as they refine their critical and creative thinking skills; select one problem area; produce unique solution ideas; and develop an action plan to resolve their specific problem. Students then present a 5 minute skit to "sell" their solution to an audience of their peers.

SHORT STORY (SCENARIO) WRITING

Students in grades 4-12 write a up to 1,500 word short story based on one of the yearly topics used in 4 Person Team competition. As information is gathered and integrated into the scort stories, students personnally experience the impact of applying what they have learned on the topic to the characters in their own story. Student scenarios are completed and sent to Illinois-FPSB by the middle of January each year. The first place students in Illinois are invited to attend the International Conference, in June each year, and represent Illinois. Students may submit Young Author's stories as long as they meet the Illinois-FPSB criteria.

INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING

INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING (CMPS) an individual student from a school or classroom applies the 6 STEP problem solving process to real community challenges. This student gains networking skills as they experience the process of change. School and community are linked more closely together as this student reachs out to solve issues in the real world. A recent winner from Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale Illinois coordinated the gathering of old cell phones for redistribution to the elderly in the community. These phones were pre-set to 911 enabling the elderly in an emergency to call for help. The cell phones were distributed by local law enforcement agencies.

TEAM COMMUNITY PROBLEM SOLVING

In TEAM CMPS a group of up to 15 students from a school or classroom apply the 6 STEP problem solving process to real community challenges. Students gain networking skills as they experience the process of change. School and community are linked more closely together as students reach out to solve issues in the real world. Our team from Alcott School in Chicago during 2002-2003 school year forcused on the West Nile Virus, a critical issues in Illinois. Other teams have worked with the elderly (Gary School in West Chicago), turned flood plains into parks (PORTA H.S. in Petersburg), and teen race relations (Danville H.S.).

ACTION BASED PROBLEM SOLVING

Action Based Problem Solving (ABPS) is the non-competitive classroom program for Illinois-FPSB. It is a year long program for grades K-3, 3-6, or 6-9. ABPS introduces all of the skills of creative problem soilving in a hands on approach. Creative thinking is encouraged as students generate ideas through a number of strategies. The K-3 program uses Fairy Tales to teach the process. Grades 3-6 and 6-9 work on two topics, one each semester to teach the students. Previous topics choices have been: the elderly, water pollution, endangered animals, school safety, anf literacy. Each year teachers have a number of choices to choose from. At the end of the year, students present their information in an Action Fair (similar to a Science Fair).

INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION

This Individual competition is the same 6 steps as the 4 person team competition only students compete as individuals. Students qualify by submitting an individual booklet at a regionals for scoring. A single first place State of Illinois student in the Junior, Middle and Senior Division, advances to the INTERNATIONAL BOWL. This competition takes place on a single Saturday date in March of each year. There is NO Individual State Bowl Competition. All advancement is now done through the Individual Regional Competitions starting in March 2007.

NOTE

WINNERS IN EACH OF THESE PROGRAM COMPONENTS ADVANCE TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE.