science

Future Problem Solving Program International

Future Problem Solving Program International is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Future Problem Solving Program International rather than just read about it. In short: Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI), originally known as Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP), and often abbreviated to FPS, is a non-profit educational program that organizes academic competitions in which students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to hypothetical future situations. The program looks at current technological, geopolitical, and societal trends and projects those tr…

Key takeaways

Future Problem Solving Program International belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Future Problem Solving Program International to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Future Problem Solving Program International from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI), originally known as Future Problem Solving Program (FPSP), and often abbreviated to FPS, is a non-profit educational program that organizes academic competitions in which students apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to hypothetical future situations. The program looks at current technological, geopolitical, and societal trends and projects those trends 20–30 years into the future in order to train students to develop solutions to the challenges they may face as adults. FPSPI was founded by creativity researcher Ellis Paul Torrance in 1974. Today, thousands of students from over 14 countries participate in the program each year. Most FPSPI components are open to students who are in the equivalent of the U.S. grade level range of 4 through 12. Divisions range from junior (4-6), middle (7-9), and senior (10-12+)

Structure

FPSPI consists of state and nationwide organizations called affiliates. Each affiliate is responsible for conducting the competitions which take place in its own geographic area. Students begin preparing for competition at the start of each school year. Depending on the affiliate and the type of competition, there may be regional, state, or national levels of competition that take place during the year. Only the winners of any given competition qualify to proceed to the next level. The highest level of competition takes place at the annual International Conference (IC), which is held in May or June, at the end of the United States' school year. The IC is held at the campus of a public university in the United States (the country with the largest number of competitors), with a new location being chosen every two years.

Pedagogy

FPSPI was originally founded to train students to use a specific six-step problem-solving process:

Identify challenges that exist in a given situation. Pick a high-impact "Underlying Problem" to focus on, formulated as an attainable goal that addresses the problem. Brainstorm solutions to the Underlying Problem. Develop criteria that measure solutions' positive impact on people affected by the Underlying Problem. Evaluate and rank the solutions using the criteria. Develop an elaborated Action Plan based on the highest-ranking solution. The original Future Problem Solving competition—now known as Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS)—evaluates students' competency in using this problem-solving process in the context of a fictional future situation. Students in the GIPS competition are grouped into grade level ranges and may compete as individuals or as teams of four. Prior to each competition event, FPSPI announces the competition topic (such as "Artificial Intelligence" or "Oceans") and provides a list of suggested readings. Students spend 1–2 months researching the topic with an eye to potential future challenges and solutions. At the beginning of the competition, students are given a Future Scene (FS), a one- to two-page document that describes the hypothetical future situation having to do with the pre-announced topic. Competitors then proceed according to the six-step process. Students are graded on their correct application of the process and on their use of cited research and creative originality. FPSPI later developed additional programs that make use of the six-step problem-solving process, or that otherwise train students in creative critical thinking. In the Community Problem Solving (CmPS) competition, students are evaluated on how well they apply the process to present-day problems in their own community. The Action-based Problem Solving (AbPS) program adapts the process for classroom use. In the Scenario Writing competition, students write a short story, set at least 20 years in the future, based on one of the GIPS competition topics. The Scenario Performance component is similar but is geared toward students who prefer telling stories through oral communication. Finally, students can also compete in the Presentation of Action Plan competition. After completing the six-step process in two hours, students then immediately begin work on a second competition called "Presentation of Action Plan" in which they illustrate their final solution by preparing and performing a skit.

Topic history Each year on June 1st, FPSPI releases the four topics for the Practice Problem 1, Practice Problem 2, Qualifying Problem, and Affiliate Bowl competitions for the following school year. Since 2024, they have released the World Solutions Challenge topic on July 1st for that school year. Finally, each year on March 1st, FPSPI releases the International Conference topic for that school year.

Notable alumni Allison Schroeder, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Meganne Christian, astronaut and researcher Jack Petocz, LGBTQ+ Activist

References

External links Future Problem Solving Program International

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Future Problem Solving Program International

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Future Problem Solving Program International claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Future Problem Solving Program International before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Future Problem Solving Program International ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Future Problem Solving Program International

In research: Future Problem Solving Program International appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Future Problem Solving Program International in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Future Problem Solving Program International is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Educational organizations based in the United States, Educational programs, International non-profit organizations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Future Problem Solving Program International outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Future Problem Solving Program International in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Future Problem Solving Program International means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Future Problem Solving Program International out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Future Problem Solving Program International in simple terms?

Why does Future Problem Solving Program International matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Future Problem Solving Program International?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Future Problem Solving Program International.