On the afternoon of 25th November, the LIV and MIV (Years 7 and 8) learnt that great problem solvers are made, not born, when The Problem Solving Company came into school to present us with a carousel of challenges. In order to break the codes of an escape box or complete a ‘Toxic Waste’ puzzle, our pupils needed to adopt an open and ever-curious mindset, use their mathematical knowledge and adhere to a systematic process for cracking inscrutable and ambiguous problems.
Through the ‘Stepping Stone’ task, they learnt to have a 'dragonfly eye' view of the world, seeing a problem through multiple lenses, experimenting relentlessly and tapping into their collective intelligence. The girls also learnt to listen to each other when faced with some physical challenges, such as the ‘Skyscraper’ and ‘Magic Carpet’, that could not be conquered without the full collaboration of their team.
The aim of the afternoon was for the LIV and MIV to develop their friendships through teamwork, whilst learning strategies to become more confident and resilient. All girls learnt to deal with a range of emotions from despair to frustration to euphoria. Both year groups achieved exceptionally high results, with the LIV being awarded the ‘Team Building Winners’ cup.