Future Prize for Middle School

How might we empower students to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges?

Students increasingly need to be creative, curious, empathetic, and resilient in our rapidly changing world. Future Prize introduces middle school students (grades 6 to 8) to a methodology and a mindset using innovative problem-solving methods that foster critical thinking and compassion. 

Co-hosted by CIS Ontario and the Future Design School, this opportunity package includes the Future Prize Challenge – a one-day inter-school event – a design thinking workshop where students and teachers work together in an action-packed day of creating technology-based solutions to pressing real-world problems, in addition to developing an exciting final “pitch” to a panel of expert judges.

Preparation for the Future Prize culminating event involves a professional development opportunity for educators to learn the ins and outs of design-thinking methodology. Then, each educator returns to school and forms a “mini-club” quartet with three students. After a month of researching an issue and conducting interviews with real potential users of an app-based solution, all mini-clubs congregate for the culminating Future Prize Challenge day.

Student teams (3 students and one teacher per team) will: 

• Learn about challenges in their local community.
• Build empathy for people impacted by those challenges.
• Develop creative ideas to solve the problem.
• Create a prototype of their solution.
• Pitch their idea to a panel of judges. 
• Foster their creativity, pursue their curiosity and feel empowered to reshape the world around them.

Teachers will: 

• Receive hands-on professional development on how to apply design thinking tools and methods to enhance student learning - teachers learn by doing while participating on a team with students!
• Gain access to curriculum resources to support students through the process.
• Access curated content from around the world about education challenges 
• Take students on a field trip that meets Ontario and MYP curriculum expectations.
• Develop skills in creating hands-on, project-based, personalized learning experiences.