More than 1,660 participants said “YES” to Brainfinity

We would like to inform you that the registration for Brainfinity – Collaborative Problem Solving Challenge 2020 is officially closed. In less than a month, we received 333 applications from all over Serbia and the region. Hence, 1,332 primary school students in years 5 through 8 and 333 mentor-teachers will take part in the competition. Dear students and teachers, this means that we have made a revolutionary step in education and that you have become a part of the largest STEM competition in the country and the region!

Congratulations on becoming the initiators of modern education in Serbia. You have shown why the education system must follow the requirements of the 4.0 generation.

Why has Brainfinity caused a sensation among students and teachers?

Brainfinity is a unique competition in which students use information technology to solve open-type  problems in a real-life context. The challenges require students to use different skills in math, logic, physics and other school subjects. Moreover, they help them apply practical real-life examples in specific situations.

This is a competition which pushes boundaries and defies old-fashioned, formal and boring competitions because:

• the students have no fear of giving the wrong answer. In problem-solving there are multiple answers and the winning solution is the most sophisticated and efficient one;
• the students solve the tasks in a stress-free and informal environment in which they develop logical and critical thinking skills through play and socialising;
• the challenges draw out the best from each student who are willing to give 100%. By valuing their opinion and that of their teammates, the students learn to collaborate and communicate through discussion and argumentation;
• the form of the competition is tailored to each student. All the contestants will make a contribution, regardless of whether they prefer the visual, logical, verbal or kinetic style of learning;
• the outcome of the competition are not just standings and prizes, but also practical knowledge and usable skills related to creativity, collaboration, communication, problem-solving, and data analysis, as well as digital and financial literacy.

The Brainfinity challenge is on March 14, while the finals are on April 25

Registered teams will be able to put their problem-solving skills to the test on March 14. Given that Brainfinity has been designed as an online contest, the students will have 2 hours to complete 3 tasks from any location. The teams can choose whether they will complete the tasks at home, from a library,  park or cafe, at the school, or any other location. All they require is internet connection and a digital device: a computer, tablet, mobile phone, etc. Don’t forget, the Brainfinity 2020 tasks will be published on the HOMEPAGE of the Brainfinity website on Saturday, March 14, at 10 AM.After the jury has reviewed all the answers, they will shortlist the best teams from each class for the finals scheduled for April at the Institute for Contemporary Education in Belgrade. At the finals, the students will solve new problem tasks and present the answers to the jury, after which the winners will be announced and the prizes given to the contestants.

Valuable prizes for the best teams

The most valuable prize you can get at Brainfinity knowledge and the experience of working together with teammates who share the same interests. However, the best contestants will leave with even more prizes.

ICE will provide the winners of Brainfinity 2020 with medals, trophies and tablets which will help them develop their problem solving skills, critical thinking skills and information literacy.

And here’s a little secret: you can expect lots of valuable gifts from the sponsors.

Teachers, ICE has valuable gifts for you, too

Dear teachers, we have a surprise for you. If your team wins in the final, you will receive a free one-year membership at ICE. The regular price of the membership is 300 euros and ICE services can amount to as much as 2,500 euros. Teachers who reach the finals receive a 50% reduction of the ICE membership, while others get a 20% discount.

In addition to working with colleagues who promote an innovative and different approach to teaching and visiting the modern premises of the Center for Professional Development, you will also enjoy an interactive lecture entitled “From Inspiration to Innovation: Metacognition in Problem-Solving”. The speaker will be Svetlana Belić Malinić, academic director at ICE and finalist of the prestigious 21st Century Learning International Awards, organized each year by Pearson, one of the largest and most distinguished educational institutions in the world. Attendance at the lecture will earn you 4 points for professional development within the institution. But this is not all – you will also receive a recognition letter in which you can place your digital portfolio.

Good luck to all the contestants

The Institute for Contemporary Education and Science on Stage Serbia would like to wish the best of luck to all the registered teams and their mentors. We will see the winners of the first eliminatory stage in the finals scheduled for April 25 at ICE, starting from 11 AM.