Part 1 — The Shifting Ground: Why Students Need Problem-Solving from the Start

The first rung of the career ladder has broken. The starter tasks — data entry, scheduling, drafting, formatting — that once taught young people the rhythms of work are now automated. Students will be expected to bring judgment and initiative much earlier.

That reality ripples backward into schools. If the “practice rounds” later in life are thinning out, the practice needs to happen earlier. Children must be given structured chances to face problems, name what’s happening, and shape next steps — not once they graduate, but as part of school itself.

This piece is Part 1 of a four-part series on equipping students for a future without entry-level jobs. Each article introduces a practical framework — simple enough to use in any classroom, but powerful enough to help students practice the skills machines can’t replace: problem-solving, adaptability, decision-making, and connection.

Why problem-solving matters

Problem-solving is not about finding the one correct answer. It’s about navigating the messy middle:

• Identifying what’s wrong or missing.

• Imagining how things could be better.

• Defining what needs to change to move closer.

• Taking a step, learning from it, and trying again.

This is a cycle students of any age can practice. An eight-year-old can use it to think about recess routines. A thirteen-year-old can use it to make group projects work more smoothly. A sixteen-year-old can use it to prioritize which school issues deserve real attention. The pattern is the same, even if the stakes grow with age.

A framework you can try

Here’s a simple framework we often use called What Needs to Be Done? It takes 45–60 minutes with groups of students:

1. List negative experiences. Give each student sticky notes to write down challenges or obstacles they notice in their school community (one idea per note).

2. List positive outcomes. On another color of notes, have them write down the improvements they would like to see.

3. Identify what needs to be done. On a third color, students define the needs that would move things forward.

All you need is a board (or a large sheet of paper) and sticky notes. Divide the board into three sections — Negative Experiences, Positive Outcomes, What Needs to Be Done — and have students place their notes in the right column. As the board fills, you can highlight or cluster themes so patterns become visible.

This framework is flexible: it can be used in a single classroom to improve how one subject is taught, in a faculty team to address a school-wide issue, or in a mixed group of students and staff co-creating solutions together. It can even be scaled up to policymaking conversations, where including students as co-creators ensures their perspectives shape real decisions.

Background: “What Needs to Be Done?” was designed by Belong Hub as part of the Leadership Kit. Within the kit, it is positioned as the third framework — but it also works as a standalone practice. Schools can use it individually or integrate it with the other Leadership Kit frameworks for a fuller experience of student voice and leadership.

For a follow-up, ask a smaller group (two or three students and a teacher) to sort the “What Needs to Be Done” notes into an urgent/doable grid:

• Urgent + Doable → act on first.

• Urgent but Harder → plan for later.

• Less Urgent → note and revisit.

This small step turns a flood of ideas into a clear shortlist the school can actually act on.

What shifts when students do this

The shift is immediate. Students stop debating blame and start focusing on solutions. They see that even small steps matter, and that trying something imperfect is better than waiting for perfect answers. Quieter students often contribute more, because the framework requires every voice to be seen.

When faculty and students use it together, the dynamic also changes: instead of adults designing solutions for students, they design them with students. That sense of co-creation strengthens trust and ensures changes reflect real needs.

For schools, this turns “student voice” into more than a slogan. Instead of a pile of complaints, you have structured, prioritized needs captured in students’ own words. That makes it easier for staff to respond, easier to share with parents and boards, and more motivating for students—because they see their input actually shape outcomes.

Why now

AI will continue to advance at predictable tasks. Schools don’t need to prepare students to compete with machines. They need to prepare them to do what only humans can: notice problems, clarify needs, build solutions together, and learn from action.

If the entry-level is gone, then problem-solving is the new entry ticket. And the earlier students start practicing it—in classrooms, meetings, and councils—the more confident they’ll be when the ground shifts under them.

Next in this series, we’ll look at adaptability: how students and staff can flex together when plans change, instead of getting stuck.