Last Friday, 20 September, Sigulda hosted the logic game “Sigulda Puzzle Day,” attended by 126 youngsters representing 33 teams. 10th graders from Sigulda competed in an intellectual challenge, solving various logic tasks and demonstrating their problem-solving skills, teamwork, and strategic thinking. The team “elzuP” from Sigulda State Gymnasium was the most skillful in solving the tasks borrowed from the prestigious Harvard University. The competition’s winners were determined after a thorough evaluation of the tasks, considering the most correct answers in the shortest time. 1st place went to team “elzuP”, 2nd place to team “Gremlini” and 3rd place to team “KKJP”. All three teams represent the Sigulda State Gymnasium.
Edgars Bajaruns, Director of Sigulda Technology Education Centre: “We are pleased that together with the Riga Business School team and with the active involvement of the Sigulda Regional Education Authority, we implemented the logic game “Sigulda Puzzle Day,” in which almost 130 10th grade students from all secondary schools of Sigulda region participated. This international experience will definitely be a successful stepping stone for the start of secondary school, not only for those students who have chosen to study STEM subjects in depth in secondary school but for everyone, as this event format develops cooperation, logical thinking, creativity, and decision-making skills. We would also like to thank the event sponsors – Luminor Bank, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Acer Baltics, and Baltic Information Technologies, as well as Sigulda Primary School No 1 for providing the event venue.”
Inese Muzikante, Acting Director, Riga Business School: “Such activities help to develop students’ logical and analytical thinking skills, which are essential not only in STEM fields but also in general education and life in general. The event aimed to stimulate youngsters’ interest in science and technology while providing them with practical knowledge and skills that will be useful in the future. We are grateful to Sigulda Municipality for their initiative and willingness to invite the Riga Business School team to host this dynamic learning experience through a logic game in Sigulda.”
Teachers also benefited from the event, as they participated in professional development workshops alongside the student competition, which included three informative lectures. Ronalds Cinks, the lecturer at Riga Business School, gave a lecture on “Predispositions and Thinking Errors in the Classroom,” analyzing teachers thinking errors and their impact on decision-making. Ieva Lejiņa from Luminor Bank gave a lecture on “Financial Literacy,” offering teachers an understanding of the importance of financial literacy in educating young people and discussing personal financial planning. Oskars Java, Director of the Institute of Socio-Technical Systems Engineering at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and a researcher, lectured, “A little bit about science. Maybe useful when conducting a ZPD (scientific research) ” – giving practical advice to teachers on encouraging the development of research skills in students.
The Puzzle Day game aims to portray the essential role of logic games not only in an educational but also in an entertaining context, creating a common platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration. Puzzle Day has gained recognition among secondary schools in Latvia and will be organized in other municipalities this autumn.
“Sigulda Puzzle Day” was organized by Sigulda Municipality, Riga Business School, as a department of Riga Technical University, in cooperation with Sigulda Technology Education Centre and Sigulda Municipality Education Board. The event was supported by Luminor Bank, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Baltic Information Technologies, Brain Games, and Acer Baltics.
