Vase curriculum

Values and Student Entrepreneurs

Curriculum Contents • Rationale • Purpose • Aims and Outcomes • Values • Entrepreneurs • Teaching Strategies • Summary

1

• Appendix

(sample

lesson

plans

and

work)

Rationale In order to develop successful entrepreneurs it is important to acquire a set of shared values because when young people are guided by a morally accepted set of common values such as

respect

and

honesty

then

their

credibility

as

entrepreneurs will be enhanced.

This values based, entrepreneurial curriculum has been developed so that entrepreneurial skills can be taught combining

what

is

done

with

how

it

is

done.

Entrepreneurs think in new ways to solve problems and find better ways of doing things rather than focusing purely on making money.

Learning about common values builds self-esteem and selfconfidence enabling pupils to work with others.

Teaching

about positive, common human values such as respect and honesty improves the quality of education in schools and develops good citizens for future society.

2

Purpose We are in the midst of an entrepreneurial revolution and it is important to educate our students in the values that are essential components of entrepreneurship.

The concept of

entrepreneurship fits well into the school curriculum as it encourages students to grow personally, academically and professionally which in turn enables them to make a positive contribution to the local, National and world wide community.

Developing

knowledge,

skills

and

understanding of common values will empower them within the entrepreneurial world to deal with successes and failures and enable them to become better enterprising citizens.

To be successful as an entrepreneur, students need to develop critical thinking skills, learn to take responsibility for the decisions and their actions, be able to communicate effectively and get along with all types of people. These are life-long learning skills which will have a positive impact on students now and in the future.

3

Numeracy

and

Literacy

competencies

will

be

taught

through the entire process as students will be investors, producers, buyers and sellers of the products created. The curriculum is inclusive and supported by a range of resources which can be adapted according to age group and capability.

Aims and Outcomes • develop

enterprising

attitudes

and

behaviours

(leadership, team working, cooperation, self-esteem, effort) • plant the seeds of social entrepreneurship in students instilling in them a belief that they can shape their world • inspire creativity • develop numeracy and literacy competencies • equip teachers with practical resources • develop key skills such as team work, creativity and communication • provide hands on experience of running a business • introduce pupils to managing money, budgeting and understanding how money plays an important part in people’s lives

4

• encourage pupils to consider their attitudes towards work and money and what drives choices they make • build important employability skills, such as risk taking, team working, problem solving, communication and financial literacy, all of which they can continue to develop in later life

Values Values enable students to know how they can make good choices and how their choices will affect themselves and others.

If you cheat or lie in a business venture you lose

credibility therefore working under a set of common values gives

integrity

Although

to

the

entrepreneur

not exclusive to

and

the

project.

entrepreneurship, we have

focused on six values:

• responsibility – Responsibility is an underlying value that touches all aspects of an entreprenuer. achieved

through

common

goals,

respect,

It is and

fulfilment of commitments with vision, understanding, passion,

leadership,

education,

accountability.

5

empowerment

and

• honesty financing

-

An the

entrepreneur project

and

must

be

managing

honest the

in

assets.

Honesty, which comes from decisiveness in taking risks and making choices, lets the entrepreneur avoid false security and stay calm amid confusing situations.

• respect - Respect for one’s self and others is essential.

It enables the individual to appreciate his or her efforts, relate effectively to family and community, and motivate others. Respect which stems from pride, hope, and enthusiasm, enables students to be free from obstacles such as low self-esteem, hopelessness, and anger.

• unity

-Results from reliability, working together,

compassion, and gentleness. It allows the entrepreneur to overcome mistrust, selfishness, and ruthlessness as the project deals with members of the team.

• perseverance

-

An

entrepreneur

requires

perseverance to keep a venture strong and eventually bring it to fruition. consistency,

Perseverance, realism, and

strengthens

the

entrepreneur

giving up and helps them to deal with failure.

6

against

• cooperation - The success of an entrepreneur is due to the cooperative partnerships they make. The intellect and passion entrepreneurs display on a daily basis are help

in

achieving

cooperation

with

their

team,

customers and other businesses. They must show that they value and respect the people who are involved in their project.

Entrepreneurship Enables young people from every community and background to experience, understand and engage with the challenging, fun and exciting world of enterprise.

Adopting the mind-set of an entrepreneur at

an early age can have a positive impact on children because it encourages them to follow their passions and interests.

Entrepreneurs look for problems and come up with ideas of how to solve them and make things better.

This then leads to a project or business venture.

The definition of entrepreneurship is the capacity to develop organise and manage a business venture along with any of its risks in order to make a profit.

7

Research shows that

young people who are taught about entrepreneurship show a positive change in attitude and strong success orientation.

Entrepreneurs need an awareness of finance and an ability to use critical thinking, reasoning and problem solving skills for creating products, labelling items, designing logos, organising events etc.

Entrepreneurs also need vision,

resourcefulness, creativity, flexibility, determination, and positive values. By developing these skills at an early age, young people will increasingly survive in a fast-changing workplace, where jobs for life are a thing of the past.

To begin a venture, students need to create a project and develop a new idea, service or product by finding an opportunity, understanding resources, plan the venture, implement the plan.

• work out who their product is for (customers) • design a logo • create a business name • decide on the cost and make a budget plan • decide what customers will need to know • create an advertisement • produce a sales/promotional/publicity activity • sell the idea through the internet, a stand or a stall

8

• check the budget and work out the profit (minus costs) • celebrate • look for another project/venture (In a school setting it is preferable to close the business

at

the

end

of

the

project.

In

the

market place it may be preferable to continue the venture.)

The necessary skills are best gained by students when the teacher has a facilitating role with activities and ideas generated from the students.

Activities for facilitating

thinking, questioning and problem solving skills follow.

Teaching Strategies The

skills,

knowledge

and

understanding

that

young

entrepreneurs need are taught through problem solving, critical thinking, reasoning, philosophy for children, open ended challenges, investigations and questioning strategies.

P4C

(Philosophy

for

Children)

Consists of students

sharing some reading, listening or viewing with their teacher. They take some thinking time to devise their own questions.

In their group they choose a question that

interests them and, with the teacher's help, discuss it together. In the longer term, the teacher aims to build the 9

children's skills and concepts through appropriate follow-up activities,

thinking

games

and

the

orchestration

of

connections between philosophical discussions, life and the rest of the school curriculum. http://www.sapere.org.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=162

TASC Wheel (Thinking Actively in a Social Context).

Below are several links to explain how the TASC Wheel works to develop thinking and problem solving skills. http://community.prometheanplanet.com/en/blog/b/blog/a rchive/2012/07/13/belle-wallace-on-gifted-education-part-4teaching-problem-solving-and-thinkingskills.aspx#.VcSMgflViko

The TASC Wheel Students could have copies of the wheel on their tables to support their thinking/planning. They can start anywhere on the wheel.

10

https://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/thinking-activelyin-a-social-context-wheel-guide-6321271

This ‘rate your enterprise skills’ is taken from the link below and further supports the learning of entrepreneurial skills through

the

use

of

11

the

TASC

Wheel.

https://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/tasc-wheel-forenterprise-skills-6428245

Bloom's taxonomy is a way of distinguishing questions within the education system. It refers to a classification of 12

the different learning objectives that educators set for students and divides them into three "domains": cognitive, affective, and psychomotor (sometimes loosely described as "knowing/head", respectively).

"feeling/heart"

and

"doing/hands"

A goal of Bloom's taxonomy is to motivate

teachers to focus on all three domains, creating a more holistic form of education.

http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm

The posters that follow can be displayed within the classroom to support the students with their thinking and questioning processes.

13

14

15

Summary In using this curriculum to apply appropriate values, thinking and problem solving skills, combining them with creativity, vision and determination, students will be empowered with their enterprises and ventures to become the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Sample lesson plans, outcomes of activities and pupil’s work can be accessed by visiting: https://twinspace.etwinning.net/4444/pages/page/24186 http://valuesandstudentsentrepreneursvase.blogspot.ro http://www.vaseerasmusk2.org/index.html#inicio

16

Entrepreneurship Skills Assessment Criteria •

Standards

Selecting a business idea and justifying the decision.

• • •

Giving advantages and disadvantages of the idea.

Cooperative group work.

Communication skills.

Block of contents 1 : Business innovation. Business idea and plan .

Assessment Criteria

Standards •

• •

Creating a model of business in the classroom.

Creating a shop in the classroom

• •

Description of it’s elements and structure of the company.

Development of the business plan.

Cooperative group work.

Block of contents 2 : The internal organisation of the company. Legal form and resources 17

Assessment Criteria

•

Standards • • • • • •

Paper Work

Company registration Minute book Billing Invoice Check-in Writing letters and giving information.

Bolck of contents 3 : Documents and procedures to implement the company.

Assessment Criteria

•

Standards

Designing the product

•

Market product

•

Analising the need for the product

•

Believing in the designed product Advertising and promotion plan for the product

•

18

for

•

Communication skills

•

Team work

Block of contents 4: Supplies plan.

research

the

Assessment Criteria

• •

Standards Logo Labelling Packaging Slogan Advertisment Stand for the product Selling the product Communication skills Cooperative group work

• • • • • • • •

Creativity Communication

• Block of contents 5: management.

Commercial and marketing

Assessment Criteria

Standards •

•

Planning human resources management models.

•

•

Manage the documentation generated by the process of employee selection process.

• •

•

Assessing the needs of the Company; analysing and job decscription.

Duties of the managers of the company: President, secretary , treasurer.

Profile company representatives.

Rights and duties of members and employees of the company.

Conflict resolution; being assertive and focused.

Block of contents 6 : Human resources management .

19

Assessment Criteria

• • •

Standards • • • • • • • •

Manage Finances Keeping the accounts of the company Financial book: purchases, sales, providers…

Block of contents 7: Finance

20

Mathematics skills: Initial capital Budgeting Loans and interests.

Profits and Losses Discount Counting money Income, expenses balance.

and