Entrepreneurship
Education
From Thinking, over Learning
to Turning Ideas into Action:
OPEDUCA BusinessClass
From Thinking, over Learning
to Turning Ideas into Action:
OPEDUCA BusinessClass
Intro
BusinessClass particularly sees to the development of youngsters’ belief in their own ability to develop, evoke change, achieve and belong, be of value to society and themselves. The development of an entrepreneurial attitude is seen to complement the growing understanding of a more sustainable future with the capacity to envision change, re-steer from the present, create and rebuild. The ability to turn ideas into action is taken as the common denominator of human’s capacity to create change, be agentic, effective - entrepreneurial. BusinessClass focuses on behavior, the development of an entrepreneurial attitude and competences. The capability to transfer thinking into entrepreneurial action in a socially responsible way key. From a schooling perspective, OPEDUCA BusinessClass comprises Entrepreneurship Education, Entrepreneurial Learning and Business Education - all with a clear and present focus on Personal Development.
Developing students’ capacity to become the entrepreneur of their sustainable future is seen to build and strengthen a students’ sense of self-determination, of a shapeable future and autonomy based on awareness such a future is open. Following the principle that youth is at the core of ESD, which implies they are not predestined, not to be assimilated in what we created but seek and realize what should be in place. As the collective effort rests in the quality of the individual, the student is first approached from a personal development perspective, working by ways of an empowerment program.
There is a convincing body of research underlining that entrepreneurial skills and attitude empower students’ participation in education, recurring terms being creative problem-solving, critical attitude, risk-taking, collaboration and discipline (Bronte-Tinkew & Redd, 2001; Pellegrino & Hilton, 2012; Rosendahl, Sloof, & Praag, 2014). The student's future orientation is generally the prominent focus as it is widely acknowledged an enterprise education approach allows greater student ownership of the learning process (Jones & Iredale, 2010).
As the collective effort rests on the quality of the individual, the student is first approached from a personal development perspective, working by ways of an empowerment-program. Largely in a group setting with peers while focusing on each person, cross- as well as in-depth interviews and exchanges mark the pathway of the first Empowerment Phase as the first part of the BusinessClass trajectory. Students exchange opinions and feelings with regard to where they presently stand, what is to be expected of life and how they ponder and question matters that occupy them daily. Recurring issues are notions of achievement, what made one proud, setbacks experienced, lessons learned, wishes and dreams. Specifically addressed are amongst others the value of money, savings, (delayed) consumerism, debt, the value of goods and possession, to from there observe the working of social structures and societal systems.
In between a series of practical exercises is carried out, most gentle and with a joyful character, yet always with a deeper meaning (goal-setting, planning, cooperation, teamwork, expression).
The goal is to set youngsters’ minds free and gradually exchange thinking in restrictions and limitations towards a sensation of development. The empowerment phase has no objectivating or normative perspective; no sense of ‘right, wrong, or better, is not predominated by certain values and not framed by contemporary sustainability notions. The approach intends to contribute to the student's own understanding, to self-awareness of the person-student, relating present position and potential future to their education.
The development of youngsters' capacities to turn their ideas into action, gain entrepreneurial knowledge and skills, is an integral part of the OPEDUCA Concept. BusinessClass focuses on these qualities and the general capability to transfer thinking into action in a socially responsible way, to see and manifest what is needed and not there yet - to create. It is the innovative, self-conscious and responsible student who can determine a more sustainable development of our society. At the same time, entrepreneurial skills, attitude and behavior in turn contribute significantly to the quality of education.
Also BusinessClass is integrated in the whole of the OPEDUCA Concept - unlike most initiatives in the field of Entrepreneurship training BusinessClass is not a stand-alone nor an add-on to schooling i.e. education.
OPEDUCA BusinessClass unfolds as Flight for Knowledge is underway and students gradually gain more insight in the world beyond school, starting out in their Open Educational Region. While they switch back and forth between school and society during Flight for Knowledge, students gradually grow a body of experience and develop and voice ideas, opinions if not plans of their own. From there BusinessClass particularly sees to the development of youngsters’ belief in own ability to turn ideas into action, to develop, evoke change, achieve and belong, be of value to society and themselves. This development of an entrepreneurial attitude is seen to complement the growing understanding of a more sustainable future with the capacity to envision change, re-steer from the present, create and rebuild. The ability to turn ideas into action as the common denominator of human’s capacity to create change, be agentic, effective, entrepreneurial.
The choice to introduce students to the concept of a businesscase is a means of effectuation, partly a metaphor to further the process of the empowerment phase. It aims at their understanding of values, how they are created, used and relate to each other. Taken from the field of Accounting, the function and working of a company is explained by an introduction of a Balance sheet and Profit- and Loss account, meant to provide for a framework for the registration, measurement, processing and transition of values. Each element is linked morefold to real-world phenomena and their composition.
During the process, the student's personal finance and behavior is addressed to allow easier access to concepts, consequently used later in the process to link a company’s responsibility in sustainable development to the personal and social realm.
Working towards a Businesscase, students are challenged and facilitated to contact and visit Partners in Education (complimentary to Flight for Knowledge) in daily practice in order to reach a more realistic understanding, explore the breadth and depth of the case they are working on. Tapping from their real-world learning in progress and interests to work on, teams are formed of students with alike ideas.
As in Flight for Knowledge, the process is participatory, the teams however fixed for the duration of the process. Students are intended to materially and meticulously construct their Businesscase, moreover in the foresight they will have to present it for a live audience and jury, comprising entrepreneurs, representatives from the creative sector and teachers. Alike Flight for Knowledge, the presentations are functional to develop transversal skills in communication, presentation, design, critical thinking, argumentation, role-play and cooperation.
In entrepreneurship we also see qualities as passion, perseverance, dedication and effectuated moral. Traits crucial likely to offset and overcome the neoliberalist profit-oriented reality that manifests itself in the unsustainable side of the Welfare-dimension.
"Your genetics loads the gun,
Your lifestyle pulls the trigger"
The development of entrepreneurial qualities is approached from the perspective of a student’s intrinsic capacity; OPEDUCA BusinessClass thereto positioned in the realm of raising personality and only secondary as an instrumentalized transdisciplinary education. It thereto starts with a process of personal awareness and empowerment, the students’ understanding and eventual experiential construction of a Businesscase instrumental to it. The complex of both to develop youngster's capacity to become the entrepreneur of their sustainable future. The process aims to build and strengthen a students’ sense of self-determination and a shapeable, open future. Here lies one of the determining differences between the OPEDUCA Vision and -concept and ESD as its been tried for too long. We see and respect youth as the future itself - they are not predestined, not to be assimilated in what we created.
Mark Rutte (Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010) interviewing OPEDUCA BusinessClass Finalist Sven Collaris in 2005
Finalist Igor Stel became one of the most original and daring Entrepreneurs in the region.
Thinking in Solutions and Action
Developing students’ capacity to become the entrepreneur of their sustainable future is seen to build and strengthen a students’ sense of self-determination, the capebility to shape and autonomy, based on awareness the future is open. Honoring the belief Youth is at the core of (Education for) Sustainable Development, implies they are not predestined, not to be assimilated in what we created but are enabled to seek and realize what should be(come). As the collective effort rests in the quality of the individual, the student is therewith first approached from a personal development perspective.
Largely in a group setting with peers while focussing on each person, cross- as well as in-depth interviews and exchanges mark the pathway. General issues addressed are one’s living situation and -conditions, hobbies, sports and jobs, to from there proceed to self-knowledge and -reliance, responsibility, the sense of initiative and ownership of one's study- and working career. Students’ opinions but also feelings are exchanged on, seeking to formulate where they stand now, what is to be expected of life and how they ponder and question matters today in that regard. Recurring issues are notions of achievement, what made one proud, setbacks experienced, lessons learned, wishes and dreams. Specifically addressed are amongst others the value of money, savings, (delayed) consumerism, debt, the value of goods and possession, to from there observe the working of social structures and societal systems.
Introducing students in entrepreneurship and the economic realm, their awareness/understanding of monetary and adjoining values is developed in parallel during the entire BusinessClass trajectory, first from the perspective, experiences and questions most near to them, then by relating what they learned to their own (financial, economical) status and behavior. In the course of the process also the BusinessCase-development is constantly 'interrupted' to further expand on financial aspects i.e. literacy, therewith gradually integrating Financial Education into formal education systems.
As enterprises are in the core of our (im-)material welfare value chains, OPEDUCA BusinessClass comprises aspects of creating, managing and (re-)steering an enterprise as such in order to later better understand the considerations, present and possible futures of our (unsustainable) production processes. Taking this aspect into account from a positive, productive, perspective is another reason the OPEDUCA Concept clearly differs from earlier and also contemporary ESD which generally takes a stand against the industry to begin with.
Encompassing Financial Literacy and Enterprise Education, Entrepreneurship Education focuses on creativity, daring to set goals, to empower and trust, cooperating with others, realizing mutual goals, adding value to cooperation and to society at large. Briefly said, in OPEDUCA Entrepreneurship is about the essence of capacity development to turn ideas into action. Thereto in BusinessClass but also in each other instrument and activity, established entrepreneurs play an important role.
Obvious students' understanding of the function, characteristics, challenges and future course(s) of our society is served by the ability to observe and understand the world from an economic perspective (from micro to macro). Thereto what is seen as subjects in traditional education (accounting, cost-calculation, marketing, etc.) becomes integrated in OPEDUCA BusinessClass.
As the OPEDUCA Concept does not start out from the 'business'-perspective but from personal development, 'Entrepreneurial Learning' should here be observed as the set of values engaging and motivating students through (real-life, meaningful, self-directed) learning experiences, feeding their will and capacity to develop, to learn, therewith enriching their education.