Instruction for Teachers
 

Methods

With the Entrepreneurship Tools, problems can be analyzed agilely, creatively and vividly. Solutions can be found, and complex organizational functions, levels and work processes can be presented in a simplified way, thus immersing the user in the world of entrepreneurship.
All methods are created as 2 to 4-page PDFs. These commonly include:

  • a short description of the content,
  • the learning objectives associated with each method,
  • a timed guide to the implementation as an orientation aid
  • a canvas for the method (not avaible for all). 

 

Implementation in teaching

The entrepreneurial process is never a straightforward one. Usually the process follows many iterations, tests, evaluations or readjustments in practice. The toolbox can, therefore, be seen in several ways as an application that serves as a situational decision-making aid for teachers and their teams. In the following we give you an overview.

1) Program planning

Entrepreneurship is, in its essence, an “act of generating and developing an idea for validation“ (Prince et al., 2021, p.29).

Therefore, the phase model according to the so-called Inquiry Cycle (inquiry-based learning) helps to structure both the process of entrepreneurial projects and the project teaching itself according to phases. These can serve as orientation for a longer period, e.g. over a semester, for a 3-day seminar or a short 2-hour workshop. The Inquiry process, which has many similarities with the widely used Design Thinking approach, is an extremely useful meta-method for supporting entrepreneurial processes.

2) Situational coaching

Typically, teachers in project-based entrepreneurship courses take on the role of coaches. It is usually necessary to support students and their teams individually in their competence development.
Two options are available for this purpose. The EntreComp Framework of the EU provides the orientation to 15 competences, according to which one can order the methods. Another possibility is the selection of the so-called Future Skills, as defined by the World Citizen School.

a) EntreComp Framework of the EU

The selection according to the EntreComp Framework of the EU makes it possible to sort methods according to 15 competencies. EntreComp is a free, flexible reference framework that can be adapted to support the development and understanding of entrepreneurial competence in any setting.
It has the potential to be used in a variety of ways including:

  • supporting policy and practicing to develop entrepreneurial skills
  • assessing entrepreneurial skills
  • supporting training of educators, trainers and teachers to deliver entrepreneurial skills
  • design programs and learning opportunities
  • recognize and certify skills

EntreComp can be used across sectors and be a key support for collaboration and development work by educators, trainers, employers, professional bodies and policymakers.
Further information (EntreComp Website)

b) Future Skills (according to World Citizen School learning philosophy)

The selection of Future Skills allows sorting by a total of 6 competencies: Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Citizenship and Collective Reflection. The competencies are based on the 21st century skills formulated by the OECD and various educational organizations. For the educational work of the World Citizen School, we have added the competencies “Citizenship” and “Collective Refection”.

Further information on the work of the World Citizen School Association.
And for German speakers: Detailed information on the World Citizen School model and its Social Innovation Education approach is available on this website as Open Educational Resources.

Literature

Bacigalupo, Margherita, Panagiotis Kampylis, Yves Punie, and Godelieve Van den Brande. 2016. “EntreComp : The Entrepreneurship Competence Framework.” Publication Office of the European Union.

Ikeda, Sanford. 2021. Entrepreneurship in Action Space – The Power of Student-Run Ventures.

Lackeus, Martin. 2015. “Entrepreneurship in Education: What, Why, When, How. Entrepreneurship360 Background Paper, 2015.” OECD. https://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/BGP_Entrepreneurship-in-Education.pdf%0Ahttp://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/BGP_Entrepreneurship-in-Education.pdf.

Prince, Sam, Stephen Chapman, and Peter Cassey. 2021. “The Definition of Entrepreneurship: Is It Less Complex than We Think?” International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research 27 (9): 26–47.

Wihlenda, M. (2018). “The World Citizen School – A Space for Self-Organized Learning of Socially Engaged Student Initiatives.” Zeitschrift Für Hochschulentwicklung 13 (2): 141–54.

Wihlenda, M. & Brahm, T. (submitted). “The Social Innovation Camp – Fostering Social Entrepreneuring as a Process.” Journal of Social Entrepreneurship.

Wihlenda, M., Brahm, T. and Greger, L. (2020) Editors. Social Innovation Education. Transformierende Lernprogramme Für Hochschulen. Tuebingen: Tübingen Library Publishing.