We and you, entrepreneurship education day
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Period: Preparation spring 2010, event 17 May 2010 Project title: ‘Myö ja työ yrittäjyyskasvatuspäivä’ (We and you, entrepreneurship education day) Grades in which the project was implemented: Haminan keskuskoulu, grades 1 to 6 Subjects into which the project was integrated: Teachers in charge: All teachers jointly
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Brief description of project: Each pupil prepares a box entitled Me+You=We (adapted from the Junior Achievement Finland programme) where he/she describes his/her strengths and dreams about his/her future and career. On the day of the event, there are info points about various occupations at the school, presented by parents, and in the evening all parents are invited to view an exhibition of the boxes set up by the pupils, to visit the art café and to attend a meeting with e.g. a panel discussion on entrepreneurship education.
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1. Key topic of project: Identifying your own strengths, making dreams tangible and reinforcing self-esteem. Getting to know various occupations. Organising the event was also an exercise in networking. The project was a learning event for the entire school community to work together – pupils, teachers, other staff and parents – according to the curriculum.
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2. Tasks Task 1 “Treasure chests”, or Me+You=We boxes Pupil tasks/responsibilities: Making the treasure chest Teacher tasks/responsibilities: Finding suitable boxes in the school kitchen (milk boxes). Giving instructions about the idea of the box and how to shape it as required. The colour of the box is determined by the pupil’s image of his/her future occupation (question no. 3). The box will have a lid that can be opened, with the pupil’s name and class written on it. The pages of the box will have texts written by the pupil himself/herself addressing the following points: 1. Whom do I admire? 2. What would I like to do when I grow up? 3. What things do I need to be better at to make my dreams come true? On one side of the box there is a ‘Treasure map’, where the pupil can show how his/her strengths are developing. The inside of the box should be lined so that the document stands out. Inside the box the pupil can put documentation of his/her special strengths: - a good piece of writing, - a good piece of handicraft, - a description of a sports achievement, - an image - a recording - an invitation to a performance The boxes are grouped according to the pupils’ documentation and placed on display in the school. The box groupings are labelled by occupation. Outcomes/results: The treasure chests were displayed in the classrooms by occupations, creating ‘exhibition departments’. The treasure chests helped pupils chart their skills and strengths and thereby find their dream occupation and the skills they need to improve.
Task 2 ‘Myö ja työ yrittäjäkasvatuspäivä’ (We and you, entrepreneurship education day), 17 May 2010, 09.00–12.15 for pupils Pupil tasks/responsibilities: Putting the treasure chests on display in the school premises. Teacher tasks/responsibilities: Informing parents about the event and finding volunteers among parents or other partners to talk about their own occupation or enterprise to the pupils. Finding a performer or lecturer suitable for the theme. Outcomes/results: The pupils go around the classrooms viewing the occupational exhibitions, with parents giving 10-minute talks about their own occupation/enterprise. Also, a lecture or presentation in the assembly hall for the pupils lasting about 1 h, about first impressions and their importance (Juhana Helmenkalastaja). Task 3 ‘Myö ja työ yrittäjäkasvatuspäivä’ (We and you, entrepreneurship education day), 17 May 2010, 18.00–20.00 for pupils and parents Pupil tasks/responsibilities: Selecting projects and putting them on display in the art exhibition at the art café. Preparing music performances for the art café, performing them and managing the coffee service together with parents (5th grade, proceeds to be usable by the pupils later). Pupils to present their own box to their parents. Teacher tasks/responsibilities: Event publicity and organising the entrepreneurship education panel. Outcomes/results: Parents tour the exhibition with their children between 18.00 and 19.00 and may visit the art café. Pupil performances and panel discussion on entrepreneurship education in the assembly hall, 19.00–20.00. Assessment The parents’ contribution in the day was particularly good. Brief info spots and rapidly changing themes kept the pupils interested. The speaker in the assembly hall was not as good as we would have hoped; this part could be replaced with some other presentation about the ‘world of the grown-ups’. Elements for such a presentation were already there – the rescue services and police equipment in the yard – but the speaker hired wanted a longer slot than had been planned. It would have been wise to stick to the original plan, since the speaker clearly did not have enough experience in talking to small children. Some of the parents who contributed were not given time off with pay by their employer, and the local authority in particular was inflexible in this respect. The evening event went very well as far as the exhibition and art café were concerned. The panel discussion got a bit sidetracked, as the participants could not help criticising the school based on their own experiences; the point, after all, was to understand the importance of the school as the enabler of the pupils’ future dreams. The panel discussion was technically challenged because of poor PA, but otherwise it was a good choice, as a panel discussion is easier to follow for a TV generation than a lecture. Publicity was fairly good. The local newspaper never managed to run a story, even though a journalist visited the event. As it happens, this was a positive sign, since project days should be considered normal schoolwork, not newsworthy one-off events. Scheduling the entire event in early evening would be better for the parents. If the event were held during the last week of the school year, it would function like a good old-fashioned school exhibition. The school’s spring Garden Party could be combined with this to keep the number of annual special events within reason.
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3. Links to subjects:
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4. Project links to working life and society at large / the environment? Links to working life: Presentations of occupations/enterprises by parents. Links to society/environment: presentation of rescue services and police equipment in the yard.
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5. Partners 1. Partner and role in the project: Parents presenting their occupations.2. Partner and role in the project: Rescue services and police presenting their work in the school yard.3. Partner and role in the project: Lecturer talking to the pupils in the day and participating in the panel discussion in the evening. The panel discussion also included entrepreneurs and a teacher involved in entrepreneurship education. |
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