Week 01: Contemplate

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Contemplate: Introduction to the Course

 

Module #1: Introduction to the Course (June 23 - 29)

I. Essential Questions 

  • Why do we need to start an Entrepreneurial Educators movement?

  • What are the parts of this course and how can we build on one another?

  • How can we help our students become more life agile?

 

II. Introduction to the Course: Core Beliefs

We believe that an entrepreneurial mindset is a critical life skill in the 21st Century.  So that you can begin to understand some of the key notions or core beliefs that have guided us in the course, here is a partial list.  For us, these are the Core Beliefs of an Entrepreneurial Educator: 

  1. Every student in our schools must have a chance to develop their entrepreneurial spirit.  Not with regard to or about money or business per se, but about seeing themselves as lifelong learners, constantly reflecting and improving, constantly investing in themselves, and continually aligning their inner passions to the realities of the world.
  2. Every student needs to view their education and other learning experiences as an investment in themselves and must take an active role in nurturing this investment. The days of passive sit and get learning are outdated.
  3. There is an artificial separation between education and business.  Highlighting the overlaps and synergistic relationships contributes greatly to both fields and society in general.
  4. Students must learn to navigate between multiple worlds;  it is a critical skill of the 21st century.
  5. As adults and educators, we fail our students if we do not enable them to think like entrepreneurs and engage in entrepreneurial activities.
  6. Focusing on one's career(s) should not begin during late adolescence, as a senior in high school or as a college student. This core competency must be developed throughout one’s life.  Start identifying your passions early. 
  7. Risk is an essential element of learning.  We must embrace it to fully realize our potential.

Visit The Entrepreneurial Educator's Diigo resource list Links to an external site. for more resources and citations on Entrepreneurial Thinking. **Diigo Links to an external site. is a social bookmarking tool to research and annotate the Internet collectively. 

 

III. Key Terms

  • Life Athlete: In many respects, Life is a sport, and as in sport, life demands exceptional amounts of conscious and disciplined hard work, and life agility.  True “Life Athletes” are Building a Life Portfolio with a focus on the Life Portfolio elements (physical, emotional, mental, intellectual, financial, spiritual etc.), adapting and changing as is necessary to build a fulfilling and balanced life.
  • Life Agile: A combination of good solid life planning, adaptability, risk assessment, and spontaneity are the pillars to life agility.  Life agility embraces the competitive nature of life and its challenges, and sees opportunities in challenge, and solutions in a problem.  Transition and change are seen as the greatest learning opportunities and failure is seen as one step closer to success
  • Pivoting: While committed and relentless in pursuit of a vision, the act of consciously shifting course towards a modified goal, destination or mission, based on current fact and knowledge.
  • Entrepreneurialism in Education is closely aligned with the four c’s (creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.) and combined with curiosity, adaptability and agility, and understanding of risk, will lead to entrepreneurial students.  Not to be confused with entrepreneurship, entrepreneurialism can be exhibited and demonstrated in a myriad of ways, and for the purposes of the educational system, we are interested in instilling entrepreneurial modeling and behaviors into the system, the educators and the students.
  • Edupreneurs:  Those in the educational system that embrace, implement and drive entrepreneurial behaviors and modeling in their efforts, in their classrooms, and institutions.  They have an understanding and commitment to the alignment between education and private industry, government and not for profit worlds and are committed to instilling lifelong learning aptitudes in all students.
  • 21st Century Learning: Education and learning practices that align to the principles associated with the Four C's: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking (see the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Links to an external site.) 

 

IV. Contemplate Course Videos

 

 

 

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Click the " Next playback_play_icon&16.png" button (bottom-right) to complete the following:

  • Engage with the Course Material

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