What is the educator's role in the creation and operation of a school-based enterprise (SBE)?
As outlined in Assumption #2 in the Preface, this guide assumes that the educator's primary role is to ensure that students are learning from their SBE experience. To maximize this learning, we encourage teachers to use student-centered learning as the basis for working with students. REAL Enterprises has found the use of the following two related teaching tools to be especially helpful to educators interested in utilizing student-centered learning:
| 1. | The Experiential Learning Cycle (see Figure 1), as described in the REAL Entrepreneurship Curriculum Guide(1994). |
| 2. | Case
Western Reserve University professor David Kolb's FORMAT approach to
understanding learning styles, which maintains that one way to understand how
someone learns is to focus on the learner's preferences for taking in
information (on a continuum of concrete to abstract) and for processing
information (on a continuum of active to passive). For example, a student who
prefers to take in information abstractly and process it passively will be
comfortable in a classroom where lecture is the primary method of teaching.
Conversely, a student who prefers to take in information concretely and process
it actively is likely to learn best in a laboratory environment. Understanding that students prefer a range of learning can help an educator learn to teach "to all learning styles." All students thereby have a chance to learn in the way they prefer for some portion of the class, while being challenged to expand their comfort zone at other times. |
The activities suggested for use in Sections II and III of this guide provide learning opportunities that can complement "traditional" teaching methods and help teachers expand their range of teaching styles. The Learning-Style Inventory Self-Scoring Inventory and Interpretation Booklet,available from Hay/McBer Training Resources Group, Boston, Massachusetts (Phone: [800] 729-8074; website: TRG_McBer@haygroup.com) is an excellent resource for teachers interested in utilizing Kolb's approach to assessing learning styles. The References and Additional Resources section of this guide lists other publications describing how to use Kolb's model.
Figure 1
The Experiential Learning Cycle
Like an employee in a large company, a teacher in a school system--large or small--must operate within the constraints and rules of an existing organization which, in turn, must operate within the constraints of a state department of education. All organizations, and the people who operate them, can be resistant to change; an educator seeking to implement an SBE or change the way one operates is bound to encounter resistance.
In essence, an educator trying to implement a new program is acting as an entrepreneur within a system--that is, as an "intrapreneur." While there are no hard and fast rules for intrapreneurial success, here are three suggestions for making the process of internal innovation easier.
| 1. | Have a plan and clear objectives.
Taking the time to formulate a plan of action upfront and determine your objectives for the SBE can help you prioritize your efforts and articulate what you are trying to achieve. |
| 2. | Know your limitations and find allies who can help.
A myth about entrepreneurs is that they are "loners" who rely only on their own abilities to succeed. In fact, successful entrepreneurs know their strengths and weaknesses and are able to get help with their areas of weakness. Similarly, an educator innovating in a school setting needs help from others to succeed. |
| 3. | Treat other stakeholders as customers.
Ask yourself, "What does my administrator have to gain from an SBE?" "What do parents and community members have to gain?" "How about students?" Helping potential stakeholders of the SBE understand its benefits can assist in overcoming barriers. |
While little has been written about intrapreneurship in secondary school settings, the References and Additional Resources section of this guide contains several suggestions of books about intrapreneurship in the corporate and higher education settings.
Not necessarily. While a driver's education teacher will usually be riding along with student drivers (facilitating the experience), there are aspects of the process that must remain in his or her control. For example, it would be irresponsible of the teacher to let a student keep the keys overnight, and it would be unrealistic to expect the students to take responsibility for maintaining the car's oil level. Furthermore, there are times when the teacher may need to take the wheel (to demonstrate parallel parking) or lecture (to impart information on traffic signs).
Similarly, the educator working with students in an SBE will need to be flexible. In certain situations, it will be important for the educator to retain control. For example, any SBE handling cash requires strict financial and teacher oversight, due to the legal and public relations importance of handling funds correctly. Other aspects of the enterprise may provide opportunities for students to exercise their own judgment once they have gained a basic understanding of the tasks. In these cases, an educator might provide some direct instruction and then take a more facilitative role. In general, it is important that the educator be comfortable with a range of roles and a variety of teaching methods.
If you are a teacher contemplating starting an SBE, we suggest that you pause to consider the following questions:
| 1. | Are you willing to commit time to helping run a business? How much? |
| 2. | Are you willing to try a variety of approaches to teaching? |
| 3. | Are you willing to give up some control of your classroom? |
| 4. | What are you willing to risk? |
There are, of course, no right or wrong answers to these questions. However, because of the demands inherent in any SBE, no matter how small or simple, if a teacher's answers to the first three questions are not positive, then an SBE--at least one that provides quality learning and entrepreneurial experiences--may not be a good choice.
Deciding what you are willing to risk can help you determine how much control you'll need to exert and the questions you'll need to pose to students. For example, are you willing to risk . . .
All of these instances can be rich learning experiences, but you (and your students) must determine the level of risk you are willing to accept.
Teachers working with SBEs face many of the same challenges that a driver's education teacher does. Not only must they help a group of young people with different skills and temperaments "keep the car [SBE] on the road," they must organize and deliver a classroom component which helps students make sense of the experience of driving a car (running an SBE) and avoid costly errors.
Based on REAL's experience working with a number of SBEs and observing and learning about others, Figure 2 summarizes the "7 C's," a list of seven key issues that are critical to creating a profitable SBE from the perspective of both money and learning. Teachers can use these "7 C's"--Commitment, Control, Cash, Continuity/Closure, Community, Cooperation, and Curriculum--as a guide in the design and operation of SBEs.
The activities and strategies suggested in this guide touch on each of the C's in some way; the questions posed in Figure 2 are only intended as a starting point for teachers. Depending on the SBE chosen by a school, certain C's may be more important than others. For example, if an SBE serves a market outside the school, then Community will be a particularly important category to explore.
Figure 2
The Seven C's for Successful Student-Run School-Based Enterprises
| Key Questions | Strategies for Success | ||||||||||||||||
| Commitment |
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| Control |
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