Dive Brief:
- Many teachers take the easier path when teaching entrepreneurial skills, helping students start a business, but one researcher identified five key skills that are essential for entrepreneurs outside of actual business plans.
- According to eSchool News, Cheryl Lemke, president of education technology research firm Metiri Group, points to tolerance of ambiguity, calculated risk-taking, persistence, evidence-based reasoning and self-direction as five critical skills teachers should focus on fostering.
- Warren Apel, soon-to-be director of technology at the American School in Japan sees social media marketing and communication skills as two others that should be taught more in classrooms.
Dive Insight:
The number of new businesses has been on a steep incline since 2010. Entrepreneurship makes up an important part of the global economy and, faced with the success of Mark Zuckerberg and other self-starters, today’s students want to be able to make their own products and forge their own path in the labor market. Schools can provide the foundation for these skills.
Colleges are increasingly developing spaces to help students collaborate and build their own businesses, and schools at the K-12 level seem poised to do the same. The “maker” movement is arriving in elementary and secondary schools in the form of after-school clubs and, in some cases, coordinated curricular initiatives. Educators recognize the far broader benefits of innovation and creative pursuits than the final product and want to give students the opportunities to learn throughout the journey.