6 Values of Classroom Entrepreneurial Spirit for Engaging Screenagers

Dr Warren presents tracking to improve Engaging Screenagers IMLF2017

6 Values of Classroom Entrepreneurial Spirit for Engaging Screenagers

Why do students say they learn more from teachers who have become entrepreneurs?
Why do students say they love learning from entrepreneurs?
As we studied freshman, year-1 university lecturers over a period of 3 years, we used eWorkbooks (students completedusing their mobile phones) to gather a great deal of data supporting the “Entrepreneurial Spirit” in the classroom.



What we found is Engaging Screenagers reported the Entrepreneurial Spirit was more fun and engaging and helped them learn better in the classroom.


Dr Warren presents tracking to improve Engaging Screenagers IMLF2017
Dr Warren presents research findings to improve Engaging Screenagers











As the definition of entrepreneurship is creating value in society, entrepreneurs by definition are creatively building value for the students.
1 Personalize
Because entrepreneurs spirit is the mindset of helping customers and personalizing the customer experience, Entrepreneurial Spirit teachers personalize the learning experience. (optimal engagement)
In Dylan Williams’ book, Embedded Formative Assessment, he mentioned: “The BIG IDEA is that evidence about learning is used to adjust T&L [Teaching and Learning] to better meet pupils’ needs – in other words, teaching is adaptive to the learners’ needs.”
The teachers who encourage the Entrepreneurial Spirit explore examples that are more relevant to learners and not, “the latest social issue that needs attention.”
Entrepreneurial Spirit teachers are using tools like eWorkbooks (students complete with their mobile devices) continually asking the students questions and getting their different points of view.
Based on the eWorkbook feedback, Entrepreneurial Spirit teachers personalize content for learners in the classroom by infusing the learners’ interests in the learning content for Moments of Growth.
2 Encourage creativity
As the Entrepreneurial Spirit is essentially being creative to build value, the teacher continually models and encourages creativity in the class. (optimal engagement)
As a teacher, lecturer, or trainer, you know that every class has it’s own personality and therefore is better with it’s own creativity.
For example, by using eWorkbooks to curate content in each class and then including that content in ePortfolios, you are curating a reflection of the class personality that is different from all other courses.
In the past, each course seemed to be taught like all other courses (junk engagement), but now we can use eWorkbooksbuild on differences to create different Moments of Growth benefits for the students in each class.
Also, you can use eWorkbooks to curate content to create eportfolios for groups and individuals so they can share their own creativity and learning.
This encourages different types of students. and the experience becomes incredibly interesting for instructors as eWorkbooks change the focus of learning for individual students, groups and courses from one section to another.
Using eWorkbooks, teachers encourage creativity by having students curate examples related teach students’ own interests and then relate them to the learning content.
This process can be quite satisfying for teachers as the interaction and questions from students seems to explode while the students curate examples based on their own interests.
3 Learn from Students
When I was first learning how to teach, one of my trainers told me, “If you aren’t learning from your students then you aren’t teaching.”
As I mentioned before, with the Entrepreneurial Spirit in class the teacher is watching and learning from students preferences and adapting content based on that learning. (optimal engagement)
One day a parent asked me if I thought I was using or taking advantage of these the students, and my response was that I thought I was giving them better learning content.
In University of Colorado I was required to participate in psychology research in order to pass Psych 101 course, and so how is this different?
When I was in graduate school I remember reading a study that described how Aristotle brought on students to help him further his own thinking.
Isn’t the whole purpose of higher education is to learn and further the knowledge of mankind as we find the the truth?
4 Use Authentic Examples
Teaching with the Entrepreneurial Spirit you use more authentic examples and learning content.
This means bringing real examples of real problems you have found in the real world.
Isn’t the purpose of universities to be learning and sharing and understanding the world around us and for individual students?
For example, I was teaching and business communication and mass communication courses, and I would bring real life examples into the classroom in eWorkbooks.
My students loved it and because this was more authentic (and in their hands on their mobile devices) compared to some example from some textbook that was written in another country or culture.
5 Give real life challenges
Again, instead of giving students case studies or other exercises from textbooks, give students focus group topics related to real life outcomes. (optimal engagement)
The students seemed to take the exercises more seriously, and when they take the exercises more seriously doesn’t it make sense they would be more engaged and learn better?

When I asked them why they said they felt that they were actually contributing to real life they seem to be more active were more gauged or interested to see how the answers to the questions that I gave them would turn out in the future.
Learning from information I started this whole blog track that’s build from engagement research that I started 25 years ago.
6 Test Questions and Surveys
You may be saying, “Warren, you were researching your classrooms and I can’t get my institutional human subjects review board (or the name for your institution’s version of this board) to allow my students to participate.”
If that is your situation, then what can you to?
Here is a short list of ideas:
  • Test your questions for reliability and validity by adding a few questions to your eWorkbooks.
  • Ask students their opinions on new topics and product ideas.
  • Include simple A/B tests in your eWorkbooks to do quick interest checks.
  • Test your survey instruments by making them into stand alone eWorkbooks.
  • Use eWorkbooks to test your focus group topics by ordering questions and having students answer in their own eWorkbooks, etc.
Epilogue
Isn’t the world is asking for Entrepreneurial Spirit most all around us?
Can’t you see how Engaging Screenagers would love to be learning in an Entrepreneurially Spirited environment?
Wouldn’t it be a shame if our learners were left behind while we kept forcing them to learn “the old way” when most everything else in our world is changing so fast?

Teach with Entrepreneurial Spirit for better learning.

You can see examples of screen innovations for Optimal Experiences at JOIN THE CURATION: Google+.
Remember to engage tomorrow.
Following with you.
Keep it simple.
All the Best, Warren
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Dr Warren LINGER © 2017
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