In students' shoes
Teachers try Lerner College's new economics and entrepreneurship competition
2:31 p.m., July 24, 2015--Two centers in the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics have partnered to create a new competition designed to bridge the gap between elementary and high school entrepreneurship and economic education.
Each year, elementary students participate in the Meaningful Economics and Entrepreneurship (ME*) Competition offered by the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship and high school entrepreneurs compete in the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship’s Diamond Challenge. But few activities support this type of education for middle school students.
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“If students had an interest that they were developing in elementary school, there wasn’t any way systemically to reinforce that,” said Barbara Emery, program coordinator for the CEEE. “I think it’s imperative for us to meet those kids’ needs.”
The centers’ first step in meeting this need is the Just Being Entrepreneurial (BE) Competition for middle school students, scheduled for May 2016.
The Just BE Competition joins the economic and financial lessons of the ME* Competition with the Diamond Challenge’s teachings on the entrepreneurial process and what it means to be an entrepreneur.
During the competition, students will be presented with a problem and asked to present a creative and entrepreneurial solution to a panel of judges.
Julie Frieswyk, program coordinator for the Horn Program, said that the Just BE Competition will help middle school students to strengthen valuable skills, like creative confidence and persuasive communication, for today’s changing economy in which industries “completely change seemingly overnight.”
Frieswyk explained that this environment means educators must provide students with the skillsets necessary to be adaptive and flexible, as well as teach students the entrepreneurial process of recognizing opportunity and creating solutions.
“It’s a very applicable, real-world skillset,” Frieswyk said, which will allow students in evolving markets to “either take a job or make a job.”
Teachers try Just BE
Last week, teachers interested in the Just BE Competition had the chance to experience the competition from the students’ perspective at an introductory workshop hosted by the CEEE and the Horn Program at the Lerner College.
After an explanation of the program and an open discussion, teachers were split into teams and presented with their problem to solve, just as their students will be.
But while in May competing students will face a problem designed to be interesting to their age and skill level, the teachers worked to create entrepreneurial solutions for “the summer slump,” which occurs when students, especially those with low access to resources, lose months of learning over summer break.
After fast-paced brainstorming sessions, the teams of teachers created visual aids to accompany their projects before presenting to a panel of judges that included Emery, CEEE program coordinator Scott Bacon and director of the CEEE, Carlos Asarta.
The winning idea went to “Build Your Community,” a concept that combines summer education with hands-on community projects for organizations like Habitat for Humanity.
Team members said that the program’s main benefits lie in the “real-life math and reading applications that students can use while helping the community.”
Other winning ideas included the “Environmental Detective Agency,” a summer program that provides opportunities for students to connect with nature, and a CSI-themed camp, “Cultivating Student Investigation.”
Participating teacher and UD alumna Alicia Jefferson has been participating in the ME* Competition for five years in various capacities, but even she got a few jitters before her team’s presentation.
“I’ve been a coach, I’ve been a judge, but I was nervous,” said Jefferson, who teaches at MOT Charter School in Middletown. “It was interesting to take that step back.”
Jefferson said she is glad to see the introduction of the Just BE Competition, because her students who participated in the ME* Competition in elementary school were often disappointed to stop competing in middle school.
What does Jefferson think makes her students like these competitions so much? “The ability to be creative, get outside of the box and apply what they’ve learned in the classroom.”
Jefferson said she hopes that these events, and the weeks of practice her students participate in beforehand, help them to understand that “problem-solving is a life skill, and it can be applied to anything.”
About the Just BE Competition
The Just BE Competition will take place on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at the Executive Banquet and Conference Center in Newark.
The program, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., includes a presentation of this year’s problem, time for team work and pitches to the panel of judges, as well as a presentation by a young entrepreneur and an awards ceremony.
Those interested in learning more about the Just BE Competition are encouraged to sign up for the CEEE mailing list. More information and invitations to register will be distributed to that list later this year.
Article by Sunny Rosen
Photos by Evan Krape