Interactive Instruction
| Role Playing | Interviews | Brainstorming | Concept Mapping and Concept Webbing | Concept Formation | Concept Attainment | Cooperative Learning |
Role playing involves participants and observers in a real problem situation. The process allows students to gain insight into their own values, attitudes and perceptions; to develop problem- solving skills and attitudes; and to explore subject matter in another way. The method de-emphasizes the traditional role of the teacher and encourages the learning and listening of the students.
In preparation for role playing, the problem must be clearly defined and the roles must be assigned. Following the enactment, discussion and evaluation take place. In entrepreneurship class, students who are to be actively involved, role play a variety of roles to develop the processes of critical and creative problem solving. Role playing in entrepreneurship allows students to act upon, experience and gain further insight into problem-solving situations and the problem-solving processes that are important components of the entrepreneurial process.
| Role Playing | Interviews | Brainstorming | Concept Mapping and Concept Webbing | Concept Formation | Concept Attainment | Cooperative Learning |
The use of the interviewing instructional method would be to explore and eventually to have students form hypotheses. It is suggested throughout the curriculum that students interact in the community to find information and meet entrepreneurs. This is one of the main goals of Business Education.
It is strongly recommended that interviewing activity be carefully planned. The purpose for the interviews should be explained to the people involved so that the intent of the exercise is clear. Teachers may guide students in following procedures, asking questions, or gleaning information from the situation. Interview questions should be approved by the teacher. The community members should be asked if they are willing to participate before the students go out, and they should be thanked for their assistance upon the students' return. A sample of questions that may be asked during the interviewing process may be given to the community member(s). When students obtain the information, related hypotheses and/or relevance of the information to the curriculum should be noted. Students may prepare a display, give a class presentation or compose a report to summarize the data gathered.
Interviewing may be used often throughout the course. It is recommended that teachers make arrangements with entrepreneurs and organizations to accommodate this activity throughout the school year.
| Role Playing | Interviews | Brainstorming | Concept Mapping and Concept Webbing | Concept Formation | Concept Attainment | Cooperative Learning |
Brainstorming is defined as an interactive method used with large or small groups to generate ideas or to identify possible solutions to problems. Although brainstorming is most often used in groups, it can be used by a single individual. This instructional method can be a way to encourage creative thinking and problem solving with no threat of judgment or evaluation. A variety of solutions can be generated. Quantity and not quality of brainstormed ideas is important to the process. No criticism of possible solutions is allowed as students are encouraged to combine and improve "freewheeled" ideas to create new responses. "Piggybacking" or building on previous ideas is desired in brainstorming. After a brainstorming activity is completed, linkages (webbing) of the ideas may be demonstrated.
In teaching creativity and innovation, students should be encouraged to brainstorm problems openly. The teacher may act as a facilitator in the brainstorming process. In brainstorming all ideas are accepted and no assessment or debate of any idea is allowed. The brainstorming procedure may be similar to the following: Give a group of four or less students a problem, allowing every person the opportunity to come up with a quantity of freewheeled ideas. A recorder will list ideas as accurately as possible as all students in the group are freewheeling ideas. All of the ideas are listed together and later are validated against specific criteria. The best ideas or opportunities can be determined based on the their ability to meet the criteria. This process can allow students to gain self confidence and to become more innovative.
| Role Playing | Interviews | Brainstorming | Concept Mapping and Concept Webbing | Concept Formation | Concept Attainment | Cooperative Learning |
One of the most useful methods for promoting creativity is to brainstorm a host of ideas and then to connect them to form a sequence or pattern. When a webbing of brainstormed ideas is completed by a group of students, each student may build upon the brainstormed ideas of others.
Concept webbing may begin with a concept presented in the middle of a page. From that concept, a group of students may brainstorm all related concepts that they feel are relevant or that flow from that initial concept. Concepts will multiply as more and more concepts are generated and presented on paper. Each individual within the group may build upon the concepts of others. This technique is particularly useful for generating ideas.
Concept mapping is designed to show meaningful relationships between concepts. The difference between concept mapping and concept webbing is that "mapping" is hierarchical. Webbing is more free flowing and does not need to be hierarchical. Mapping can make clear to students the key ideas to focus on. It can show new relationships between concepts and can "stretch" the student's mind to see things in a new perspective.
| Role Playing | Interviews | Brainstorming | Concept Mapping and Concept Webbing | Concept Formation | Concept Attainment | Cooperative Learning |
What is a concept? A concept may be concrete (a business), abstract (entrepreneurship), or graphic (entrepreneurial cycle).
Concept formation involves the recognition that some objects or events belong together while others do not. Students are provided with data about a particular concept and are encouraged to classify or group the data. Once the objects have been grouped according to a particular categorization scheme, the grouping is given a label. This type of strategy could be used when identifying profit or non-profit ventures or opportunities and ideas. Teachers may ask students to identify and list a number of items found in a setting, group the items that belong together using common characteristics, label the groupings, and rearrange and relabel items into subgroups, if students feel that is possible. The teacher is the initiator of the activity and guides students as they move cooperatively through the task.
| Role Playing | Interviews | Brainstorming | Concept Mapping and Concept Webbing | Concept Formation | Concept Attainment | Cooperative Learning |
Concept attainment focuses on learning or understanding what characteristics may be useful for distinguishing between members and nonmembers of a grouping or class. Concept formation has already taken place. The focus is on the categorization of meaningful groups. An example in Entrepreneurship may involve dividing marketing research into primary research and secondary research. Although this is a simple example, the strategy of concept attainment has implications when discussing many issues.
There are key elements necessary in defining a concept.
Names: |
term given to a particular group (marketing research) instances of the concept (primary and secondary) characteristics of the objects (data collected first-hand or collecting second-hand data) refers to the range within which a characteristic exemplifies the concept |
The process of attaining concepts deductively may include a number of steps:
The inductive approach promotes higher-order thinking skills and may be used as follows:
If the concept is to be retained, practice must take place. A review of the definition of the concept is necessary at the end of the lesson. Also, a connection to learning that took place in the past and will take place in the future should be provided by the teacher.
| Role Playing | Interviews | Brainstorming | Concept Mapping and Concept Webbing | Concept Formation | Concept Attainment | Cooperative Learning |
Cooperative Learning is mentioned often within this curriculum. Group work may not have been used often in the Business Education classroom; however, to employ the C.E.L.s of Critical and Creative Thinking, Communication, Personal and Social Values and Skills, this instructional method will be very useful.
Large Group. Teacher and students may meet in a large-group setting regarding issues to be considered. Students express their perspectives and the teacher maintains the role of official. Everyone should speak. The teacher may ask one or two prepared questions and the students may respond by writing in a journal. Another method for completing a large group meeting may be to summarize information on the blackboard or overhead projector. Students may record the information.
Small Group. Small groups run most efficiently with three to five people. The teacher should "shape the scene" before students move into groups. A recorder and reporter may be appointed in each group. Students may be asked to focus on asking questions, expressing feelings, expressing support or non-support, or brainstorming to solve a problem. A group checklist or a cooperative worksheet may be created. Each person in the group should be encouraged to respond. Students then report back to a large group or to the teacher. When all responses are in, the teacher and students may discuss the implications of the ideas expressed.
Prior to a group session, students may submit names of students they wish to work with for a specified period of time. It is recommended that the teacher try to match individuals (put at least one person requested by an individual into each group). Groups may be rotated often.
If students are making decisions such as analyzing a case study, they should be accountable for their decisions. They may follow a decision-making/problem-solving model such as: identify the problem, list possible solutions, list consequences of suggested solutions and select the best solution. They may use a student worksheet where they list:
For example, students may be put in groups to read an article, discuss the elements and compare similarities. The group may be asked to give information (facts) or to give opinions (personal values, feelings).
Pairs. Each pair may be given a sheet of paper to record ideas. One person must be designated recorder. The teacher gives directions and will circulate and intervene to clarify the task to the students, to prompt additional responses, or to act as a resource person. Students may submit their responses in print, in written form, or by drawing. When the teacher sees the pairs have run out of ideas, each group may give one example from its list to be shared with the class. A pair may respond several times. This would lead to a large group discussion. A pair may also be asked to present its findings or conclusion to the class.
Cooperative learning may be used in many classroom situations. The cooperative learning structure must meet the needs of the learners. Is the purpose of the group strictly cooperative or will it have a competitive or individualistic element to it?
An entire unit may have the students divided into groups. The groups should be heterogeneously formed with creative thinkers/less creative thinkers, male/female, varying cultural backgrounds, if applicable. To be aware of the social skills and abilities that can be attained or developed through group work, group members should focus on one cooperative skill or ability at a time as indicated by the teacher. Another method may be to assign roles for the students until interpersonal awareness becomes part of their day-to-day routine. These social skills or roles may include: active listening, paraphrasing, perception checking, encouraging participation of all members and using non-judgmental description.
The heterogeneous groups may remain the same or they may change (for example midway through a unit). A change would allow different students to work together, to get to know each other, and to learn from each other.
Student assessment, student self-assessment and student group-assessment will take place throughout the units.
The positive outcomes of the group process should be the achievement of desirable social skills and abilities as well as the increased content and process achievement of all group members. A summarizing activity may be done as a group disbands to make the students aware of what they have accomplished together. When students first experience cooperative learning groups, these questions may draw attention to the roles individuals assume within their groups; for example, a leader, a communicator, a person who resolved conflict, or a negotiator. Also, every student should have a chance to lead, record, report, encourage, or be involved at some time in the various roles that are identified for the group members. Over a longer period of time, students will become aware of those roles assumed by individuals in social situations.