In the last few years, primary education has seen its share of changes. There has been a systemic and structural change in the way education is approached. From abandoning age-od customs, traditions and practices, education today is all about holistic development, technology integration and character development.
Many leading educationists and counselors are of the opinion that primary school education should stary integrating some entrepreneurial learnings. This is not to say that you should start teaching young children who have just started to read and write how to create business models.
Being entrepreneurial is kindling a spirit that involves-
- Creative problem solving
- Imaginative solutions to issues
- Enabling leadership development
- Collaborating in small teams to address problems
- Adapting to different environments
In this article, we are going to discuss an issue that is slowly gaining traction in international schools. We look at some important reasons why entrepreneurial knowledge in primary school education is important.
Is Entrepreneurship an Inborn Trait or can it be Taught?
There is a lot of debate and discussion on the fact how entrepreneurship is something that cannot be taught. However, educationists, teachers, and counselors would like to respectfully disagree. They point out that entrepreneurial traits are present in each one of us, just like the tendency to learn music or pick up mathematics.
Given the right direction, training, and exposure, an entrepreneurial spirit can become a deciding force in a child’s life. It does not matter whether they grow up to become entrepreneurs or not. It mostly refers to creating, developing, and nurturing a set of skills and processes (including mental approaches) that can be labeled as entrepreneurial in nature.
The answer to the question- can entrepreneurship be taught is a resounding YES!
If educations can start at the earliest possible levels of education at the primary levels, the same can be sustained, developed, and nurtured at secondary, college, and higher levels. However, at the primary levels, the seed for the same needs to be planted for it to flourish at later levels.
4 Major Ways how Schools should Start Integrating Entrepreneurial Spirit in Children
In this section, we discuss four major ways that schools can help in planting the seeds of entrepreneurship in young children-
1. Focus on Imagination and pushing the boundaries of what is possible-
Not taking no for an answer when it comes to solving problems is something that can easily be encouraged in young children. Using one’s imagination to counter and address issues where a standard response is not available can happen through early learning exercises. This will develop a chain of thinking in young children that will force them to use their imagination.
2. Being Creative in problem-solving and addressing challenges-
Following from the first point, while imagination is all about thinking, this point pertains to the creative execution of the challenge at hand. Creative thinking should be encouraged at a young age as it helps train and prepares the brain for later years of development. This sentiment needs to be encouraged as it can lead to children really understanding who they are from a young age.
3. Putting in place Innovations to find answers and unique solutions-
For example, an individual challenge ‘A’, has four straightforward solutions. Teachers should encourage children to go beyond those four set solutions and find innovative solutions that might become the fifth and sixth options to tackle the challenge. Out-of-the-box innovative thinking can help the child become confident and have a major impact on his or her personality.
4. Working in teams to address challenges and issues-
Young children are taught the values of sharing at a very young age. This helps them become better individuals later on in life. Similarly, young children should be put into small teams and asked to work together with one another to solve a problem at hand. This will help them understand how to divide resources, share responsibilities and work towards a common goal- problem-solving.
The Bottom Line
There is no doubt that acquiring skills or measuring the same is not the same as asking kids to recite the two tables. However, a sustained effort is required to ensure that these skills and aptitudes are imparted at an early age.
Being entrepreneurial is not only about starting businesses and becoming job creators. It is also about using the entrepreneurial spirit and addressing problems in a specific kind of way. The sooner you start this, the better are the chances that you are giving children to explore their fullest potential later on in life.
Do you think young children should be allowed to be taught entrepreneurial elements at the primary education levels? Let us know what you think about the statement in the comments section below.
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