Do School Better

Tim and Alison recall the poor quality of the solutions presented to the first business CEOs in a semester and why the deliverables were not as important as the process. They also discuss how the use of an electronic portfolio captures student growth and fosters the critical skills of reflection and self-assessment.

Tim and Alison discuss the different types of presentations students experience in this course. They also explain how students shift away from their inclination to prove mastery of content and to the presentation of a compelling story. They discuss the extraordinarily high quality of student presentations in this course and how that develops.

Tim and Doris discuss the critical role of technology in Hawken's Entrepreneurial Studies program. Tim explains his beliefs on educational technology along with practical ways to get started for the less "technically inclined."

Tim and Alison discuss the importance of a growth mindset for teachers and students in this radically different kind of learning. They also explain why answering questions with questions promotes critical thinking, problem-solving and student ownership of the learning.

Alison reflects on her experience at the Hawken School Educators Workshops, how she had to learn as much as possible for the fall semester and how she is surviving as a "teacher-in-training." Doris and Alison discuss why teaching this course requires dynamic and flexible lesson plans and how it is completely different than teaching specific content in a traditional classroom.

Doris explains why all learning must be relevant, meaningful and timely. To illustrate, she describes how she leveraged the shortcomings of student research in a first business problem in order to drive deep learning on the second business problem.

Doris explains the process for building a program and how it can be grown in many different ways outside of a traditional classroom setting. She explains the role of piloting in education and the importance of identifying which resources you have and which ones you need.

Doris explains the role of citizenship in Hawken's Entrepreneurial Studies program and why she claims "we already have a social entrepreneurship class." Doris describes how News Circle brings the rest of world into the class and the long-term, positive impact it has on the students.

Doris defines entrepreneurship as turning ideas into successful realities. She explains why an entrepreneurship class is a powerful vehicle for mastering skills and why the current celebrity of the label "entrepreneurship" threatens the educational quality of entrepreneurship education.