Early Years - Foundations
What is enterprising learning in the early years?
From the earliest stages of schooling students should learn to be enterprising.
The foundations of enterprise learning are best developed through enterprise projects. Enterprise projects in the early years reflect, in a developmentally appropriate way, the elements of enterprise learning. Projects should encourage and not limit student’s imagination and creativity.
In the Early Years:
Enterprising projects are authentic when:
- students produce something that is useful to and will be valued by a member of the family, a friend or somebody in need.
- the receiver of the product provides feedback about the value or usefulness of the product.
Enterprising projects are connected to community organisations when:
- an organisation provides a need for something to be done, and/or
- a community member helps students to resolve a project.
Enterprising projects encourage student ownership when:
- the teacher responds to students’ views about ideas for projects.
- students help to plan the project
- students respond thoughtfully to the views of others
- students make improvements in response to evaluations.
Enterprising projects follow a process of design and development when students:
- students explore a need and suggest responses
- students suggest ideas for things that might satisfy a need
- students produce or help to produce products
- students identify 'good points' and 'not so good points' about their solution.
