Back to ETC Toolkit

Understanding Enterprise Skill Development through Reflective Practice (QAA 5)

Objective:

To provide student group with the underpinning to support the development of their own personal reflective practice

To embed reflective practice into student learning

To evidence the skills that learners have already developed

Overview:

This quick activity works well as an ice-breaker in any large group where you are seeking to establish a practice of reflection and build skills through your teaching. Most learners benefit from really understanding this within the context of their own experience, recognising that they bring to their formal education, a wide range of prior learning.

Activity:

By introducing the words "enterprise" and "entrepreneurship" ask the students to write down their initial thoughts. Ask them first to write down when they have been either enterprising or entrepreneurial and consider if there have been other examples in their lives. Question them to consider whether they are different, and what does it make them think about (you can include TV programmes, role models, famous people, current news topics etc) to encourage everyone to have made a note of something (such as Dragon's Den, Richard Branson, Anita Roddick, etc).

Ask them to share these initial notes (withholding any personal stories they wish) and then share again (if the room permits, you can ask them to share in a group of 4- 6 but within a lecture theatre you can ask them to share "left" to create small discussion groups).

As tutor, you now need to seek feedback from the group to create a clear understanding of what makes something/someone enterprising or entrepreneurial (attempting to define the words).

Seeking feedback can be done verbally in a small group, using flip chart with the tutor seeking comments from each group to help form an understanding of these terms. However in a lecture theatre, it is possible to provide each person with a post-it (use different colours for the different words or ask them to write at the top of the note what they are defining) to write down what they consider to be a component of enterprise or entrepreneurship. Collate these responses and explore with the group through discussion examples (famous and personal experiences of prior learning) of what constitutes these terms.

It can be fruitful to allow the groups (or 2s) to discuss this wider response in the context of their thinking and experience and reflect upon this together. Invite them to make notes and share any key learning.

Introduce the QAA Guidance terminology and themes and ask whether the group to comment on these, against their group and team understanding. Ask them to consider (in groups or 2s) how this relates to their subject or profession and whether these skills and behaviours are useful to professionals working in their field.

You can use the definitions within the QAA Guidance or the Enterprise Graduate Outcomes Themes which underpin the ETC Toolkit (below).

Creativity and Innovation

Opportunity recognition, creation and evaluation

Decision making supported by critical analysis and judgement

Implementation of ideas through leadership and management

Reflection and Action

Interpersonal Skills

Communication and Strategy Skill

Draw their discussion to a close with an invitation to do further consideration and reflection on their own approach to problem solving, creativity, judgement and evaluation etc and to consider why reflection, and action, are a key element.

Ask them to determine what action they will take from their own reflection in this area (to keep a learning diary / skills journal or to reconsider their CV or profile; to reflect more regularly; to consider prior experience within learning tasks and challenges etc) and if possible, return to this commitment to act in future weeks to remind them of their individual challenge and to comment on progress.

Skill Development:

This activity is designed to draw out fears, thoughts, ideas and practice as quickly as possible. Using post-its to collate ideas can be powerful in depersonalising the comments made, and still encouraging every student to participate. However the wider impact of this activity is the reflection and challenge to reflect and act.

By connecting education/topics to their lived experience, students are more engaged with the subject and can start to make connections which typically they refer to in other classes.

By referencing this activity and inviting students to reconsider their understanding, you are building their exposure to reflection and developing a "habit" which is transferable across their learning. It can be difficult as a tutor (time keeping) to ensure that you retain sufficient time at the end of any class or activity to reflect, but by having this tangible group experience to make reference to, the group can be invited to discuss this further each week in their friendship groups and comments can be taken at the start of the following week, as well at the end of the task.

Resources:

References:

Author / Attribution

This guide was produced by Alison Price, Enterprise Evolution.