Trial, Running and Racing

Purpose and process

To stimulate students' ability to critically analyse and assess the strength of their own and others' ideas.

1. Groups of 4/5 students brainstorm ideas on what would be a good, enterprising product or service for their mini-company to develop. They discuss the range of ideas suggested and then vote for the 3 best ideas.
2. In the next stage of the process, they begin developing these ideas, testing their feasibility and identifying the weakest and strongest points about them. They request external groups' or enterprises' critical analysis and unbiased feedback on their project ideas and then choose by voting for the single idea from which will stem their final project.
3. They develop the final project in different areas: financing, advertising, researching the target market, designing and producing the final product; once this has been done, they are ready to go into competition with other groups.

Learning outcomes

Students can:

• Develop valuable personal and social skills and attitudes such as loyalty, honesty and trust among their peers;
• Learn how to give, deal with and profit from constructive criticism - to relate to the implications of real life;
• Improve their resiliance, ability to self-criticise in a positive way, humility and team work spirit;
• Gain recognition for innovative and creative ideas and satisfaction from seeing them acted upon;
• Build enterprising skills, knowledge and understanding regarding: working practices, e.g. in finance, marketing, customer service and product development; decision-making and problem-solving; negotiation and presentation.

Curricular or thematic relevance

This strategic approach could be used in a wide range of curriculum contexts and as a standalone entrepreneurial learning activity. It would fit whenever an enterprise is formed or when it must be remodelled according to market demands.

How to organise:

This approach might work best as an extra-curricular activity on a regular weekly basis as it is entended to last for 8 months:

• research stage = 3 months;
• development = 3 months;
• competition = 2 months.

Assessment and evaluation approaches

Formative peer-, teacher- and external partner-assessment, critical analysis and evaluation are built into all stages of the project; in addition, a competitive spirit is generated both at individual and group levels.

Volunteer involvement

In the second stage of the project, groups are encouraged to invite external partners such as company employees and entrepreneurs to review and critically analyse their enterprise ideas.

Additional comments

This method:

• inspires loyalty, honesty and trust among the students
• teaches them to deal with and profit from criticism
• forces them to relate to the implications of real life.

Provider country

Portugal