Young Entrepreneurs at School - Y.E.S. Innovative teaching method for English and Entrepreneurial Education

1. YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS AT SCHOOL
Entrepreneurship Education & English:
design of cross-curriculum teaching- and learning-activities
Trabajo Fin de Máster – student Karin Eleonora Callipo
Máster Universitario en Formación del Profesorado de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria,
Bachillerato y Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idiomas

2. THE BACKGROUND OF THE IDEA
• Non-formal educator since 2009 establishing my own NGO
• EU policies on the development of the 8 Key Competences promoted by the EC
• Cross-sectorial cooperation with schools, Universities and labour market
• Recgontion of the key role of the «formal» educational system in the society

3. THEORETICAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK
European education and training systems are at the center of the EU education policy debate through:
Europe 2020 strategy specifically defined in the Education and Training 2020 work program (ET2020)
Reasons:
1. European and international economic market, nowadays requires more skilled human resources.
2. Youngsters represent the future of our economy and their up-to-dated professionalism will contribute for a
European Smart, Sustainable, and Inclusive Growth

4. THEORETICAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK
• In line with the reforms proposed in the “Ley Orgánica 8/2013”, 9th December, Y.E.S. proposes an innovative
activity integrated within the Spanish school curriculum and based on the major flexibility of the educational
centers in designing lessons’ contents.
• In line with the Recommendation 2006/962/CE (18th December 2006) of the European Parliament and
Council on the topic “Key Competences for the Life Long Learning”, Member States should foster entrepreneurial
skills through new and creative ways of teaching and learning from primary schools onwards.
• Y.E.S. is a module that combines Entrepreneurship Educational with English traditional lessons based on the
“Learning through skills” in order to guarantee the acquisition of Key Competences by the students in line with
the current needs of the society and the labor market.
• Y.E.S. improve the students’ Self-Direct Learning and Motivation to learn because of 4 factors:
1) Learning-to-Learn; 2) peer-to-peer education; 3) Creativity; 4) studying with real world-experience.

5. THEORETICAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Among the Key Competences, nowadays the “Communication in Foreign Language” and the “Sense of Initiative &
Entrepreneurship” have priority.
Report "Languages for Jobs: Providing multilingual communication skills for the labor market“: the
prominent demand of foreign languages skills in the labor market for a better employability for young people and
the socio-economic growth in Europe.
The Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan (2013) identifies Entrepreneurship Education as a key policy objectives
for the EU and Member States because transversal skills are essential for youngsters to become active, creative and
entrepreneurial citizens.
Role of schools:
States should foster entrepreneurial skills through new and creative ways of teaching and learning from primary
schools onwards, alongside a focus from secondary to higher education.
(Eurydice Report «Entrepreneurship at School» - 2016

6. THEORETICAL AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Y.E.S. is designed taking into account the priority of boosting youngsters’
Communication in Foreign
Language
(ENGLISH)
Sense of Initiative
&
Entrepreneurship

7. • It is inspired to the TBL Willi’s method (Task-Based-Learning)
• It is a educational-tools collection in English based on non-formal teaching method based on
Entrepreneurship
• It allows students to improve their: “Communication in Foreign Language” (English), “Sense of Initivative &
Entrepreneurship” and other Key Competences
• It facilitates the. peer-to-peer eduaction
• It exploits its effectiveness by uploading the tools into an e-platform, like eTwinning, School Educational Gateway, and
creating of partnerships with other European schools at the same grade
• The students work in pairs using for creating a common business idea and using English as working language,
practicing the four main skills (speaking, reading&comprehesion, listening&comprehension and writing)
• The learning process includes all the relevant steps of a business creation: Brainstorming, Market research, Business
plan creation, Marketing strategy for the promotion of the business idea

8. TARGET GROUP OF
General definition:
As stated by Sugata Mitra in “Build a School in the Cloud”, the education system’s challenge is to generate pleasure in
learning. That means if learning becomes the product of the educational self-organization. Teachers becomes
facilitators of the learning process that happens emotionally and in a spontaneous way.
Specific defitinition:
According to the activities proposed, Y.E.S. target group is a group of students attending 4th ESO and generally
provided with a medium level of ICT-usage and a fair B1 CEFR level as starting point.
By simplifying grammar contents to teach, the reading and listening web-resources, Y.E.S. can be adapted for students
attending lower-classes.
Approach suggested:
We are rarely faced with a homogeneous group even if the learners are of the same ESO-class. Therefore, it is
important to communicate clearly with students the lesson methodology.
The teacher role includes to discuss with students about their expectations and the benefits of the learning outcomes in
order to encourage them to be more active as possible.

9. • The 1. step is the creation of a partnership of two school of two different European countries, and to divide the
classroom in teams composed by two students from the two different schools.
• Y.E.S. contents can be created on the base of the English level of the students, the expected learning outcomes of
the annual school plan and the concrete students’ learning needs (they should be as much homogeneous as
possible).
• The teams will be asked to work in accordance with the sequences of e-contents created following the TBL method
based on three type of Tasks: a) Pre-Task (to do alone at home before the English class);
b) Task (to do with the partner during the English class); c) Post-Task (to do alone at home after the English class
and as preparation for the next one).
• To involve other students of the schools to join an e-group, like in Facebook as virtual target market, in order to
create a students’ e-community useful for: a) involving their participation as “I like” voters of the best business idea
created and launched through the marketing campaign; b) motivating them to join Y.E.S. in the next school-year
future
• The same Marketing Strategy tool is also introduced to the entrepreneurs in a similar business sector and willing to
give a feedback about the quality and the innovation of the business ideas. By doing that, the teams also receive a
professional evaluation from the real labor market that helps them, first of all, to become more aware about their
skills, competences, talent and learning process and to know what they need to reinforce.
HOW WORKS

10. My personal Recommendation:
I personally recommend teachers to invest some schools’ economic resources to offer to the young
the possibility to visit his/her partner (like 2 people exchange) or better to create a classroom prize
can be easily funded through an ERASMUS+ Youth Exchange by evaluation, not only the best business
idea, but the best classroom average votes. So that, the whole classrooms will feel more motivated by
increasing the willing to reach the excellence and winning the prize.
HOW WORKS

11. RELEVANCE OF
Y.E.S. respects the Order ECD/65/2015, in Spain, that states that teaching methods that promote the development of competences
and improve students’ motivation are the teaching methods that:
• contextualize learning and include project-based learning;
• focus on interests, case studies or problem solving
• contribute to active participation, experimentation and functional learning
Contextualize the learning
process within business area and
at the same time allowing
students to express their creativity.
It is based on TBL Willi’s method -
project-based learning -
It is focused on own students’
interests (learners’ centred
approach),
case studies (cooperation of
enterprises) and problem solving
because the business ideas start
from the identification of a
problem/necessity to solve
Y.E.S. learning process requires the students’
active participation that experience part of
reality in a functional way

12. ADDED VALUE
1/2
The active involvement of relevant stakeholders:
1) the other students of the partner schools in order to spread Y.E.S. for future uses
2) and especially the entrepreneurs active in different market sectors reachable by
involving Chambers of Commerce
Why should entrepreneurs embrace “Young Entrepreneurs at School”?
Young people are the tomorrow’s ruling class and adults need to invest in increasing their potentialities.
Acquiring such skills contributes both to social or commercial empowerment.
“Young people are the innovation actors”
Martine Reicherts, Director-General for Education and Culture at the European Commission
in “Unleashing young people’s creativity and innovation”

13. ADDED VALUE
2/2
The usage of ICTs allows Y.E.S. to create a real Virtual Mobility’s experiences creating 2 main
benefits:
1. internationalization of the national school culture and indirectly it encourages the
continuing professional development of teachers that can share best practices with colleagues
abroad.;
2. Creating international skilling activities for youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds
(with economic, social and/or geographical obstacles “rural areas”) therefore, including
students with fewer opportunity.
.

14. SUCCESSFUL PAST EXPERIENCES
1/2
A very successful experience is the “MINI-COMPANIES IN SECONDARY EDUCATION” under
the Multiannual Programme for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (2001-2005) coordinated by
the Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission.
The results were then implemented at national levels:
In Italy “Impresa in Azione”
In Spain “Empresa Joven Europea” (EJE)
These kind of actions are often promoted by regional authorities with regional funds and/or and bank and other financial
institutions. As well as, these kind of activities require extra school-hours

15. SUCCESSFUL PAST EXPERIENCES
2/2
Among the successful examples of both experiences, “DiVino Ricordo” of Marco Polo school in
Tuscany, really called my attention, because I find it really capable to show the potential of youngsters’
creativity that Y.E.S. wants to stimulate with the support of teachers and entrepreneurs.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkA13aXdNxQ
Business idea explaination
“DiVino Ricordo” is the results of the simulation of
a business that takes inspiration from the need of
recycling waste, and in this case the bottle of wine
was re-used becoming a glass that bring in its own
nature the heritage of the wine and the whole
Tuscany territory.

16. ADDED VALUE IN
COMPARISON WITH PAST
EXPERIENCES
Differences to demonstrate the relevance
Mini Companies at Secondary School Young Entrepreneurs at School – Y.E.S.
It is a method to teach “Entrepreneurship” It is a method to teach “English and Entrepreneurship”
It is implemented at national level, like in Spain It is implemented at international level
It is in line with the national education
systems reforms asked by EC
It is in line with the national education
systems reforms asked by EC
It is an extra-curricular activity and needs
extra-school hours, as well as economic resources
It is embedded in the English curricular activity and therefore during
school-hours.
The program can follow school-programs defined by the national
Ministries.
It doesn’t extra-economic resources.
Activities are developed within one
classroom in one school per time
Activities are ICT based empowering the Virtual Mobility without any
geographical, economic and social obstacles (inclusion of students with
fewer opportunity)
“Mini-Companies at Secondary School” embraces the same values of “Young Entrepreneurs at School”, but at the same time it is
totally different. To better explain the differences, I will summarize them in the following table:

17. OBJECTIVES AND
COMPETENCES
Spain, like most of the other European countries, has reformed its school curricula
towards a “Learning through Skills” approach.
1. Communication in Foreign Language (English)
Objectives: to teach English in a concrete context, where all the learning and teaching
resources are in English. It motivates students because they don’t feel “to learn just for
learning” without a specific purpose, but to experience how English is useful and important for
several reasons:
• communicate with peers of other countries;
• learning new topics interesting for them and/or useful for their professional future;
• empowering their capability to look online for educational information and activities that can
help them to work on their business ideas.
(elaborated starting from Youthpass and CEFR)

18. OBJECTIVES AND
COMPETENCES
2. Sense of Initiative & Entrepreneurship:
Objectives: It can be expressed in a number of other ways, ranging from self-awareness to self-esteem
and self-affirmation. It is also closely related to problem-solving, creativity, planning as well as to take
responsibility and being capable to assess their performances and take risks.
• The Pre-Task and Task “KNOW YOUR ATTITUDE” for example, is formulated for identifying and
describing own interests, strengths and weaknesses and that one of the partner', which is closer to
self-awareness than actual self-confidence.
• Using Y.E.S., the students are asked 'to be able to identify a problem and work out steps to solve it‘
taking responsabilities.
• Also the proactive approach, recommended to the teacher in the “Notes”, is the expression that
students’ initiative and creativity are welcome.
• Students develop the ability to plan and structure tasks and to turn ideas into action while taking
risks.
(elaborated starting from EntreComp assessment framework)

19. OBJECTIVES AND
COMPETENCES
3. Cultural Awarness/Social and civic competences
Objectives: working in pairs with other European students, it allows to develop this competence
very required at professional level and at social and civic level for a pacific co-habitation.
• Working with students from other countries will help to break stereotypes and
• to increase their capability to live and work in multicultural environments. Part of their
business idea will research national data, traditions, needs and any other type of information
that will allow them to get more in contact with other cultures.
(elaborated starting from Youthpass)

20. OBJECTIVES AND
COMPETENCES
4. Digital Competence
Objectives: this competences has to do with learning how to handle the computer, looking for information and choosing
the useful ones, searching for learning pathways, how to make a poster, or how to work with new programs.
• According to the “Information” competence area, students empower their capability to: 1) search for online information; 2)
articulate information needs; 3) find relevant information among different search engines and understanding indexing
principles; 4) selecting resources effectively and creating personal information strategies.
• According to the “Communication” competence area, students increase their capability to: 1) interact through several digital
devices (chat, blog, Skype, etc.); 2) understand appropriate ways of communicating through digital means; 3) refer to
different communication formats; 5) adapt communication modes and strategies to the specific audience; 6) share
knowledge, content and resources linked to their project work; 7) use technologies and media for team work; 8)
collaborative processes and construction and co-creation of resources, knowledge and contents.
• According to the “Content creation” competence area, students increase their capability to: 1) create content in different
formats including multimedia; 2) edit and improve contents created to express creatively; 3) modify existing resources to
create new, original and relevant contents -> These competences can be developed especially related to the creation of the
marketing strategy that can involve the use of graphic editors and video makers that can be published in video-sharing and
document-publishing websites (i.e. YouTube, Calaméo, etc.).
(elaborated starting from DigiComp assessment framework)

21. OBJECTIVES AND
COMPETENCES
5. Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology
Objectives: This competence is connected with all kinds of counting, for example converting a
recipe for 4 persons to 26 persons, making a budget for the activity, keeping track of accounts
in Excel on computer, counting how many people have to help with the activity by diving them
in groups. Technical matters can be connected with a specific topic people and can deal with
scientific competence.
Surely, by working on their business ideas students will:
• face the need to create a basic business plan to recognize the sustainability of their start-up;
• (during the research part) need to compare statistic data for a better comprehension of their
target group’s needs and gather market information.
(elaborated starting from Youthpass)

22. EVALUATION TOOLS
As mentioned by the LOMCE, the evaluation is the crucial element for schools working within
the “Learning through Skills” approach because of the importance to develop the Key
Competences before the end of the ESO study-cycle.
But there is a lacks of concrete guidelines capable to allow teachers to make a precise
students’ assessment in practice, leaving teachers waiting for the Regulatory Decree of the
Basic Curriculum within the LOMCE.
Considering that national government takes inspiration from the European directives and
regulations to level out its standards, it is not unlikely that the next regulation will provide
solutions as much as closer to the European Frameworks.
Therefore, herein I decided to suggest teachers to use the European Frameworks for assessing
and evaluating their students learning outcomes while waiting for the national regulations
because they can:
• have assessment instruments
• start practicing the EU evaluation processes that will be the base for the future national ones
(i.e. ECTS, ECVET, etc.).

23. EVALUATION TOOLS
1. CEFR-Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
It comprises six level of proficiency composed by four skills (Speaking, Reading&Comprehension, Writing,
Listening&Comprehension), that are:
A1
B1
C1
B2
C2
A2
The capacity to deal with material which is academic or cognitively demanding, and to use language
to good effect at a level of performance which may in certain respects be more advanced than that
of an average native speaker.
Example: CAN scan texts for relevant information, and grasp main topic of text, reading almost as
quickly as a native.
The ability to communicate with the emphasis on how well it is done, in terms of appropriacy,
sensitivity and the capacity to deal with unfamiliar topics.
Example: CAN deal with hostile questioning confidently. CAN get and hols onto his/her turn to
speak.
The capacity to achieve goals and express oneself on a range of topics.
Example: CAN show visitors around and give a detailed description of a place.
The ability to express oneself in a limited way in familiar situations and to deal in a general way with
nonroutine information.
Example: CAN ask to open an account at a bank, provided that the procedure is straightforward.
The ability to deal with simple, straightforward information and being to express oneself in familiar
contexts.
Example: CAN take part in a routine conversation on simple predictable topics.
A basic ability to communicate and exchange information in a simple way.
Example: CAN ask simple questions about a menu and understand simple answers.

24. EVALUATION TOOLS
2. EntreComp – the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework
It consists of three areas of competence that gather 15 single competences together across three proficiency levels

25. EVALUATION TOOLS
2. EntreComp – the Entrepreneurship Competence Framework

26. EVALUATION TOOLS
3. DigiComp - The Digital Competence Framework
It consists of a self-assessment grid comprising five areas of digital competence across three proficiency levels. The
areas of digital competence are the following:

27. POSSIBLE LIMITS
As defined in the “Entrepreneurship Education: A Guide for Educators” (Entrepreneurship 2020 Unit, DG Enterprise and
Industry,2014) teachers have a central role because of their strong impact on the attainment of learners, therefore for introducing
Entrepreneurship Education at School, it is important to train teachers to be facilitators and entrepreneurs themselves.
Teachers, who want to teach English and Entrepreneurship through Y.E.S., need to:
• recognize the importance of “Entrepreneurship Education” and their role of educators by means of awareness campaigns
led by educational system, entrepreneurs and the wider community
• become entrepreneurial themselves and having assessment tools can support this process
• coach students to handle complex problems and situations as facilitators of learning processes engaging students to release
their creativity and inspiring them
• be reflective teachers keeping their practice under constant review and adjust it in line with the expected learning outcomes and
the individual needs of students & investing in Continuing Professional Development, widely offered by EC
• teach through experiential learning occasions and teamwork and cooperating with teachers of other subjects
• be surrounded by a school environment where entrepreneurship attitude is encouraged

28. CONCLUSIONS
is the result of
FACILITATING learning processes in non-
formal teaching environment that developed
my ENTREPRENEURIAL ATTITUDE
COOPERATION with collegues
exchanging good practices &
working in cross-sectorial
environments (entrepreneurs,
schools, etc.)
AWARNESS: attending several workshops led
by National Agencies all around Europe and at
the same time investing in my CONTINUING
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
IN THE NEXT FUTURE:
As soon as I will be a teacher, I will implement
Y.E.S. model by applying to the EC under
ERASMUS+ program, in details for a
Strategic Partnership – Key Action 2