The entrepreneurial mindset

The journey to learning the course ' The Entrepreneurial Mindset' has been a month-long interesting yet adventurous journey. I have gained valuable insights into the mindset required to succeed as an entrepreneur and teach entrepreneurship. This reflection will be spread into four sections for each week's learning. 

Week 1

The first week's learning taught me that anyone can be an entrepreneur and the idea that people are "born entrepreneurs" is a myth. Setting up an entrepreneurial mindset is important for any entrepreneur and the best entrepreneurs combine creativity, innovation, and business skills. One of the most valuable lessons I took away from the course was the importance of embracing failure as a learning opportunity. This course taught me that setbacks are inevitable in the entrepreneurial journey, but our response to them ultimately determines our success. Entrepreneurship starts with a vision, adopting a growth mindset, and viewing failure as a steppingstone to growth.  

I have gained observation skills which is a key to successful innovation. The entrepreneurial mindset is a lot about changing our perspective to take the customer's perspective. We often tend to project our thoughts, ideas, and feelings onto others, but the reality is we all have different life experiences and needs, what i want, and need might be very different from most people.

Week 2 

Over the second week, I learned that entrepreneurship is moving forward from idea to potential business concept. The course emphasized the importance of creativity, resilience, and adaptability in the face of uncertainty, which are all essential traits for navigating the complexities of the business world. I gained a deeper understanding of the entrepreneurial process, from identifying opportunities to executing innovative ideas and scaling a venture.  I also learned the importance of clear, direct, and concise communication so that audiences at all levels can easily grasp and understand the message. This is an essential skill that all entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders must develop and refine over time. 

I understood that all opportunities have these three components: a clear definition of the customer value proposition underlining the opportunity, a comprehensive understanding of the business goals, and how one will organize his/her new venture to survive the competition and become profitable. Hereafter, I will use these communication skills firmly in my professional and personal workspace.

week 3

Across this week, I learned to use industry analysis to assess and evaluate the potential impact of future trends and directions for a venture. I learned the need to manage currency and relevancy with a rapidly changing environment. I also got the opportunity to create a more flexible, open, and dynamic approach to work-life balance through the exercises. I also understood that entrepreneurship and innovation is a continual process of iteration and refinement.

Week 4

During the final week of the course, I learned a proven, predictable, and repeatable process that can be used to seek, evaluate, shape, and develop new businesses. Personal reflection journals, assignments, exercises, and discussion forums made me think and act like an entrepreneur through this course. Additionally, the course highlighted the significance of networking and building relationships within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. I learned the importance of surrounding myself with like-minded individuals who can provide support, guidance, and valuable connections. This course has equipped me with the knowledge and mindset necessary to help learners understand entrepreneurial endeavors with confidence and determination.

I also faced some challenges while learning this course. Some exercises such as the field observation assignment is required to be done in a short duration creating less effect on the learner. Quizzes are allowed one attempt only, making it tougher for learners. Additionally, brain-stimulating exercises were difficult for me as I had to think out of the box too.  

Going forward, i plan to translate the theoretical knowledge into practice. I plan to continuously learn, deliberately practice the skills developed, and seek ongoing professional development. Ultimately, I will become a teacher who can help others grow and learn with interest.

Thank You!!!

Completion certificate.

Reflection

 Unit 1: Introduction to business and entrepreneurship 

It has been almost a month since we got introduced to the Business and entrepreneurship course. This unit got completed with a tutor as well as students' input through the presentation. We covered the nature and scope of business education, its' objectives and importance, changing scenario of business education at the national and international levels, and the role of a teacher in business and entrepreneurship education.

It was interesting to work with my mate on the presentation work. We explored the rising trends regarding business in Bhutan and the needs, importance, and objectives of this course. I feel that doing the presentation was a great way to explore, learn and improve our speaking skills. Additionally, I did not feel burdened while presenting as the class has only two students. I realized the importance and need of business and entrepreneurship courses. I also figured out my role as a teacher in business and entrepreneurship courses. They are to:

• Facilitate aid in achieving the set goals of the course.
• Provide reading materials and other resources to help students access information.
• Assess their works using proper assessment tools to bring about improvements and exploit their full potential. 
• Give students the opportunity to work cooperatively, use technology and move forward.

I found it difficult to differentiate between the need for entrepreneurship and its importance while preparing for the presentation. It was also challenging as I have to think from the teacher's perspective although we are students yet. 

Unit two: Curriculum for business and entrepreneurship

In unit two, ‘Curriculum for business and entrepreneurship’, we did activities such as mapping key competencies, mapping curriculum framework, and designing a year plan.

I feel that these activities were effective to make me familiar with the curriculum framework, instructional guide, and the business and entrepreneurship textbook of class 11. Mapping curriculum framework helped us to connect each chapter to key competencies developed, pedagogical practices used, and the assessment modalities that can be adopted. While doing those activities, we also analyzed the gaps, currency in subject matter, and relevancy of the curriculum. 

I feel that designing the year plan will help in guiding me when preparing the lesson plans later. It will come in handy as I will know what: goals are to be achieved by each chapter; skills and areas of development; resources to be used; assessment ways; and allocate adequate time for each chapter over the lesson year. It was also interesting to find out the updates in the textbook compared to what I had learned as a student. 

While doing those activities, I found it challenging to understand the concept of pedagogical practices. However, the tutor provided resources that were helpful. I also confused assessment with assessment tools and then, designing goals was also tough. The tutor showed his year plan as an example which was helpful in directing us. Thus, such direction is needed in the future as well.   

Unit 3: Teaching Strategies of Business and Entrepreneurship Education

In this unit, we covered various teaching strategies to teach competency-based business and entrepreneurship discipline in schools. We learned about the experiential learning approach where cases, projects, and problem-based learning will be used. We designed case studies and problem-based questions to get hands-on practice to design them. Activity on designing a field trip was also done to enhance competency learning. We also focused on developing the skill of designing lesson structures using various peer learning approaches in teaching business and entrepreneurship.

Among the various methods, I implemented a jigsaw strategy in my microteaching and found it interesting as well as effective in real classroom settings. I also used case studies and role-playing methods in microteaching, and they are found to be effective in relating to reality or in applying the concept into action. Thus, I look forward to applying all these experiential and peer learning methods in the real classroom setting. 

It was challenging to design my own case studies and problem-based questions as it was my first time. It was also difficult to choose the right type of teaching approach for a topic to make it fun and at the same time effective in imparting the content knowledge. 

Unit 4: Technology in Teaching Business and Entrepreneurship.

Since this chapter is about the use of technology for teaching business and entrepreneurship subjects, I used a concept map to explain what we have learned in this chapter. 

I found it playful in exploring different media like Canva to create concept maps, flow charts, and PPTs easily. We were given a class activity to design concept maps using Canva and I can use it to make teaching more fun and create a conducive learning environment.  I can also use real-life e-commerce platforms such as DrukRide and Druksell of Bhutan to teach this business and entrepreneurship subject. websites like RSEBL and banking websites can be used for teaching Bhutanese financial system chapter.  

However, it would be tough to figure out which topics are best suited for the use of such media. 

Unit 5: Assessment for Business and Entrepreneurship Education

This unit covered aspects of assessments in business education. It included various assessment techniques such as checklists, single-point rubrics, holistic rubrics, analytical rubrics, and anecdotal records. we also created analytical assessment rubrics for a project and a case study which was quite tough as it requires preciseness and detailedness. It can be used for both formative and summative purposes. 

Using anecdotal records would be interesting to implement in the classroom as I like writing stories. I also feel that checklists and single-point rubrics would be easy and useful for presentations, classwork, and group activities. Writing reflections would also be a great way for the students to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses. 

Using analytical rubrics would be effective but designing them is challenging for me as a novice. It would also be tough to determine when each assessment tool should be used. Additionally, I am worried as to how effective will I be in assessing the student's work. 

Reflection on the Innovation Project 

This innovation project started at the onset of the semester. We brainstormed on various issues at local and national levels and narrowed them down to the banking sector issues which involves lack of knowledge of interest rates and the hassles involved in comparing different interest rates of different banks. A survey was also conducted at college and in the community to validate the problems stated and then we developed a digital platform (App) as a solution through trial and error after consultation with IT expert Chenga Dorji sir. We also named the App as 'Matrum' signifying that the digital banking that exists today roots down to Matrum, the oldest currency of Bhutan.

It was an amazing journey collaborating with my co-mate to develop the digital solution for this innovation project. I also felt a sense of accomplishment once our project is exhibited to the audience. I also got a responsible feeling about having to name an App and taking ownership of it. I can cite this experience as an example to my students for motivation as well and looks forward to making our digital platform better for users. This project also gave me the sense that I am successful in creating value for others, which defines entrepreneurial education. 

Yet, it was challenging to develop the app as we lack IT knowledge background, and it was also the first time embarking on such a journey. Time management was also difficult as we had several other assignments.   

As the semester approached its end, I realized that being a teacher of business and entrepreneurship discipline, it is not only the content knowledge that I should be imparting to the students but the skills and attitudes too. Being a role model is the fastest way the students can look upon and learn from, thus I step on this journey to be a teacher and an entrepreneur!  

                                            Thank You!!!

Introduction to business and entrepreneurship education

Entrepreneurship is an activity that involves discovery, innovation and exploitation of opportunities to address socioeconomic issues and fill in the gaps. A business is an economic activity that is legally established to provide goods and services to the customers.  

Nature of the business and entrepreneurship education 

The new curriculum with the principle 'less is more' led to the change of discipline name from commerce to Business and entrepreneurship. This course at secondary level is a multi-discipline subject consisting of accountancy; finance; marketing; human resource management; and economics.  The range of topics designed will equip learners with fundamental entrepreneurial skills and competencies to spot business opportunities, generate business idea, and be able to pitch them.  Besides, it also builds a foundation to pursue higher education in the field of entrepreneurship and business. 

Objectives of the Business and Entrepreneurship course

The following are the objectives of Business and Entrepreneurship course.

• Develop a solid foundation for higher studies in the field of business and avail career opportunities in the relevant field.
• Prepare enterprising individuals to innovate and generate unique solutions to emerging problems.
• Recognize and understand ethical issues and values in line with GNH philosophy to ensure efficiency and integrity in managing the public and private resources.  
• Nurture entrepreneurial skills and competencies. 

Changing scenario of business education at national and international level

Business and entrepreneurship course has seen a number of changes over the years. One of the most significant changes has been the shift from traditional conceptual-based learning to an application-based knowledge course. It consists of concrete research-based knowledge across multiple disciplines. This shift has been driven by the need to keep up with the ever-changing world. As Bhutan and the world has entered the era of technology, mobile phones, television, access to electricity, digital banking, online services and cloud computing is gradually dominating the world. This digital transformation has created a requirement for its surroundings to adapt accordingly and education is no exception.  

Positive GDP growth rate, increased budget, higher youth literacy rates and financial literacy coverage, and rising entrepreneurial mindsets are constantly changing the state of the economy and causing the business regulations to change as well. 

Rising entrepreneurial mindsets in Bhutan 

From the survey conducted by the then Ministry of labor and human resource (MOLHR) now, Ministry of Tade, Industry and Commerce, on assessment of entrepreneurship support services among the job seekers. The results reveal that youth's perception on entrepreneurship as a potential career was 72% which was quite higher than previous years. Most of them also had little knowledge on the programs related to entrepreneurship such as business idea competitions, startup weekends, trainings and incubation centers.

The focus on entrepreneurship started to become stronger from 2019. Government felt the need of entrepreneurship for economic development and growth. Eventually G2B and courses were launched. Government have initiated basic and comprehensive entrepreneurship courses, trainings on micro-work and online freelancing, startup weekend, incubation center at colleges and a startup center at Changzamtog that also serves as market for Bhutanese products. These incubation and startup centers provide pre-incubation courses, co-working spaces and research and consultations. Jigme Namgyal Wangchuck Super Fab Lab was introduced in 2021 to provide platform for researches, digital fabrication and rapid prototyping. 

 Non-profit organization like Loden foundation aids in funding startups ranging from150,000 to 1500,000 interest and collateral free loans. They provide trainings, moral and technical support. Additionally, they provide SEED fund (Student Empowerment through Entrepreneurship Development) to students at tertiary educational level with the aim to promote and develop entrepreneurial skills and abilities of young students. DHI and Loden jointly funds businesses for new or expansion purposes too.

The following link covers the programs. https://www.moice.gov.bt/?page_id=240850

Need and importance of business and entrepreneurship course. 

The old curriculum was bulky, examination driven content, irrelevancy of context, and lack of preparedness for creativity and innovation in the business world, thus providing little room for learners to enhance and exhibit their skills required for the world of work. Hence, business and entrepreneurship course is introduced in order to address these shortcomings and challenges of the old curriculum. 

Increased exposure to global market has made awareness of emerging issues crucial. Besides, business driven economy is also needed to address economic challenges: unemployment; debt; and trade deficit and bring about faster economic development. Therefore, this course acts as a foundation for higher studies in business and develop entrepreneurship as a potential career.  

As the world is becoming digitalized, Bhutan also endeavors into digital transformation. This requires the businesses and future generations to embark onto such learnings to be able to incorporate those changes and go along with change. Global issues such as climate change also demands environmental-friendly business approaches. Thus, this course includes values and GNH philosophies aligned with the national goals to be integrated into business for Bhutanese ecosystem. 

Role of teacher in business and entrepreneurship course 

I as a teacher, plays several roles in business and entrepreneurship course.

• Facilitate aid in achieving the set goals of the course.
• Provide reading materials and other resources to help students access information.
• Assess their works using proper assessment tools to bring about improvements and exploit their full potential. 
• Give students opportunity to work cooperatively, use technology and move forward.

THANK YOU!