enterprise education in secondary schools - … education in secondary schoolsis part of a set of...

Enterprise Educationin Secondary Schools

Enterprise Education in Secondary Schools was funded by the CommonwealthDepartment of Education, Science and Training under the Enterprise and CareerEducation Programme.

ISBN: 1 86366 469 6SCIS order number: 967 615Full bibliographic details are available from Curriculum Corporation.

Published by Curriculum CorporationPO Box 177Carlton South Vic 3053Australia

Tel: (03) 9207 9600Fax: (03) 9639 1616Email: [email protected]: http://www.curriculum.edu.au

© Commonwealth of Australia 2002

This work is Commonwealth copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for studyor training purposes, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source and itnot being used for commercial sale or use. Reproduction for purposes other than thoseindicated above requires the written permission of the Commonwealth Department ofEducation, Science and Training. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction andcopyright should be addressed to the Branch Manager, Enterprise and Career EducationBranch, Department of Education, Science and Training, GPO Box 9880 Canberra ACT 2601.

The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the CommonwealthDepartment of Education, Science and Training.

Edited by Neil ConningDesigned by Kate VandestadtIllustrations by Bev AisbettPrinted in Australia by Impact Printing (Vic) Pty Ltd

Foreword

Enterprise Education in Secondary Schools is part of a set of resource materialsproduced under the Commonwealth’s Enterprise and Career Education Programme,which is aimed at supporting teachers and schools in developing enterprisingqualities in young people. The package comprises:

• The Enterprising School

• Enterprise Education in Primary Schools

• Enterprise Education in Secondary Schools

• Enterprise Education in Schools Professional Development CD-ROM, whichcontains interviews with small-business people discussing enterprising attributes,information on school–community links, professional development materials andall the activities and strategies in this series of resources.

This series of professional development materials has been made available toteachers and school leaders to assist young people to develop the knowledge, skillsand attributes needed to respond to the demands of a rapidly changing world andbuild on a national tradition of self-reliance and resourcefulness. The resources buildupon the Making It Happen – An Introduction to Enterprise Education packagepublished in 1998.

To manage their futures successfully, young people need a clear purpose and a‘can do’ attitude that will allow them to take advantage of opportunities, be they in a personal, business, work, self-employment or community setting.

Demands by business and industry for more relevant skills and knowledge haveincreased the need for schools to develop enterprise attributes through theirteaching and learning. People in both their working and personal lives need to be self-motivated, creative, flexible, resourceful and prepared to take initiative. By fostering positive personal attributes such as responsibility and initiative, and skills in negotiating and networking, teachers enhance the ability of young people to participate more fully in their local community both now and in the future.

The Enterprise education professional development resources in this series havebeen developed and trialed by practising teachers. The Australian Primary Principals’Association, the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association and the AustralianPrincipals’ Associations Professional Development Council have also kindly reviewedthese materials. I commend them to you as a valuable addition to your school’steaching resources.

Bruce WilsonChief Executive OfficerCurriculum Corporation

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Acknowledgements

The dedication and support of the many teachers who have contributed to theactivities in this book is gratefully acknowledged.

Thanks are also due to:Dunn and Dunn ConsultingThe Australian Secondary Principals’ AssociationThe Australian Principals’ Associations Professional Development CouncilAll the schools and organisations that contributed case studies for inclusion in Chapter 2.

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Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Rationale for Enterprise education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Enterprise attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How this book works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Useful websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2 Enterprise at Work: Case Studies of Australian Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9SECONDARY SCHOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Youth Helps Youth – Trinity Bay State High School, Queensland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Vegies Project – An Aboriginal school, South Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Schoolhouse Cafe Project – Kwinana Senior High School, Western Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Hands-On Technology for Seniors – Pacific Hills Christian School, New South Wales . . . . . . . 12Business Awareness Programme – Dongara District High School, Western Australia . . . . . . 13Development for Youth by Youth – Lake Grace District High School, Western Australia . . . . 13Work Preparation Programme – Melton Secondary College, Victoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Enterprise Club – Girrawheen Senior High School, Western Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15The Promotions Plus Team – Gorokan High School, New South Wales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Business Opportunities for Secondary Students –

Mount Lawley Senior High School, Western Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Developing Strong School, Business and Industry Links –

A Number of Schools in South Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Setting up a Record Label – Ballarat Grammar School, Victoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Fish Fingerling Production – Oakey State High School, Queensland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Viticulture Training – Copland College, ACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Improving School and Business/Industry Understanding and Cooperation –

Yorke Peninsula, South Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Young Achievement Australia (YAA) Business Skills Projects –

Murray Bridge and Le Fevre High Schools, South Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19A Young Achievement Australia (YAA) Project For Students with Disabilities –

A Selection of Schools, South Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

PRIMARY SCHOOLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Living Neighbourhood – Rose Park Primary School, South Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21KIDZ Business Enterprise Project – Hampstead Primary School, South Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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3 Developing Enterprise Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Building a Profile of Enterprise Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Activity 1: Rating My Enterprise Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Activity 2: Achieving Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Activity 3: Getting Organised and Saving Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Activity 4: Managing Time: A Daily Planner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Activity 5: Finding Information Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Activity 6: Research and Finding Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Activity 1: Personal Contact Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Activity 2: Networking in the Local Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Activity 3: Reviewing Personal Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Negotiating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Activity 1: Negotiating for Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Activity 2: Negotiating in More Complex Situations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Activity 3: Negotiating a Business Deal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Creating Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Activity 1: Generating Ideas and Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Activity 2: Thinking Creatively and Strategically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Activity 3: Looking for Business Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Activity 4: Thinking Creatively about the Future: A Futures Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

4 Learning Area Enterprise Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64The Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Activity 1: Producing and Marketing a School Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Activity 2: Devising a Celebration Ceremony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Activity 3: Marketing a School Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Activity 1: Writing and Marketing a Class Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Activity 2: Helping Younger Children Enjoy Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Activity 3: Planning and Conducting a Trivia Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Health and Physical Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Activity 1: Producing a School Health Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Activity 2: Developing a New Indoor Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Languages other than English (LOTE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Activity 1: Planning an Overseas Study Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Activity 2: Promoting Language Studies in Your School and the Wider Community . . . . . . . . 94

Mathematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Activity 1: Planning a Stall for the School Fete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Activity 2: Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Activity 3: Mathematics Quest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

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Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Activity 1: Helping the Local Council with Environmental Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Activity 2: Technology and the Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Activity 3: Conducting a Science Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Studies of Society and the Environment (SOSE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Activity 1: Promoting the Local Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Activity 2: Oral History Project: ‘How Work Has Changed over Time’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Activity 3: A Class Issues Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Activity 1: Designing and Producing a Bookmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Activity 2: Production of Entertainment Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Appendix 1: Business Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Appendix 2: Marketing Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Appendix 3: Project Management Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Appendix 4: Budgeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

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C h a p t e r 1

IntroductionThe reality of the global economy and increasing competition in both domestic andinternational markets drives the need for a highly skilled and innovative Australianworkforce. Schools play a vital role in developing effective foundation skills instudents, which will contribute to their capacity to respond innovatively andsuccessfully not only in the workplace, but also in the personal and social aspects of their lives. Both business and government have endorsed this sentiment.

For young people this means that developing enterprise skills and attributes isabout being ‘opportunity ready’. Being enterprising combines proactive and flexiblebehaviour with a desire to make things happen and a willingness to take risks in orderto implement ideas.

Enterprise education is simply about developing enterprise attitudes in students –helping them believe in possibilities and potential, and helping them believe theyhave a role in shaping the future. It seeks to foster in students:

• creativity, self-reliance, a capacity to respond to change, and an ability to generate,recognise and seize opportunities;

• greater responsibility for their own learning as well as their post-school education,training and work opportunities; and

• personal development that will enable them to adapt to, and take advantage of,changing circumstances in business, employment and the community.

Enterprise education focuses on identifying and developing opportunities, resources, andpersonal talents in all aspects of young people’s lives.

Dr Peter Ellyard, former Director, Commission for the Future

The Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs isconsidering the following definition of Enterprise education:

Learning directed towards developing in young people those skills, competencies,understandings, and attributes which equip them to be innovative, and to identify, create,initiate, and succesfully manage personal, community, business, and work opportunities,including working for themselves.

Teachers can encourage enterprise attributes and attitudes through:

• the curriculum content itself – in all the learning areas but especially through linksestablished between different learning areas and the community, business, industryand the workplace generally; and

• the way they teach – especially by empowering students to manage their ownlearning, take risks and learn from mistakes.

This book is designed to assist teachers to develop enterprise attributes and skillsin students as part of day-to-day classroom work. It provides both cross-curriculumactivities and strategies for teachers to use and adapt, and some subject-specificexamples. It also includes Appendixes to assist in project planning and small-businessdevelopment.

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National focus on the development of an enterprising personIn 1999 all Education Ministers adopted the National Goals for Schooling in theTwenty-First Century, which give specific expression to the importance of enterpriseskills and attributes. This aspect of the National Goals is given practical applicationthrough a Framework for vocational education in schools that was endorsed by allEducation Ministers in January 2001.

The Framework comprises six elements, with the Enterprise and VocationalLearning element outlining areas for action that will: provide students with generalemployability skills and lifelong learning; and provide opportunities for them toparticipate in programmes and activities that foster and develop enterprise skills,including those skills that will allow them maximum flexibility and adaptability in thefuture.

The Commonwealth is supporting State and Territory efforts to implement theFramework through a number of measures, including:

• the establishment of the Enterprise & Career Education Foundation, whichpromotes effective school–industry partnerships, linking businesses, schools andcommunities to encourage a greater diversity of learning experiences; and

• the Enterprise and Career Education Programme, which supports schools, parents,local businesses and community organisations working in partnership with schools,to develop and promote enterprise and career education projects that assist youngpeople develop the skills and attributes needed for a successful transition fromschool to independence.

Cross-curriculum focusEnterprise education is not a discrete subject or learning area. Being enterprising is away of thinking and operating, so it is not restricted to one part of the curriculum.

The first part of this book is designed to support teachers from a range ofcurriculum areas in helping students understand what it means to be ‘enterprising’,and how to develop ‘enterprise skills’.

The book recognises that most teachers have a discipline-based background andoften teach in discipline-based learning areas. For this reason, the second part of thebook offers learning activities focused on particular learning areas. In these activitiesteachers will often realise that it would be useful to involve teachers from otherlearning areas and knowledge disciplines, and this is certainly to be encouraged.

Involving the communityInvolvement with the community is a feature of successful Enterprise educationprogrammes in schools. The community beyond the school, including business andindustry, is a rich resource for the development and delivery of enterprise activitiesand programmes.

Students should be encouraged to think about problems not just in the abstractbut how they might be solved in real life. They should be encouraged to think aboutissues such as cost and stakeholder management. This includes providing studentswith role models beyond the school – profiling career pathways, self-employmentopportunities, and not-for-profit activities. It requires teachers to get to knowcommunity organisations, businesses and individuals in the community, and to

Enterprise Education in Secondary Schools

2

develop a sound understanding of how these organisations and individuals operatelocally, nationally and internationally.

Importantly, the involvement of these organisations and individuals as partners inthe learning process is the distinguishing feature of Enterprise education activities.

Assessment practicesParticipation in enterprise activities and projects should be included in schoolassessment of student learning to ensure Enterprise education is firmly embedded inthe school curriculum. In this book we have noted the relationship of the learningactivities to the Key Competencies; you will be able to see many links with learningoutcomes in your own curriculum area.

Rationale for Enterprise educationYoung people through forums such as the National Youth Round Table have identifiedthe need for assistance in identifying career pathway strategies for students in bothtraditional and non-traditional educational structures.

Additionally, studies have indicated that more must be done in schools to instil inyoung people a sense of optimism about the future and the faith that they themselveshave the ability to do this.

Confidence, self-reliance, self-management: students want and need these skills.These are the cornerstones of Enterprise education.

Enhancing leadership skillsLeadership does not necessarily mean managing a lot of people, though this iscertainly one manifestation of it, but it does mean the ability to make decisions, takerisks, learn from mistakes and motivate others.

Enabling young people to participate more fully in their community and the global economy

Structural change in business and industry, the globalisation of the economy and the knowledge economy demand ever more complex levels of skills on the part ofstudents. The local community can help here and Enterprise education assists inbridging the divide between schools and their communities.

Many regional communities are recognising the need to initiate plans to securetheir economic future. Young people are clearly critical to this process. They need tobe encouraged to learn how to identify and create opportunities, which may includesmall business and/or self-employment as a viable career path.

Schools and school communities are responding to these challenges byrecognising the potential of young people and involving them early in theireducation.

In South Australia the potential for young people to play a role in regionalcommunities is recognised through its High Performance Enterprise Communitiesinitiative, which focuses on youth as a central component of a regional economic andsocial development strategy.

Introduction

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The strategy seeks to initiate change to a more enterprising culture, provide bestpractice education and training and create new employment opportunities fortalented and enterprising young people to remain and contribute to local prosperity.Enterprise education plays a key role in this response.

Ensuring relevance for changing workplaces and employment patternsSeveral major trends in employment have significance for schools and implications forEnterprise education:

• Increasing tendencies for individuals to change employers, change careers, andengage in further study.

• The number of part-time, contract and self-employed jobs in Australia is increasingmore quickly than the number of traditional full-time jobs.

• An increasing tendency towards flat organisational structures, requiring employeesto take more responsibility for decision making, working in teams, and beingmultiskilled, flexible and creative.

• An increasing tendency for companies to outsource, providing opportunities forsmall businesses and individuals to provide more efficient, cost-effective solutionsto business problems.

Enterprise attributesThe activities in this book are designed to contribute to the development ofenterprise skills and attributes that are valued within and beyond the school.

The following is a list of some of the enterprise skills and attributes that have beenidentified by the OECD and others:

• Generating and using creative ideas and processes

• Identifying, creating, assessing and taking advantage of opportunities

• Using initiative

• Identifying, assessing and managing risks

• Gathering and managing resources

• Matching personal strengths and weaknesses to undertakings

• Being flexible and dealing with change

• Monitoring and evaluating personal and others’ performance

• Interpersonal communication and influencing skills.

In addition, the Key Competencies identified in the Mayer Report of 1992 are also relevant:

• Collecting, analysing and organising information

• Communicating ideas and information

• Planning and organising activities

• Working with others and in teams

• Using mathematical ideas and techniques

• Solving problems

• Using technology.


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How this book worksThe teaching strategies and activities in this book have been developed and trialed bypractising teachers. Building enterprise skills and attributes in students will help themprepare for their chosen career, be lifelong learners and develop enterprise attributes.

Most of the activities in chapter 3 can be used in any learning area. In chapter 4you will find suggestions regarding subject-specific activities, but this is just a verysmall sample of many others that could be developed.

The enterprise attributes and Key Competencies developed through each activityare listed at the beginning of the activity.

In the ‘Learning Area Enterprise Activities’ chapter, the icons shown at the start ofeach activity crosslink the activity to relevant sections of the ‘Developing EnterpriseSkills’ chapter.

Case studies of particular schools’ enterprise activities or programmes are includedin chapter 2. These are supplemented by many other examples in books such asApproaches to Enterprise Education, Curriculum Corporation 1995.

Appendixes 1–4 are included to assist in understanding some common business terms.

ReferencesApproaches to Enterprise Education 1995, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton SouthVic. A book provided to all secondary schools, which discusses the idea of enterprisein school education and provides examples of successful programmes.

Buzan, Tony 1974, Use Your Head, BBC, London.

Characteristics of Small Business Survey 1997, Australian Bureau of Statistics,Canberra.

Delors, Jacques 1996, Learning: The Treasure Within. Report to UNESCO of theInternational Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century, UNESCO, Paris.

DEST 2002, Enterprise Education in Primary Schools, Curriculum Corporation,Carlton South Vic.

DEST 2002, The Enterprising School, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton South Vic.

Dunn, Colin 1998, Being Enterprising, Macmillan, South Yarra.

Eckersley, Richard 1996, Youth Partnership Study, National Clearing House for YouthStudies, Hobart.

Ellyard, Peter 1992, Education for the 21st Century, Keynote address to the New Zealand Principals’ Federation Conference, Christchurch.

Enterprising Communities’ Awards 1998, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton South Vic.

Enterprising Communities’ Awards 1999, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton South Vic.

Enterprising Nation: Renewing Australia’s Managers to Meet the Challenges of theAsia-Pacific Century 1995, AGPS, Canberra. A report of the Industry Task Force onLeadership and Management Skills, known as the Karpin Report.

Introduction

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Halliday, Susan 1998, Youth Vision for the Year 2010, Dusseldorp Skills Forum, SurryHills, NSW. A compilation and overview of the vision statements detailed by 76 year 11student teams for the Australia 2010 Competition conducted by the Business Councilof Australia.

Kearney, Paul & Ball, Colin 1996, Relationship between the Key Competencies and theDevelopment of Enterprising Behaviours in Students (research document),Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs(MCEETYA), Hobart.

Kenyon, Peter & White, Simon 1996, Young People and Self-Employment in Australia,National Clearing House for Youth Studies, Hobart.

Making It Happen – An Introduction to Enterprise Education 1998, DETYA,Canberra. This package comprises:

Making It Happen (video) – showcasing Enterprise education in schools andfeaturing students, teachers, parents and business and community representatives.Making It Happen (booklet) – containing key messages from the video.Making It Happen (CD-ROM) – introducing the concept of Enterprise educationin schools and providing models of Enterprise education through case studies thatfeature students operating in Enterprise education projects around Australia.

Mayer, Eric 1992, Putting General Education to Work: The Key Competencies Report,Australian Education Council and Ministers for Education, Employment and Training,Melbourne, known as the Mayer Report.

Primary Ed-Ventures: Making it Happen in Primary Schools 1998, CurriculumCorporation, Carlton South Vic. Showcases examples of Enterprise education.

Secondary Ed-Ventures: Making it Happen in Secondary Schools 1998, CurriculumCorporation, Carlton South Vic. Showcases examples of Enterprise education.

Spring, Geoff 1999, Learning to Do (paper), Department of Education, Training andEmployment, SA.

Towards a More Enterprising Australia – A Schools Focus 1995, DEETYA, Canberra,prepared for the Commonwealth’s Vocational Education in Schools Project: 3.

Towards an Enterprising Culture: A Challenge for Education and Training 1989,OECD Educational Monograph No. 4, Paris.

Turner, David 1998, It Means a Lot More Than Business: Young People and EnterpriseSkills, Bulletin, Vol. 7 No. 2, National Clearing House for Youth Studies, Hobart.

Young People’s Participation in Post-Compulsory Education and Training, Report ofthe Australian Education Council Review Committee 1991, AGPS, Canberra, known asthe Finn Review.


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Useful websitesThe following websites provide information that can be used by teachers in theirdevelopment of Enterprise education in schools. They also contain many links toother useful websites.

www.curriculum.edu.au/enterprise

This site provides information and links to resources on Enterprise education.

www.ecef.com.au

Enterprise & Career Education Foundation (ECEF) is responsible for the way in whichbusinesses and communities at a local level work in partnership with schools to assistyoung people to prepare for working life. The site includes a search faculty, ASK,which allows you to explore the world of enterprise and career education.

www.ecef.com.au/e-communities

e-vocation is an email discussion list for practitioners involved in vocational educationand school–industry partnerships. e-vocation is accessible through e-communities onthe ECEF site.

Information previously on the VECO website is available at www.veco.ash.org.auand will not be updated.

www.gocareer.gov.au

Go Career is a Commonwealth government initiative designed to provide youngpeople with information on the sorts of skills, training, experience, and advicerequired to enable them to make informed choices about their futures. Information is provided about enterprise and career education activities suitable for parents,business and the wider community.

www.worldskills.com.au

WorldSkills Australia is an independent, non-profit organisation developed topromote the standards and status of vocational training and job skills. The mission ofWorldSkills is to challenge young people, their teachers, trainers and employers toachieve world-class standards in all industries and to promote the status of vocationaleducation and training across Australia.

www.curriculum.edu.au/vetis

This site provides resources to support the implementation of Training Packages in Vocational Education and Training in Schools programmes for secondary schoolstudents. It includes general information, including implementation advice, as well asspecific resources to assist with Training Package delivery in a range of industry areas.The online resources for separate industry areas include details about: the industry;implementation, assessment and support materials; and a database of resources.

Introduction

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www.curriculum.edu.au/ozjac

The Australian Courses and Careers Database (OZJAC), a career information databasespecifically modified to incorporate information on business.

www.innovated.gov.au

InnovatED is funded by IP Australia – the Commonwealth agency responsible for patents, trade marks and designs. The project aims to stimulate innovation in Australia, to explore the creation and development of intellectual property and to empower young Australians through their own ideas.

www.sfu.ca/~mvolker/biz/index.htm

For teachers new to Enterprise education and wanting more background in businessconcepts, the Business Basics for Engineers website takes a down-to-earth,commonsense approach that is ideal for beginners.

www.austrade.gov.au

The link to the Student Centre provides information on exporting includingcurriculum support materials on international trade and enterprise for teachers to use with their students in years 9 to 12 in Economics, Business studies and Studies of society and the environment.


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C h a p t e r 2

Enterprise at Work: Case Studiesof Australian Schools

The following case studies are examples of enterprise activities that have been highlysuccessful in Australian primary and secondary schools. The case studies are extractsfrom the 1998 and 1999 Enterprising Communities Awards booklets, which have beendistributed to all Australian schools, and from ‘The State Component of the School to Work Programme – A Report on Outcomes and Achievements’ (DETYA 2001,unpublished).

The Enterprising Communities Awards recognised the work of students, schoolsand their communities in contributing to the development of an enterprise learningculture in Australian schools. These Awards were part of the CommonwealthGovernment’s Enterprise Education in Schools initiative from 1996–97 to 1998–99.

The stories and experiences described in the case studies provide a usefulillustration of how schools can assist students to enhance their enterprise learningthrough projects undertaken in partnership with their local community.

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Secondary Schools

Youth Helps Youth – Trinity Bay State High School, QueenslandContextThe West Cairns suburbs of Manoora, Manunda and Mooroobool have beenidentified as being lower socio-economic residential areas and are the subject of theQueensland State government’s Urban Renewal Project.

The West Cairns area has seen an increasing crime rate that Trinity Bay State HighSchool (TBSHS) was keen to see reduced. The school realised that for any crimereduction strategy to be effective, it required the support and cooperation of thewhole population. The school also recognises that through awareness raising and thewillingness to examine attitudes, changes to behaviour can occur. As many studentsat Trinity Bay State High School come from these urban areas, the school communitymade a decision to be closely involved with this project.

The years 10 and 11 students from TBSHS undertook data surveys of residents andusing computer technology and plotting equipment, presented their findings in aconcise and easily read format to the Queensland Department of Housing.

Outcomes

• The survey results made a significant contribution to the Community Action Planformulated by Cairns City Council, with the school being given a grant of $37,000to purchase its own dedicated computer and plotting equipment to analyse andpresent their results in a professional manner.

• The high quality and the enterprising nature of the project were met with greatenthusiasm and it received recognition in the local newspaper, the Cairns Post.

• The students have gained valuable work experience in the process and forgedstrong and continuing links with the community. An important aspect of theproject was that the students talked with youth living in the area to record theirviews, as well as canvassing the views of adults. In addition the project was acatalyst for a range of other community-based projects.

Vegies Project – An Aboriginal school, South AustraliaContextThe ‘vegies project’ involved students in the planning and development of acommunity vegetable patch and the creation of souvenirs (calendars and badges) fortourists. This enterprising project was developed to provide students with an insightinto the world of work and to develop enterprise skills.

Before the project commenced, ‘the vegie patch’ was like a jungle. Together,teachers and students have turned it into a work of art. They have weeded, addedsoil and compost and even swept the bricks between beds. Corn, tomatoes,rockmelons, honey melons and carrots have been planted. These were chosen asthey are popular, easily consumed, and can be sold if there is a surplus.

Students were involved in the initial decision to resurrect ‘the vegie patch’. Theyhad input into the planning stage, choosing what vegetables to plant and when toplant them. A successful application was made by the principal for a ‘Ready Set Go’grant, which aided in the purchase of gardening equipment.


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Outcomes

• The school’s enterprises provide a successful model for observation andparticipation by students. They also demonstrate that education and work canproduce results. The students have gained valuable skills such as ordering, selling,using technology and solving problems, which can be related to both KeyCompetencies and enterprise skills.

• ‘The vegie patch’ has become a sustainable project and this has led to moreenterprising activity. Calendars and badges that feature a digital photograph of thelocal church, which appears on Australia’s $50 note, have been developed.

• With unemployment at a high level in the community, it has often been difficult tocreate innovative solutions to problems. While there is further work to be done,students and teachers are working hard to achieve their objectives. Students havelearned by involvement in real-life situations, using the information gathered,taking risks and sometimes dealing with failure, seeing a project through tocompletion, and ultimately recognising the value of these enterprise experiences.

Schoolhouse Cafe Project – Kwinana Senior High School, Western AustraliaContextThe hospitality programme at Kwinana Senior High School was initiated as avocational alternative for young people wishing to pursue a related career path. To ease the difficulty of securing work placements as part of the programme, theKwinana Education Foundation, together with the school, developed a hospitalitytraining centre. Besides providing viable training for work in the industry, it providesyouth employment opportunities and sustainable jobs.

After positive consultations with key stakeholders, the Foundation has overseen the establishment of the project and ensured that all elements of its planning andimplementation were set up according to good business practice. The group meetsregularly to plan each stage and evaluate progress.

A chef/manager was appointed part-way through the development phase toestablish set-up procedures and to oversee kitchen planning for the training centrerestaurant. He was also consulted by schools in the ‘Excellence in Education’ compactin relation to the coordination of work placement for those schools. The restaurant isbased on sound research into the needs of employers in the hospitality industry andVET coordinators in schools have been contacted to encourage students to accessthis training venue.

Vocational staff and friends from the Kwinana Senior High School were involvedextensively during the project’s planning, implementation and development stages.Students conducted a feasibility survey, received regular briefings fromrepresentatives of the Foundation and developed background material. Theyprepared a newspaper, newsletter items, flyers, business stationery and cards basedon their research work, and a promotional website was constructed.

Ongoing involvement includes strategies to market products and assess thepotential of new products.

Enterprise at Work: Case Studies of Austral ian Schools

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Outcomes

• The operation of the Darius school-based cafe–bistro enables the students to gainand practise food preparation and service skills to industry standards.

• Benefits to the local community include fostering the motivation of post-compulsory students to remain at school, the provision of an easily accessible localtraining facility and additional opportunities for part-time employment.

• Above all, the project has engendered a sense of pride and enterprising spiritamong the community and students of Kwinana Senior High School.

Hands-on Technology for Seniors – Pacific Hills Christian School, New South WalesContextYear 10 Computing studies students at Pacific Hills Christian School were set achallenge: create a realistic computer skills course for senior citizens. The idea wassuggested by the principal, who was keen for the school to be involved in IT trainingfor older people.

Students using enterprise skills researched the likely needs of senior computerusers. At the same time contact was made with a recently started computer club atthe Anglican Retirement Villages in Castle Hill. The computer club had nearly 90members already, and was keen to obtain help with training.

The final negotiated format was a six-week course. The classes started in schooltime and some students volunteered to stay back after school as well. Each classlasted for two hours and finished with afternoon tea.

The Anglican Retirement Villages Computer Club president visited the school to survey the facilities and invited the principal to address the next club meeting. The idea was introduced to the club members and met with much appreciation. The club committee selected the first 20 trainees who duly arrived for class on thefirst Wednesday. In the meantime, students had been designing Microsoft®

PowerPoint® presentations including original animation, to give mouse practice,describe hardware components and introduce some word-processing concepts.

At the first session everyone was keen to work hard, and while students werenervous, they all participated with great energy. The first week’s review identified thatmost of the trainees knew more than anticipated, and that both students and traineesneeded to be kept working on an explicit task. For the next five weeks, the samepattern was followed, using a detailed worksheet, and trainees developed skills in arange of software applications.

During the final term of the year, the school’s second year 10 class instructed thenext group of senior trainees. Year 9 students were told about the project for thefollowing year. Requests have been received from other older people who want tojoin in.

OutcomesThe trainees made dramatic advances in both their skills and confidence and enjoyedworking side by side with young people. Students found the process challenging, andhave reflected that they have learnt to be patient and also have respect for thecapabilities, motivation and innovation of older Australians. A successful communitypartnership has been forged.


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Business Awareness Programme – Dongara District High School, Western AustraliaContextThe Dongara–Denison shire’s active tourist industry and a high rate of small businessper capita gave impetus to the development of this innovative programme. It wasthought that by creating a stimulating and relevant enterprise curriculum opportunity,students would be encouraged to apply their business skills and knowledge togenerate income from a hobby.

A working party consisting of four business operators, two teachers and anadministrator was set up, supported by the Dongara–Denison Chamber ofCommerce. A five-module system was devised, which implemented each element ofthe programme. The party met regularly to plan each module and evaluate progress.

The programme featured teachers, an administrator and representatives from thebusiness community as equal partners, designing and implementing a course of studythat engaged young adolescents in the real world of business. Through a mixture ofclass-based and individual worksite-based sessions, students developed a range ofskills, which resulted in the development of business plans for the business enterpriseto which they were assigned. Students visited and worked with local traders in orderto understand and analyse various aspects of a specific business. They developed abusiness plan and marketing strategy, and evaluated and planned future directions forthe programme. Compulsory for all year 9 students during Semester 1, the BusinessAwareness Programme connected to pathways for accounting and business studies inyears 11 and 12 at the Geraldton Secondary College and TAFE.

Outcomes

• The programme provided all participants with a greater capacity to create futureopportunities.

• Students enjoyed engaging in adult learning situations and being treated asindividuals in a business community, and local businesses agreed that theprogramme had many benefits.

• Meeting with other business representatives as a larger forum group meantteachers and business owners were also beneficiaries.

• Through their involvement in the programme, local businesses had theopportunity to participate in best business practice.

• The professional development of teachers by business leaders has enabled acrossover of information between business owners and staff.

Development for Youth by Youth – Lake Grace District High School, Western AustraliaContextIn 1997 the school perceived a need for a multi-purpose youth facility in the LakeGrace town centre. The facility was to meet an important need for young people tohave a space in which they would gather together outside school hours. Besides beingoffered a diverse range of activities, young people would have the opportunity to buildbetter relationships and become more constructive members of the community.


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Workshops were conducted by the school to enable students to develop thecommunication skills and confidence to speak out in public and voice their concernsand aspirations. Students subsequently attended a public meeting held by the LakeGrace Development Association where they suggested improving youth facilities inthe town. One of the students was elected to be a representative at associationmeetings.

The Shire granted the use of a recently renovated building for a 12-month trialperiod. A committee comprising four young people, three adult advisers and thedevelopment officer was elected. They met fortnightly for a 7 am breakfast at theschool. Two new members were elected every six months, and two stood down,giving the opportunity for others to become involved and gain meeting procedureskills. One young person was elected secretary, the other treasurer (both with anadult adviser), and apart from the official weekly meeting, this group met to checkthat the duties were being carried out. Students reported back to the main studentbody on a weekly basis at a school assembly, to the community weekly (via the localpaper and a school newsletter) and to the Association with a monthly report.

The ‘Youth Station’ opened on a daily basis in February 1998, operating on a rostersystem with an adult supervisor (a parent or teacher) and a student responsible forcleaning, sale of drinks/food, money management and opening and closing. Studentfundraising resulted in the Youth Station being equipped with a functional kitchen,table tennis table, pool table, TV and playstation, with games and a quiet room forlounging.

OutcomesLake Grace District High School, Lake Grace Development Association and LakeGrace Shire believe the long-term plan will help students develop life skills andvocational choices that will benefit all the community by having well-informed youngcitizens. The students involved have developed a sense of ‘ownership’ in the planningand design, thus contributing to the health and wellbeing of the whole community.

Work Preparation Programme – Melton Secondary College, VictoriaContextDramatic changes in the labour market over the past 20 years, plus a curriculumreview, resulted in the decision to pilot a subject in Work preparation as a year 10elective at Melton Secondary College.

Extensive research undertaken by the work education coordinator indicated thatwhile students had experience of the world of work through part-time jobs,preparation for their futures was very poor.

OutcomesThe key focus was on learning problem-solving techniques, which would then beapplied in the workplace. Four local small businesses agreed to participate andstudents were expected to use their problem-solving techniques to address issues of concern to these businesses. These problem-solving techniques are not justapplicable in the workplace but they can also be used to solve personal issues.


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Enterprise Club – Girrawheen Senior High School, Western AustraliaContextAlthough students of Girrawheen Senior High School knew how to be enterprising,they felt they lacked business role models. In an attempt to redress this lack ofopportunity the school formed an enterprise club, which aimed to:

• promote an enterprise culture;

• develop relevant skills including communication, initiative and teamwork;

• gain an understanding of how to operate a successful small enterprise; and

• promote the school and the Girrawheen community within the local area.

The first project undertaken by the students was the production and marketing ofindividualised, hand-painted ceramic bears. These were marketed through schoolpublications, on market days held in central Perth and major shopping centres, and at meetings of the partnership Rotary Club of Heirisson. Members provided adviceregarding marketing opportunities, role-played customers and used their networks to assist students to garner corporate orders.

OutcomesBenefits to students included working in a cooperative team environment, engagingwith real-life customers and making the decision as to how to spend the accumulatingprofit both to assist the school and to meet individual desires.

The Promotions Plus Team – Gorokan High School, New South WalesContextA lack of communication between students and the local community motivated year10 students from Gorokan High School, together with a teacher mentor, to form thePromotions Plus Team.

The aim of the Promotions Plus Team was to provide clear and effective avenuesfor the development of enterprise attributes and skills. Their slogan was ‘filling themissing link’. The team decided to make a multimedia package to cater for the wholecommunity, involving:

• a school booklet targeted at school students, parents and businesses;

• a telephone hotline targeted at businesses and parents;

• a television advertisement targeted at students, parents, businesses, teachers andcommunity members;

• a website targeted at businesses, parents, students, teachers and communitymembers; and

• a school billboard targeted at all school and community members.

OutcomesStudents presented their completed work at a seminar in front of respectedcommunity members and principals from local schools.

At every stage of the project the team communicated effectively with students,teachers, community members and local businesses, ensuring all parties had inputinto the decision-making process about strengthening community and school links.


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Business Opportunities for Secondary Students – Mount Lawley Senior High School,Western Australia

ContextBusiness Opportunities for Secondary Students (BOSS) was conceived through aneed to provide students with wider and more sustained experience when studyingsmall business. Fifty-two students from Mount Lawley Senior High School and 32 localbusinesses participated in the project, which enabled students to get out of theclassroom and network with the wider community.

OutcomesBOSS partners prepared a comprehensive profile on one small business and compileda four-page newspaper feature advertising the participating businesses. The finalevent was a forum on ‘Youth Employment in Small Business’ where partners werepresented with participation certificates.

Developing Strong School, Business and Industry Links – a Number of Schools inSouth Australia

ContextMitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd (MMAL), a vehicle manufacturer and wholesalerlocated in the southern region of Adelaide, has been in partnership with nine localsecondary schools and a TAFE institute since 1991. By 2002, some 15 manufacturingcompanies have joined the expanded partnership, now known as ManufacturingLearning Centres.

In 1998, member partners came together in teams comprising school and TAFEteachers and automotive manufacturing employees. Teams were given tasks relatingto the development of students’ workplace learning opportunities. Each teaminterpreted, for example, workers’ job roles in the light of possible student activities,school subjects and national curriculum. Teachers provided the senior schoolcertificate picture to ensure that the results incorporated school commitments andtiming constraints.

A pilot automotive manufacturing programme resulted. Years 10, 11 and 12students spent 10 days working in the machine shop and assembly area at theLonsdale manufacturing plant of Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd. The pilot has sincegrown. Now students who successfully complete a written application, an industryinterview and a medical examination undertake a range of tasks during theirplacement, including assisting in the making of engine parts, the assembly of enginesand, at one location, the building of cars.

Outcomes

• A production training programme, the successful completion of which providesstudents with:

– two units of the South Australian Certificate of Education (Stage 1) throughintegrated studies and stand-alone arrangements;

– components of the Vehicle Industry Certificate; and– application writing, interview skills and workplace communication,

culture and ethics.


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• A student logbook as a permanent record of skills gained for use as documentedsupport when applying for jobs in the future.

• Skills and attitude development, with students gaining first-hand experience of production, valuable skills and an appreciation of the expectation of industry,while considering career options. They also gain a practical understanding ofoccupational health and safety policy and of quality and delivery concepts.

Setting Up a Record Label – Ballarat Grammar School, VictoriaContextA record label has been developed at Ballarat Grammar School to equip students witha broader range of skills and experiences and to utilise the school’s technology suitein forming its own record label.

The record label will enable students to experience the business side of the musicindustry as well as the production and promotion aspects required by the school’sMusic industry skills course. The focus of the label is on education rather than profitand to be of service to school and community groups throughout Ballarat andsurrounding districts.

A major aspect of setting up such an operation was involvement with industryrepresentatives. Representatives from record labels, marketing, promotions,advertising, sound producers and engineers are involved in the establishment andoperation of the record label.

Outcomes

• A business plan and marketing strategy were created.

• Students undertook a survey to establish benchmarks.

• Industry representatives conducted workshops throughout 1999.

• The promotion of the recording studio in the community began in 2000.

Fish Fingerling Production – Oakey State High School, QueenslandContextA project has been set up at Oakey State High School in the Darling Downs district inQueensland to help bridge the transition from school to work for a group of studentswho wish to be involved in the fish fingerling production industry.

Oakey State High School is located in an area where fish fingerling production andusage is already a functioning primary industry. A fish fingerling holding tank systemand a course of egg expression and fingerling management techniques are beingdeveloped. This development is being undertaken in conjunction with the existingmultistrand science course and with the assistance of Agrisearch Services Pty Ltd,Ecos Resource Planning and the Granite Belt Fish Hatcheries.

OutcomesYear-long culture trials with silver perch have been successfully completed. A number of teething problems have been encountered with the tanks and thepumping and filtration systems, but these are being addressed.

The project will be deemed successful when the aquaculture system is functionaland aquaculture industrial methods, techniques and commodity facts and statistics aredocumented and included as a component of the years 11 and 12 multistrand course.


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Viticulture Training – Copland College, ACTContextA part-time school-based New Apprenticeships course in Viticulture, developed withlocal industry assistance, has been piloted at Copland College in the ACT.

The wine industry in the ACT is emerging as a major industry in the region.Consultation with the Vocational Education Training Authority, through the executiveofficer of the Wine Industry Network, established that there was a need for trainedviticulture workers in the ACT and nearby areas of New South Wales.

Outcomes

• The Canberra Institute of Technology provides off-the-job training to the NewApprenticeship trainees.

• Ten students from Copland College, the registered training organisation for theprogramme, are employed through Regional Group Training.

• The Viticulture course was approved by the Board of Secondary Students in 2000and forms part of the year 12 senior secondary certificate of education.

Improving School and Business/Industry Understanding and Cooperation – Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

ContextThis project was undertaken around several agricultural business centres, includingMaitland, Minlaton, Kadina, Port Broughton and Balaklava to develop innovative andeffective school/industry models and strategies to increase the understanding andparticipation of personnel from business and industry.

• Unemployment in the area has been relatively high and has averaged around 14 per cent.

• The region is a rich cereal, wool, lamb, beef and fish producing area. Agriculture isthe major employer in the region (26 per cent of total workforce), and 700 farmersare listed on the Yorke Regional Development Board database. As properties growin size, many owners are employing extra staff to help manage the workload.

• Ninety per cent of businesses are small, employing one to three people, often fromthe same family. The largest retail outlet is the Kadina Woolworths store.

• Growth in the manufacturing industry has been strong, with most of it relating to agriculture. A valuable extension is the emergence of processing ventures.

There was a perceived lack of knowledge and understanding in local business ofthe current national training agenda and how it can work for them. Coordinatorsinvited businesses from the district to a series of forums where information wasprovided on a range of issues such as: traineeships, apprenticeships, group trainingcompanies, government and financial benefits, vocational education and training(VET) in schools and work placement employment brokers. They also used theseforums to get information from business people on how their needs, as well as thoseof the wider community, could best be met through the project.

Outcomes

• Three thousand regionally oriented brochures were distributed to all localemployers and farmers.

• Five hundred employer information packages were distributed to key employers.


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• Two business seminars were conducted in different towns, and more than 800 businesses across the district were represented.

• Key relationships were formed with all the relevant personnel concerned with youthtraining, employment and education across the region being represented onplanning committees and as guest speakers at the seminars. This has had a flow-oneffect, with other projects with collaborative approaches now being considered.

• Schools in the region have indicated employer-initiated contacts regarding workplacements as a direct result of the seminars and the employer package.

• Yorke Peninsula Employment has received inquiries about traineeships andgovernment incentives as a result of seminars and the employer package.

Young Achievement Australia (YAA) Business Skills Projects – Murray Bridge and Le Fevre High Schools, South Australia

ContextProjects were established to provide Indigenous students at the school with theopportunity for business and the community to mentor and support them in YAAbusiness skills projects.

At Murray Bridge High School, the students worked with design and constructionto make designer T-shirts using computer technology, and the repair and sale ofsecond-hand bicycles to the school community and wider contacts. They participatedin market research to assist them in decision making on final design, manufacture andsales. Contact was made with local businesses for supplies and advice, and visits werearranged with a local artist and a printer. Industry personnel gave valuable assistancein pricing decisions.

The project involved the wider school community and local community, includingthe sale of shares and as a target market for product sales. Students were responsiblefor advertising and promotion.

At Le Fevre High School, the students formed a company called ‘Dream On’.Fourteen of the students were involved in the company. They developed stationerysets with a logo and slogan to promote Indigenous Youth. The students had access toIndigenous organisations Australia-wide via their website and the Internet to promotetheir product. They also accessed all schools to promote and sell their product.

At both schools, the students registered a company name, sold shares to raisecapital and opened a bank account with Westpac, the sponsor.

Outcomes

• The students had hands-on learning while experiencing all facets of the fullbusiness cycle. They gained an awareness of how business operates, includingmarketing and finance.

• Staff networked for professional support and to discuss implementation andstrategies.

• Five of the students at Le Fevre High School completed the Senior SecondaryAssessment Board of South Australia Stage 1 Business studies course through theirparticipation on the management team of the project.

• The students gained valuable transferable work skills and knowledge and a sense ofsuccess in the promotion of Indigenous Youth to the world.


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A Young Achievement Australia (YAA) Project For Students with Disabilities – A Selection of Schools, South Australia

ContextThe major aim of the project was to provide the opportunity for business and thecommunity to mentor and support students with disabilities in a YAA business skillsprogramme.

The project involved 18 hearing-impaired students from Adelaide High School and Windsor Gardens Vocational College and 68 intellectually disabled students from Woodville Special School, Gepps Cross Senior School, Kensington Centre and Christies Beach High School.

The students formed companies. They registered a company name, sold shares to raise capital and opened a bank account with Westpac, the sponsor. Each schooldeveloped and marketed a unique product or service, experienced success indelivering that product or service into the wider community individually andcollaboratively, aiming to make a profit. They participated in fairs and trade daysorganised by the schools and YAA, selling to the general public. On liquidation of thecompanies, they distributed dividends to shareholders.

Activities involved the design and construction of Christmas cards, tags andwrapping paper for sale to the school community at Woodville Special School; thedesign, construction and marketing of pet accessories at Gepps Cross Senior School;the running of a cafe at Kensington Centre; and the design and construction ofwrapping paper, calendars and year planners by the students from Christies BeachHigh School.Outcomes

• The students had hands-on learning while experiencing all facets of the fullbusiness cycle. They gained an awareness of how business operates, includingmarketing and finance.

• Students were invited to attend the award ceremony in which all South AustralianYAA companies participated, and a representative from each company had theopportunity to participate in the national YAA conference.

• A network of teachers was established, resulting in the planning of activities such as a trade fair at the local Westfield shopping centre, an enterprise exchange day,communication among the students and sharing information on the Internet.

• Contact was made with local industry for supplies, advice and assistance ontechniques.

• The YAA business skills programme was approved by the Senior Secondary AssessmentBoard of South Australia in Stage 1 Business studies for a one-semester unit.


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Primary SchoolsMany primary school students are participating in enterprise activities and developinginnovative partnerships involving their local community. These are also adaptable foruse in high schools. The following case studies are examples of the Enterpriseeducation experiences taking place in two primary schools.

Living Neighbourhood – Rose Park Primary School, South AustraliaContextTravel blending is an innovation designed to provide alternatives to motor vehicle use tomake the community less car-oriented. The Living Neighbourhood project was basedon the philosophy that people need to understand the issues so that they can decideif they want to contribute and make changes that suit their own lifestyle. The initiativehas united the local community and contributed to building an enterprise culture.

Teaching staff at Rose Park Primary School developed the curriculum materials foruse by students, who investigated personal and family activities and travel habits withinthe local community, explored options and compared their travel patterns with others.

OutcomesEach group adopted specific bus stop shelters, and students completed murals underthe direction of an artist-in-residence. Senior citizens helped paint and restore busshelters, and doctors issued green prescriptions. Real estate agents and shop tradersall implemented other aspects of travel blending.

Other results included an increase in bicycle riding to school, a street party, and anongoing community newsletter.

KIDZ Business Enterprise Project – Hampstead Primary School, South AustraliaContextThe KIDZ Business Enterprise Project was born in response to a proposal by years 6–7students, and supported by parents, that an enterprise project be developed to helpthem learn the new skills and attitudes they needed to be enterprising.

Following an initial induction process, where community members andorganisations provided basic vocational and safety skills training and worksite visits,students nominated the work team of their choice. They were taught organisational,collaborative and communication skills and were required to work throughout theyear, using their initiative, showing leadership and actively participating in the widerwork and life of the school.

OutcomesStudents spent approximately 40 minutes weekly of their own time on the enterpriseproject, with some aspects integrated into the mainstream curriculum. Throughout,and at the end of each term, students conducted a self-evaluation exercise where theyrated their ‘enterprise’ performance and received feedback on their performancefrom supervising adults.

A student board of management that met regularly to discuss progress, issues,team allocation, profits and distribution of earnings managed the enterprise project.The board reported to the principal and the school council. The project receivedenormous sponsorship, created community involvement and a sense of optimism and future direction within the school and its community.


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C h a p t e r 3

Developing Enterprise Skills

Building a Profile of Enterprise SkillsTeachers have a crucial role in the development of enterprise skills in students. They develop in students abilities to:

• gain an understanding and knowledge of the workplace;

• recognise opportunities;

• deal with risk and uncertainty;

• be creative;

• take initiative;

• assume responsibility; and

• be purposeful and goal-oriented.

This can be achieved by teachers through:

• the way they teach and by modelling enterprise behaviour;

• the use of appropriate curriculum and curriculum materials and resources; and

• the development of productive links between school and business by providingcontextual experiences for learning.

Students should continually explore the extent of their enterprise attributesthrough a process of self-knowledge and self-assessment. By discovering their existingskill base, students are then able to focus on those areas for further development andrefinement. The following activities encourage this process of self-knowledge and self-assessment.

The activities described in this section are designed for students who are consideredby their teachers to be ready for them.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Rating My Enterprise Attributes

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity will prompt students to start thinking about enterprise attributes. Studentsrate themselves in relation to 18 enterprise attributes and may also ask others to scorethem. This is a useful way to introduce enterprise attributes to students. It can beused to assist students to develop strategies that will build on strengths and redressweaknesses. It will help develop students’ awareness of themselves and others.

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Key Competency developed:


Suggested time for this activity1 lesson plus out-of-class research and interviewing

Attributes developedThis activity develops the ability to:

• Match personal strengths and weaknesses to undertakings

• Monitor and evaluate personal and others’ performance

ProcessStudents are given the following tasks:

1. Students score themselves in relation to each of the enterprise qualities in the followingchart. Scores are recorded on the student worksheet in the column headed ‘Self’ accordingto the following scoring system:1 – This is one of my strengths.2 – This is an area in which I could develop further.3 – This is an area I need to work on to develop my skills.4 – Unsure/I need to find out more about this area.

2. After scoring themselves, students can discuss their strengths and areas for developmentwith a partner. They might find value in asking another person who they feel knows them tosome degree to also score them in the second column headed ‘Another viewpoint’. There isoften value in receiving feedback about strengths and weaknesses and performance. Theseprocesses are used in business to manage performance.

3. If another person is asked to rate the students, there should be a discussion about givingand receiving feedback. This discussion should identify the fact that sometimes others canbe aware of our particular strengths and development needs. Students should be reassuredthat it is usual for people to be unaware of some attributes and that the important issue is todevelop their self-awareness and understanding.

4. Students should look at the difference between how they rate themselves and how the otherperson rates them on each attribute. Sometimes students will underestimate their skills.Students may want to write down any reactions to differences in ratings and discuss thepossible reasons for these differences with the person who rated them, or with a friend.

Developing Enterprise Ski l ls

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A C T I V I T Y 1


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Rating My Enterprise Attributes

Complete the following worksheet.1. Score yourself in relation to each of the enterprise qualities in the chart below. Use the

column headed ‘Self’.

2. Ask another person who you feel knows you to also score you in the second columnheaded ‘Another viewpoint’.

3. You may want to comment on any reactions to differences in ratings and discuss thepossible reasons for these differences with the person who rated you or with a friend.Scores are recorded according to the following scoring system:1 – This is one of my strengths.2 – This is an area in which I could develop further.3 – This is an area I need to work on to develop my skills.4 – Unsure/I need to find out more about this area.

AnotherI have the following quality: Self viewpoint Comment

can identify opportunities

have drive

can locate resources

am creative

can network effectively

can plan effectively

understand authority

can seek advice

can negotiate

learn from mistakes

am responsible

match abilities to undertakings

am flexible

can focus on knowing how

am a good risk assessor

can cope with stress

am able to resolve conflict

am able to evaluate my performance


A C T I V I T Y 2

Achieving Goals

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity is designed to help students develop an understanding of theimportance of setting goals. It gives a process to set goals and to plan forachievement in all spheres of their lives. It provides students with an opportunity tothink about those factors that may help them achieve their goals. Students may findit useful to talk to community members about their achievements and goals.

This activity is also relevant to the ‘Networking’ and ‘Creating Opportunities’sections of this book.

Key Competencies developed:



Suggested time for this activity1–2 lessons

Further lessons could be used to follow up on the initial work, particularly toassess achievements and contact community members.


• Identify, create, assess and take advantage of opportunities



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Process

1. Discuss with students the fact that people can set goals in all aspects of their lives includingschool, work, sport, leisure, hobbies, friends and within their family environment.

2. Students should choose three goals (one short-term and two long-term) from a variety ofactivities in their lives and work through the processes involved in points 1 to 7 in ‘How to setgoals’.

3. Students will then monitor their own progress over a month and report back to the class orgroup on how successful they were in setting and modifying the three goals that they havechosen and discuss the processes involved.

4. In developing their goals, students should be encouraged to talk to role models or othercontacts in the community to find out about how others set goals and plan to achieve.


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Optional for further lessons

5. After setting goals in a range of aspects of their lives, students can fill in diaries, calendarsor personalised planners to plan action. They could design their own planner individually orin groups.

6. They may also interview role models or people working in the area of interest to them (seealso ‘Networking’ section, page 38) about how they go about setting and achieving goals.They might obtain useful contacts and receive mentoring through this activity.

A C T I V I T Y 2

Achieving Goals

1. Choose three goals (one short-term and two long-term) relevant to your life and workthrough the processes involved in points 1 to 7 in ‘How to set goals’.

2. Monitor your progress over the next month. You will be asked to report back to the class orgroup on how successful you were in setting and modifying the three goals you chose andto discuss the processes involved.

3. Talk to role models or other contacts in the community to find out about how others setgoals and plan to achieve.

4. Fill in your diary, calendar or personalised planner with any action involved in this exercise.

5. Your teacher may also ask you to interview role models or people working in the area ofinterest to you about how they go about setting and achieving goals.

GoalsA goal is something you are striving to achieve. It can be a thing or an emotion (eg money orhappiness), and it can be public or personal (eg a sports trophy or developing a skill).

We use goals in our personal development to:

• motivate and encourage us to achieve;

• clarify how we would like our future to be;

• help us manage our time more effectively;

• help us prioritise our many interests and the demands on us;

• be a catalyst to action;

• help to overcome obstacles;

• keep us focused.

How to set goals1. Identify what your goal is and write it down.

2. Look at the current situation and determine where you want to be in the future.

3. Write down the course of action you need to take to achieve the goal and put it in terms ofa time frame.

4. Think of advisers and mentors who could help you.

5. Think about others who have achieved in this area and consider contacting them todiscuss your goal.

6. Visualise yourself achieving the goal.

7. Divide each action into smaller, more easily achievable steps (eg weekly).

8. Note your action in your weekly planner or diary.

9. DO IT!

10. Give yourself credit when you have achieved the goal.

11. Place your planner where you can see it every day.

12. Always plan for new goals.


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A C T I V I T Y 3

Getting Organised and Saving Time

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity helps students become better organised. It may assist them to save timeby being conscious of the amount of time they spend on activities and how theymight waste time. Each of the solutions can be used to improve students’ planningand goal setting, for example in study and sporting habits. Being aware of personalorganisation and time management will help students achieve their goals.





Suggested time for this activity1 lesson


• Generate and use creative ideas and processes


• Gather and manage resources


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1. Students read the time wasters and select solutions from the list of time savers in thestudent worksheet. They then draw lines connecting the time wasters and the time saversthat could help to solve the time-wasting problem (there could be several time savers usedto solve a time waster).

2. Students identify the areas they are already good at and those areas from the time saverslist that they know with a little further effort they can develop. Students can discuss this witha partner or in small groups.

3. Students then select the three time wasters that seem to cause them to be diverted from theirgoals. They can explain the specific way it applies to them and the implications for them andthe achievement of their goals (see also Activity 2 ‘Achieving Goals’, page 25). The timesaver for each time waster identified should be noted and students should then develop aplan for how they would implement the time saver for each of the three time wasters identified.

A C T I V I T Y 3

Getting Organised and Saving Time

Complete the following tasks:1. Select solutions for each of the time wasters from the list of time savers in the table below.

Draw lines connecting the time wasters and the time savers that could help to solve thetime-wasting problem (there could be several time savers used to solve a time waster).

2. With the help of a partner, identify areas you are already good at and those areas from thetime savers list you know with a little further effort you can develop.

3. Select the three time wasters that cause you to be distracted from your goals. Explain howit applies to you and how this affects you and the achievement of your goals.

4. Develop a plan for how you would implement the time saver for each of the three timewasters identified.

Time wasters Time savers

Lack of goals, deadlines and daily plans Set deadlines and stick to them

Interruptions and distractions List goals

Too many competing demands Give yourself time to plan

Jumping from task to task Break the task down into small parts

Leaving things until the last minute Prepare a daily ‘to do’ list

Spending too much time socialising Set priorities for tasks

Not sure what needs to be done Carry a diary to record time commitments

Task is too big, don’t know where to start Have a tidy work area

Forget important meetings and deadlines Do work, then socialise

Watching too much television Stick to priorities

Losing or misplacing books and equipment Regularly review tasks and priorities

Too much time spent redoing tasks Ask friends to help

Daydreaming Set a regular time for doing tasks

Being disorganised Don’t waste time on unimportant things

Getting into a panic Learn to avoid friends who distract you

Attempting too much at once Close your door, avoid distractions

Under constant pressure Give yourself time to get the job done

Putting off doing things Set aside time for planning and prioritising

Often late for classes/training/ Do important tasks firstsubmitting work Ask questions, find out what has to be

done


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A C T I V I T Y 4

Managing Time: A Daily Planner

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity helps students to develop their understanding of the benefits ofplanning. ‘Planning is bringing the future into the present so you can do somethingabout it.’ One technique that enables students to get more done and be organised isto sensibly plan how they use their time on a daily basis.

It should be used in conjunction with Activity 2 ‘Achieving Goals’, page 25. The linkbetween managing time and knowing what you want to do is very important. There isgreater benefit in prioritising activities and tasks on a daily basis if students areactively involved in creating and choosing the range of possibilities.




Suggested time for this activity1 lesson plus out-of-class time for self-monitoring over one month or longer.




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Process

1. Students are asked to complete the chart provided on the student worksheet, listing all thethings they need to make time to do tomorrow in their discretionary time, and indicating thepriority of the task as indicated and the estimated time to complete it.

Over the next week (including the weekend), students prepare a similar list for each day.At the end of every day, they prepare the next day’s ‘to do’ list.

2. Students then draw up a ‘daily sheet’ (for weekdays and weekends) that indicates when theyhave free time (time when they can plan to do things) available. A separate page should beused for each day and a list made down the left-hand side, in 15-minute blocks, that showsthe free time available.

3. Students schedule the time when they intend to do the tasks on the ‘today’s to do list’. Eachday they transfer the ‘to do’ list into a daily planning schedule indicating when they intend todo the tasks that have been set.

4. Students will aim to maintain the daily and weekly planning for a month (or more if it provesto be of assistance).

5. After students have used this planning tool for a fortnight, ask them to comment on whetherit has assisted them in ‘getting things done’. If so, why? If not, why not?

6. Students can discuss the pattern of their activities. What activities do they always make timefor? What would they like to do but don’t get around to making time to do? How can this berectified? The links between planning and goal setting should be drawn out through thisdiscussion.

A C T I V I T Y 4


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Managing Time: A Daily Planner

To achieve your goals you need to plan. Planning involves:

• knowing what you want to do

• decision making

• self-discipline and self-evaluation

• effective time management.Planning on a daily basis a list of things to do and prioritising from within them is useful

to do. It helps you get things done and feel that things are under control. Remember to includetasks that require regular effort to achieve longer-term goals.

1. Complete the chart below, listing all the things you need to make time to do tomorrow inyour free time, and indicating the priority of the task and the estimated time to complete it.

2. Over the next week (including the weekend), prepare a similar list for each day. At the end of every day, prepare the next day’s ‘to do’ list.

TODAY’S TO DO LIST Date: ____ / ____ / ____

To do Priority Time needed to complete(eg homework, training, chores, shopping, A Urgent and importantmeeting friends, etc) B Urgent but not important

C Nice to do

3. Draw up a ‘daily sheet’ (for weekdays and weekends) indicating when you have free timeavailable. A separate page should be used for each day and a list made down the left-handside, in 15-minute blocks, that shows the free time available.

4. Schedule the time when you intend to do the tasks on the ‘today’s to do list’. Each daytransfer the ‘to do’ list into a daily planning schedule indicating when you intend to do thetasks that have been set.

5. Maintain the daily and weekly planning for a month (or more if it proves to be of assistance).

DAILY PLANNING SCHEDULE for weekdays and weekends Date: ____ / ____ / ____ Time – in 15-minute blocks Task or activity



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A C T I V I T Y 5

Finding Information Quiz

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity will help students to develop techniques to find advice and informationto guide their study. It also helps students develop self-awareness of their strengthsand weaknesses in relation to their approach to study, including their use ofresources and support structures.



Suggested time for this activity1 lesson, which can be used as a lead-in to Activity 6 ’Research and FindingInformation’, page 35.

Attributes developedThe activity develops the ability to:



Process

1. The required task could be challenging for a teacher where the class dynamics mightsometimes lack harmony. However, the task could identify strategies to encourage greatercohesion and cooperation among groups in such a class.

2. The task needs to be conducted sensitively as it could be demoralising for some studentswho are relatively isolated within the class or who have less access to learning resourcesthan other students.

3. Bearing in mind the make-up of the class, the teacher should go through each of thequestions and encourage students to discuss the relevance of the attributes. Studentsshould then be asked to answer the quiz questions. At the end of the lesson, the teachershould collect the responses and use these as a way to counsel and prepare students forActivity 6.


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A C T I V I T Y 5

Finding Information Quiz

Please circle either a YES or NO to the following questions and return to your teacher by theend of the lesson.

Do you know when it is best to work alone or with others on a task, and plan your activities in the light of this knowledge? YES NO

Do you have a network of fellow students who you can call on to ask for assistance if you are unclear about a homework or study task? YES NO

Do you know when and how to get help from your friends? YES NO

Do you find that you are always clear about the task that needs to be done when studying or doing homework? YES NO

Do you ask others to help you with your study? YES NO

Do you know how to find information in your school library and/or on the Internet? YES NO

Do you ask your teachers for help if you are unclear about what study tasks are required? YES NO

Do you prepare for and participate in class discussions? YES NO

Do you chat about your homework assignments and study plans with your family? YES NO

Do you get as much information on the subject you will be tested on while you are in class and ask your teacher what points you should pay particular attention to while studying? YES NO


A C T I V I T Y 6

Research and Finding Information

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis exercise develops research and investigative skills. Students are asked to locatein the phone book and community directories people and resources that can providethem with information and advice about a particular issue.






Suggested time for this activity1 lesson plus out-of-class time for follow-up, possible excursion or guest speakers

Attributes developedThe activity develops the ability to:


• Use initiative



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1. Divide the class into a number of small groups. Each group needs to have access to theYellow Pages and White Pages telephone and Internet directories, butcher’s paper andtextas. Access to telephones and Internet (if practical) is also desirable.

Encourage each group to be creative, employ lateral thinking techniques and listenactively to each other. Consider whether your students might benefit from having somestudents observe the groups to focus on the way the groups go about their problem solving.

2. Allocate one of the challenges listed on the student worksheet to each group, one per group,or ask them to think of another challenge.

3. Groups brainstorm the issues surrounding their case study and list what each personrequires. Using the directories, each group should list the names, addresses and telephonenumbers of relevant contacts and support agencies. Phonecalls, emails or visits to agenciesor invitations to representatives to visit the school could be useful extensions to this activity.

4. Groups present their ideas to the class. Sufficient time should be provided to allow them toplan presentations. Each group could role-play the person concerned and their interactionwith the relevant organisation or agency. Students should be free to present matters in theirown way. From the group presentations students should record other worthwhile ideas.

5. Discuss the following questions:

• Was the information difficult or easy to get? Why?

• Are there sufficient resources in your area to support people with different needs?

6. As a follow-up the class might construct a directory of community clubs and supportagencies in their area and make it available throughout the school or in the widercommunity. Groups could discuss publishing their directory via their website (if applicable),the local newspaper or the local council or using other means that students may wish to suggest.

7. If you used observers to identify the problem-solving processes each group used, build in afeedback process to discuss the outcomes.


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A C T I V I T Y 6

Research and Finding Information

Challenges• Jonathan, aged 14, has just relocated to a school in your area. He is a keen soccer player

and was very disappointed to leave his soccer club. He wants to get into a new team andis also interested in trying other sports or activities. Who can Jonathan turn to forassistance?

• Jenny, aged 16, has just started year 12. She is studying Mathematics and needs extraassistance. Who can give her this and what are the costs?

• Con, aged 19, is unhappy in his present job. He wants to change careers but is unsure whatjob would be most suitable. Advise Con.

• Joel, aged 34, has been suffering from tennis elbow for six months. His wife wants to helphim. Where can she get help for him and what sort of help is available?

• Carmen, aged 52, was injured in a car accident and has a broken leg. She is having troublecoping at home as she has no family or support network. Who can she turn to for help, andwhat sort of help would she be able to receive?

Other challenges developed by your team•

•

•

•


NetworkingNetworking is a process used by people to cultivate and expand their range of‘contacts’. It is frequently used in a business context, although it is relevant morewidely than that. Networking is useful whenever a person needs to find outinformation or to get something done. It commences with undertaking research to find out who has the knowledge or influence to support the person’s goal.

It is particularly useful in certain situations – for example, when you:

• need further information from someone who knows about a subject to add to your understanding of how to go about your task;

• are unaware of the possibilities or availability of resources in a particular area or ona particular issue;

• need some information from a large organisation, when – if you have to start atreception or the switchboard – it can often take some time to find the right personto speak to;

• need to make contact with someone with whom it is difficult to get to without a personal recommendation (note that in some cultures, all business is done this way).

The importance of personal contact in networkingIn the situations outlined above and other similar situations, having a personalcontact smooths the way and makes your job easier.

• It can be a way to informally check your understanding of an issue.

• It can be a way to find out about whether others have received good service orfound the product satisfactory.

• It can be a way to find out more about a particular job before making furtherinquiries or making a formal application.

Networking for personal and business opportunitiesNetworking should be presented as a legitimate way of finding information and beingin a position to influence and help others. Students who have not been exposed tothe idea of networking may not have thought of it as a way of ‘getting things done’.Or they may have some sense that ‘it’s not what you know, but who’, but be unawareof their own contacts and how to use them for mutual benefit. It is likely, however,that students will recognise that they and their families already use their networks tohelp them choose services or make purchases. They would also be aware that theyalready provide informal advice to others about these sorts of issues. This is part ofthe reciprocal nature of networking.

• Through networking one contact leads potentially to many more, each of whomalso offers a wider range of contacts.

• Networking is a two-way process because it relies on a sense of social obligationcreated by personal referral, and depends on trust and reciprocity.

• Networking involves people helping each other for a range of reasons, includingsituations where people help each other quite selflessly, such as in naturalemergencies.


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• Networking plays an important role in business life and in some kinds of not-for-profit work and it also plays a part in everyday life. Networking accounts for thefilling of about 70 per cent of managerial positions and 90 per cent of executivepositions.

• For students, most part-time jobs are obtained through networking.

• Networking is very important for people wanting to be successful in their ownenterprises.

• Networking is a key to business-to-business relationships, and is actively practisedboth formally at events like trade fairs and informally through social activities.

• Networking enables business people to extend the limits of their sphere of action,save time and access a wide range of resources and opportunities.

Once students understand what networking is, they may be afraid or embarrassedto put networking into practice. Some students will feel this more than others. To help them overcome this, in addition to the activities provided on the worksheets,it would be helpful for the teacher to invite someone to talk to the class about theirexperience of networking, what made it work and what didn’t work. Some studentsmay be able to attend trade fairs or accompany adults to business breakfasts or othernetworking events.

Learning activities that encourage the use of networking have the icon shown atthe top of the opposite page.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Personal Contact Inventory

Teacher notes

Background and contextAre students aware of the range of people they know? All of us exist in a network ofcontacts: relatives, friends, acquaintances, neighbours, public figures. These contactsare a repository of information and further contacts that may be useful in students’lives and work. The information flow is not all one-way, either: students can be usefulcontacts for adults for all sorts of reasons, including having IT skills that many adultsdon’t have and having knowledge of a large consumer segment.

This activity is a good introduction to the concept of networking. Try to introduceit in a way that makes it relevant to students, such as by linking it with a relevantcurrent affairs topic or with a situation they are facing. The first part of the activitysuggests getting students to talk about the maxim ‘It’s not what you know, it’s whoyou know that counts’, so look out for a newspaper article, a book extract, or ananecdote that will help start discussion of the issues.


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1. The class discusses the saying ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know that counts’.Provide examples of this, related to students’ lives and to public affairs. Students could beencouraged to come up with their own examples. A list of the things that are both good andbad about it is compiled.

2. Discussion of what you can do if you don’t have a lot of ‘contacts’ in an area in which youare interested. For example:

• research the area to find out who is important to know

• work out how you could approach them, and then phone them

• ask a friend whether he or she has any contacts in the area.

3. Students complete the list on the worksheet for people who might assist them to reach someof their life and work goals. Next to each name, they write:‘A’ if they know each other very well‘B’ if the student knows them but they know the student only slightly‘C’ if the student is aware of them but they don’t know the student.

4. They then complete responses to the listed questions.

5. Students then choose one person they have listed as either ‘B’ or ‘C’ who they feel couldhelp with a problem they have at the moment. Students work out how to approach them, andare then encouraged to give it a try. Students think about how they can do them a favour inreturn; or at the very least, write a pleasant thankyou letter.

6. Discuss with the class how to maintain a network of contacts. Consideration should be givento the regularity and frequency of contact, how to keep records of job titles, phone numbers,etc, and being discreet with information about people in the network.





Suggested time for this activity3 lessons plus out-of-class research and interviewing



• Use initiative



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A C T I V I T Y 1

Personal Contact Inventory

1. Complete the table below for people who you think could assist you to reach some of yourlife and work goals. In the space provided, write:‘A’ if you know each other very well‘B’ if you know them but they know you only slightly‘C’ if they don’t know you but you are aware of them.

a A local employer

b An employer who lives in another part of your state

c An adult, other than your parents, who’ll stick up for you

d Adult neighbours

e A careers teacher

f An adult, other than your immediate family, you can confide in

g An adult, other than your immediate family, who could write a reference for you

h A member of a service club (for example, Rotary, Lions, Apex)

i An adult who is highly respected in your community

j An adult who is very popular in your community

k A former teacher

l An adult you feel could give you good advice on most matters

m A religious or cultural leader

n An adult who could offer you part-time employment

o An adult who could offer you a holiday job

p An adult willing to give you work experience

2. Complete responses to the following questions:

• What can you conclude from the information above about your networks into the adultworld? Could they be better? If so, how could you expand your networks?

• What can you conclude from the information above about your ‘job-seeking’ and ‘job-creating’ networks (look particularly at your responses to a, b, n, o, p)? If your job-seekingnetworks are not too strong, look at the strength of your contact with adults who couldmake links to job-seeking networks for you, or could help you set up your own enterprise(look particularly at d, e, g, h, i, j, m). What can you conclude?

• What knowledge or experience do you have that might possibly be useful to any of thesorts of people in the list above?

• What issues need to be considered in making use of networks?


A C T I V I T Y 2

Networking in the Local Community

Teacher notes

Background and contextThe local community is a huge resource in which students can network. Informationconcerning important social, business and community undertakings and activities ofgeneral interest is gathered through a number of avenues, with networking a majorsource of information.

Many people obtain work near where they live. Some people even createbusinesses that in turn support other local businesses. Students can track the variousemployment and career opportunities available in their local community throughactively networking in the local community. Students need to be aware of theavailability of all types of opportunities and resources in the vicinity.





Suggested time for this activity3–5 lessons, depending on the size of the local business district or industrial area



• Use initiative



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ProcessStudents develop their networking skills by using the following activity.

1. Conduct a ‘walk-through’ of the local business district or industrial area so students canobserve the area, the local businesses and explore opportunities.

2. Invite a representative from the local council or shire or perhaps a business person or localidentity to provide an overview of the facilities and opportunities that are available in thelocal community.

3. The students develop a proforma on the student worksheet so that the information gatheredmay be recorded and shared with the class.The proforma could list a series of questions such as:

• What is the address of the nearest Medicare office?

• What is the name of the local mayor or shire president?

• You want to organise a street party. How do you go about getting permission to run it?

• What do you do if you find a lost kitten?

• What is the name of a business that was not operating when you were born?

• What is the name of the person who takes bookings for hire of the local hall?

• How many aged care centres are located within the local area?

• What is the name of one business networking event held in the local community?

• What is the name of the local community newspaper?

• What is the name of a building firm that advertises in your local community newspaper?

• What is the name of a local business that is linked with water?

• Which local business employs the greatest number of people? How many people areemployed?

• Which businesses in your area do shift work? Why?More questions may be added that relate to networking opportunities in the local area.

4. Two people are identified who run their own businesses, and are interviewed to find outwhat motivates people who set up their own enterprises. The class could prepare a list ofpossible questions.

5. Working in groups, students research how people in business and not-for-profit enterprisesnetwork, and use networking, in their activities within their local area.

6. Students write a brief summary of their findings and deliver group presentations on specificelements of the local area and the people they have interviewed. They may decide to publisha local guidebook using some of the information gathered throughout this activity. Studentsshould follow up with interviewees, sending them a thank-you letter (and perhaps a copy ofthe guidebook).


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A C T I V I T Y 3

Reviewing Personal Resources

Teacher notes

Background and contextWe all need the support of people who help us to function more effectively and feelgood about who we are and the things that we do. We need people with whom toshare our thoughts, feelings and interests, people who value what we can do, andwho help, advise and challenge us. This activity is a means of checking the adequacyof students’ support systems.








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Process

1. Ask students to complete the tasks on the student worksheet.

2. Invite them to consider the support they provide to others and how this could be strengthened.This could also be part of a discussion of the concept of reciprocal responsibilities and howit applies in the world beyond school.

3. Explain that a person may be included in more than one category.



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A C T I V I T Y 3

Reviewing Personal Resources

A. List names in each of the following categories:1. People who provide me with closeness, warmth and acceptance; people who really like me

and whom I can trust and have confidence in; people to whom I can express my feelingsfreely.

2. People who share my concerns and interests; people who are in similar circumstances andwith whom I share experiences, information and ideas; people with whom I exchangefavours.

3. People I respect and who recognise my skills and strengths; people who respect mycompetence and value my contributions.

4. People who provide me with help when I need it; people who would help me in a crisis;people who go out of their way to assist me.

5. People who provide me with advice and guidance when I need it; people who help mesolve problems and achieve goals.

6. People who make me think; people who make me explain; people who question myreasoning and challenge me to think more deeply.

7. People whom I regularly see and who are always balanced and positive; people whoperhaps I don’t talk to seriously in any way or get any regular practical assistance from,but who are friendly, who do not shut me out, and who I simply feel good being around.

B. Examine the seven categories of support and the names listed for eachcategory and complete the following questions.

• For people you have placed in multiple categories:– Are there particular names you have placed in all or a large number of these seven

support categories?– If so, do you recognise that these people are especially valuable to you?– Do you give these people the level of support in return that they deserve?– Are you overly reliant on one or two people?

• In regard to your satisfaction with the level of support:– Did you end up with support categories with only one or no names in them?– If so, does this come as a surprise?– Do you want to change this?

• In regard to expanding and strengthening your support system:– How can you achieve this?– With whom in particular would you like to strengthen your relationship?– What do you think about bringing one or two completely new people into your support

system?– How could you achieve this?

NegotiatingNegotiation is a process whereby people solve problems by exchanging or combiningresources in such a way as to derive mutual benefit. Negotiating is, at its best, acreative endeavour, and should maximise the value of what each person gains fromthe encounter. This relies on skills that can be taught, particularly the need to focuson interests rather than positions, and on the importance of looking for options thatlead to mutual gain.

Students should be exposed to the practical skills and techniques that makenegotiation a win/win situation for both parties – where all parties in the processmake some gains. It is important to lead students through the negotiating steps:

• being able to develop a starting position on an issue;

• calculating the level of compromise they are prepared to offer;

• deciding if and when to make a retreat from a position in the interest of movingforward; and

• closing the negotiation process.

In addition there is a set of values and behaviours that underpin successfulnegotiations. These would include:

• ensuring the respect for and of the other parties;

• the pursuit of fairness;

• the need for an assertive rather than an aggressive disposition; and

• a sense of optimism about the outcome.

The following activities also provide the opportunity for students to discussprincipled negotiation and ethical behaviour. Students need to view negotiation as a legitimate undertaking whereby two parties can reach mutual agreement through a rational and fair process.

Successful negotiations depend on the understanding that both parties can achievea satisfactory win/win outcome. In business and community contexts this attitude canlead to successful partnerships. In personal life it can lead to solutions to what mightotherwise be potentially divisive outcomes.

The activities that follow focus on practical skills in particular and can give theopportunity to canvass the values and behaviours with students.

The activities could be attempted by those classes teachers consider are ready todevelop negotiating skills.

Learning activities that encourage the use of negotiation have the icon shown atthe top of this page.


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A C T I V I T Y 1

Negotiating for Resources

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis is a good activity to develop negotiation skills required at school, in furthereducation, in the workplace, or for taking advantage of a business or self-employmentopportunity. In the activity, students negotiate to acquire materials they need tocomplete a small task.






• Use initiative




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• Form small groups. Each group is provided with a sheet of paper and four or five pieces ofequipment: a protractor, a red felt-tip pen, a blue felt-tip pen, a pencil and a ruler. Each groupshould have a different piece of equipment missing (for example, one group would bewithout a protractor, another a blue felt-tip pen, and so on).

• Each group needs an observer and a negotiator.

• Using the materials provided to the group, and any group can borrow from other groups, theyare required to draw a right-angled triangle in pencil measuring 15 centimetres in height and10 centimetres in width. The triangle should be coloured in blue, outlined in red, with eachangle numbered A, B, and C in red also. The negotiator of the team is the only one allowed toapproach other groups. The observers record what happens using the brief below.

• When the task is completed, the observer of each group reports on how the group performed.

• The class discusses the issue of negotiation, encouraging students to highlight some situationswhen it has been necessary, and the level of success and lack of success in those situations.

Observer brief

1. Did the group share the tasks?

2. Did anyone dominate the group? Explain.

3. Did anyone do nothing at all? Why?

4. Did the group have problems or arguments? How did they solve them?

5. How did the negotiator do his/her job? Did anyone else try to help him/her?

6. How accurate was the result?

7. How well did your group cooperate?

• Consider inviting a local business person to speak to the class about day-to-daynegotiations in relation to running a business or community organisation, and how theseare conducted. Students could compare this advice with the approaches they adoptedthemselves.

• An extension activity might involve students finding topical newspaper articles or newsreports that discuss details of negotiations in the real world (eg industrial relationsdisputes, international peace talks). The reports could be shared by the class. Thereasons for the ultimate success or breakdown of the process could be discussed.


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A C T I V I T Y 1

Negotiating for Resources

Perform the following tasks:

• Form small groups. Each group is provided with a sheet of paper and four of the followingfive pieces of equipment:– a protractor– a red felt-tip pen– a blue felt-tip pen– a pencil– a ruler.

• Each group has a different piece of equipment missing.

• Each group needs to appoint an observer and a negotiator.

• Using the materials provided to your group (and any group can borrow from other groups)you are required to draw a right-angled triangle in pencil measuring 15 centimetres inheight and 10 centimetres in width. The triangle should be coloured in blue, outlined in red,with each angle numbered A, B, and C in red also. The negotiator of the team is the onlyone allowed to approach other groups. The observers record what happens using the briefbelow.

• When the task is completed, the observer of each group reports on how the group performed.

Observer brief1. Did the group share the tasks?

2. Did anyone dominate the group? Explain.

3. Did anyone do nothing at all? Why?

4. Did the group have problems or arguments? How did they solve them?

5. How did the negotiator do his/her job? Did anyone else try to help him/her?

6. How accurate was the result?

7. How well did your group cooperate?


A C T I V I T Y 2

Negotiating in More Complex Situations

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity is intended to develop negotiation skills through discussion and role-play.In the group discussion at the end of the role-play, the following learnings should beemphasised:

• 90 per cent of success in negotiation is due to preparation – ie by thinking throughthe problem to find the real issues and working out how to deal with them.

• interests, not positions, should be the focus – think about the needs of the otherperson, not just the position they are taking.

• invent options for mutual gain – think about ways of solving the other person’sproblem that they have not even considered, and that would benefit you too.




Suggested time for this activity2 lessons





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1. Students, in pairs, develop a response to the scenarios provided on the student worksheet.The response should focus on the possible solutions, the pros and cons of each and theprocess of negotiation that could occur.

2. With their partners, they then choose the solution they think will work best, and role-play thenegotiation process related to the solution, for the rest of the class.

3. As a class, they then discuss and come to an agreement on some general negotiatingprinciples for use when dealing with people with an opposing view.


A C T I V I T Y 2


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Negotiating in More Complex Situations

1. With your partner, develop a response to the scenarios provided below. The responseshould focus on the possible solutions, the pros and cons of each, and the process ofnegotiation that could occur.

• For the last eight months you have been preparing a folio of work that will form part of your assessment in one of your subjects. Your assessment includes a discussionbetween you and your teacher about your work and its origins. With one month to gobefore the folio is due to be presented for assessment, the teacher informs you thatthere is an opportunity to exhibit and talk about your work at a youth forum at the localcommunity centre on the following Friday night. The teacher makes it clear that, ifsuccessful, this presentation would replace the planned discussion as part of your finalassessment. You have a party you want to go to that night. What will you do?

• You have been given the task of visiting the local community centre to discuss thepossibility of you running a community event in three months’ time. This would involveinviting local youth to the centre to participate in sporting and creative activities run bystudents from your school. The mayor is opposed to the idea. How can you convinceher that the idea is worth pursuing?

• You have been painting for some years and have found that people, including yourteacher, are making very positive comments about the quality of your work. You arebeginning to sell some of your paintings. A local business manager approaches you and offers to hang some of your paintings in the foyer of a building. The paintings would be for sale and this person would handle the transactions for you. As his fee for this the manager would like to have the best picture placed in his office. What willyour answer be?

• You are the producer of the annual school play and it is your task to negotiate with thelocal scout club for the use of the hall to stage the play. It is a rather smart hall andsuited to the type of play to be produced. The scout club has announced that it will beincreasing the fee for the use of the hall by 25 per cent to $250 per night. You know thatif you agree to this, the tickets will cost more and fewer people will come. What willyou say to the scoutmaster?

2. With your partner, choose the solution you think will work best. You will be asked to role-play the negotiation process related to the solution, for the rest of the class.

3. As a class, discuss and then come to an agreement on some general negotiating principlesfor use when dealing with people with an opposing view.

A C T I V I T Y 3

Negotiating a Business Deal

Teacher notes

Background and contextBuying and selling crystallises many issues in negotiating. This activity has severalimportant learnings about negotiation:

• A buy/sell negotiation usually involves consideration of more than just price.

• It is useful for a negotiator to try to work out what is motivating the other person.

• The person who puts the first price on the table may frame the subsequentdiscussion in a way that could disadvantage him/her.

• The person who feels the most urgency may close off more favourable outcomes later.

• It is important to apply active listening skills.

• A good strategy is to reveal your strategies incrementally rather than all at once.

This activity also provides the opportunity for students to discuss principlednegotiation and ethical behaviour. Students need to view negotiation as a legitimateundertaking whereby two parties can reach mutual agreement through a rational andfair process.









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1. Students are organised into pairs. One of the pair will be a ‘buyer’ and the other a ‘seller’ in acommercial trading arrangement.

2. Sellers and buyers from the pairs leave the room separately while the other group is beinggiven their instructions by the teacher. Instructions are provided on the student worksheet –to be cut in half. It is important that partners do not see each other’s instructions.


A C T I V I T Y 3


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3. Five minutes is allocated to negotiate the sale/purchase of the product and ‘do a deal’. Thesale should be put in writing with signatures and date as well as the agreed price and anyconditions.

4. The results of the negotiations are shared with the rest of the class with outcomes of eachpair recorded on the board. Discuss any patterns or trends.

5. Discuss the strategies used as either buyer or seller in the negotiations. Which strategieswere successful? Why? How could the negotiations be done differently next time?

6. Discuss the ethics associated with principled negotiation. What approach should beemployed to ensure that satisfactory outcomes are gained for each person? What canhappen if one party acts unethically?

A C T I V I T Y 3


Seller’s instructionsYou have just got a new job that comes with an expensive car, and so you need to sell yourold car. This is a relief, because it was not a very successful car, it was not produced in largenumbers, and although you have been happy with it you think it is no longer meeting yourneeds.

You have had a roadworthy test done on it and it has failed. You are not expecting to getmuch for it – you take the attitude that anything you get for it will be a bonus, really.

And you’re in no hurry to sell, of course, since you’ve got a new car to use.


Buyer’s instructionsYou are a car lover who reads every Australian and international car magazine from cover to cover.

You hear one day that a certain model of a certain car has started to become a collector’sitem, and you decide to acquire one of these cars – preferably from someone who doesn’t yetknow about its new status. You decide to act quickly because the longer you wait, the morelikely it is that the news will become public and the price will go up. You’re prepared to payquite a lot, though, because not many of these cars were produced and they might end upbeing quite valuable.

Roadworthiness is not such an issue for you because you intend to restore the car and willdecide then whether it would be useful to obtain a roadworthy certificate.

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Creating OpportunitiesIncreasingly governments and business are expressing the need for the community tofoster an environment that helps people create opportunities.

It is our collective responsibility to create an environment that cultivates new ideas,encourages development of entrepreneurial talent, rewards initiative and risk-taking, andbuilds the desire for a shared vision and direction. All sections of the community have arole to play in building a sustainable ideas culture in Australia, including education andtraining institutions, research organisations, business and government.

Innovation – Unlocking the Future, Final report of the Innovation Summit Implementation Group, August 2000

Entrepreneurship has been described as the ‘timely pursuit of opportunity’. Manyenterprising people see themselves as part of an opportunity-filled universe, and areable to connect an idea with a need. Thinking of new ways to do things energisessome people. If we are to teach students to be enterprising, we need to teach themto see and generate opportunities, to be creative, to look beyond the status quo, tobe change agents, to be active in shaping their futures and the future of theircommunity.

Students are critical observers, used to looking at things and asking why. Oftenthey have the motivation to do things, particularly for social good. However, theircreativity can be constrained by tradition, peer pressure, and other factors, with theresult that opportunities that might have a positive effect on their communities canbe overlooked.

The activities in this section offer some ideas to help students recogniseopportunities and their own capacity to respond creatively to those opportunities.

These activities may be attempted by those classes teachers consider to be ready.Learning activities that encourage the creation of opportunities have the icon

shown at top of this page.


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A C T I V I T Y 1

Generating Ideas and Opportunities

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity is a series of short exercises designed to help students think creativelyand generate ideas. Students are deliberately asked to brainstorm many responsesbecause it encourages them to think beyond the obvious. Paradoxically, it is ofteneasier to think of lots of things rather than just a few. The smaller the numbers ofthings to think of, the more discerning you are in the beginning. It is better andeasier to generate lots of ideas in the beginning and then apply a critical edge tothinking and become more discerning about the range of ideas generated.







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ProcessStudents are asked to brainstorm responses to the question posed in tasks 1–6 on the studentworksheet. These could be done as a class, or in small groups, with each group reporting backto the class as a whole.

Task 1:When most students have come up with about 13 ways, those students given the same topicform a group to consider the 13 suggestions of each individual student with the objective ofcoming up with the ‘best five’. Groups report back to the class.

Task 4:Several copies of a daily paper will be required.

Tasks 2, 3, 6:The class compiles a list of the suggestions made, highlighting its diversity and creativity.


A C T I V I T Y 1


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Generating Ideas and Opportunities

Task 1On your own, think of 13:• ways to advertise the sale of a truck;• ways to raise money at a fete;• ways to save water;• things to remember when doing your next test;• things you can do to help you study more effectively.

Task 2List at least five jobs or businesses that:• would require you to use your head;• would require you to travel;• would require you to forever be a learner;• would involve using paint;• would have existed in the 1800s but not today.

Task 3Indicate the types of goods or services that the following businesses might produce.Cargo Barriers Rap-it DessertedWedding Warehouse Facelift CuttersWares-ya-bin Fancy Fillings InsulbagJim’s Trees U Wreck Beaute Sur La Baie

Task 4Circle all the headings on pages three to eight of the daily newspaper. Examine each headingin turn and state the business opportunities there might be in response to each headline.

Task 5Imagine you have landed your dream job, and answer the following questions about it.• What is the job?• Are you working for yourself or a company?• Are you working in Australia or overseas?• Have you needed to do much training for your job?• When did you first show that you had talent for the job?• What skills and qualities did you bring to the job?• Is it a job that we know about today?• What changes will it make to your life?

Task 6Respond to the following statement: ‘Life would be better without gravity.’ Use three headings:advantages, disadvantages and interesting features. Some ideas could be obtained from thisdescription of the effect of gravity:

‘Gravity on the moon is only one-sixth of that on earth. A normal step made earth-style becomesa bound on the moon; objects which would be heavy on earth are easy to lift, and a rock droppedfrom a height takes more than twice the time to reach the ground. For a spaceship outside theearth’s atmosphere, life is even stranger. Everything is weightless. Release an object and ithovers in front of you; hold your arm up and it doesn’t get tired; the tiniest push sets thingsmoving – in any direction; a jug is easier to tip over, and the contents keep going straight aheadrather than heading downward. In fact, nothing and nobody knows which way is up any more.’

A C T I V I T Y 2

Thinking Creatively and Strategically

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity gets students to think about ‘what if ’ scenarios as a way of developingtheir brainstorming ability, generating ideas and developing communication skills.








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Process

1. Ask students to consider the scenarios provided on the student worksheet, puttingthemselves into the situation. Ask them to make brief notes about how they would deal witheach situation. Alternatively, have the class identify some possible scenarios.

2. Divide the class into small groups to discuss their ideas. Ask them to see if they can come toan agreement on a ‘best’ strategy for each situation.

3. Each group presents their ‘best’ strategies to the class.


A C T I V I T Y 2 :

Thinking Creatively and Strategically

Possible scenariosConsider each of the scenarios below, putting yourself into each situation. Make brief notesabout how you think you would deal with each situation.

• Jill has just purchased a new computer and software and takes it straight home andproceeds to set it up. She finds that there is a vital cord missing. A friend then tells her that this particular computer is available for a cheaper price at a different shop.

• Gabrielle has just been told by her parents that the family will be spending their holidays ather aunt’s house in the country. Her cousins who live in a different town had earlier askedher to spend the holidays with them and she accepted their invitation, but had forgotten toask her parents. She now finds that she has two invitations to be at different places at thesame time.

• Lim has been training hard all year, the team has been successful and grand final day (his first) has arrived. He is extremely nervous and starts wondering whether he is goodenough to help the team win. As he walks onto the field and the crowd cheers loudly, hehas butterflies in his stomach and starts to sweat.

• Fabio is driving down the street listening to some of his favourite music. At a roundaboutanother car suddenly comes from the right and hits his car in the rear right-hand side.Fabio is not injured but the car is damaged, though driveable.


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A C T I V I T Y 3

Looking for Business Opportunities

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity is useful as a way of generating business ideas. It will enable students tosee the many activities that are available for business start-ups.




Suggested time for this activity1–2 lessons plus out-of-class research and interviewing





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1. Each individual student draws a circle on a piece of paper at least A4 in size. In the centre ofthe circle they write a noun or an activity, for example PETS. They then draw eight linesleading out from the word PETS to the edge of the circle. On each of the eight lines theywrite an activity that involves pets, for example grooming, training, birthdays.

2. Students then form pairs and combine their circles. Next, they do the same in a group of four.

3. Each group should choose the ‘best eight’ ideas from the point of view of developing a smallbusiness, and develop a brief draft business plan for each idea. Plans should include:

• the market need and how it can be met;

• a goal for the business;

• a set of business planning related tasks (such as working out the costs, determiningwhether it will need a physical shopfront or could be an online business or both); and

• how the effectiveness of the plan will be measured and evaluated.(See Appendix 1 for more information on developing a business plan.)

4. Each group finds an example of a real business plan or a model business plan used inbusiness (for example from banks, small business advisory groups and other organisations)to help inform their plan, and a business person in the community who agrees to read thebusiness plans and provide practical feedback on them, either to an individual groupmember or the whole class.


A C T I V I T Y 3

Looking for Business Opportunities

1. Draw a circle on a piece of paper at least A4 in size. In the centre of the circle write a nounor an activity, for example PETS. Draw eight lines leading out from the word PETS to theedge of the circle. On each of the eight lines write an activity that involves pets, forexample grooming, training, birthdays.

2. Form groups of two, then four, each time comparing circles and choosing the best eightideas from the point of view of developing a small business, and develop a brief draftbusiness plan for each idea. Plans should include:

• the market need and how it can be met

• a goal for the business

• a set of business planning related tasks (such as working out the costs, determiningwhether it will need a physical shopfront or could be an online business or both)

• how the effectiveness of the plan will be measured and evaluated.

3. Find an example of a real business plan or a model business plan used in business (forexample from banks, small business advisory groups and other organisations) to helpinform the plan, and a business person in the community who agrees to read the businessplans and provide practical feedback.


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PETS

A C T I V I T Y 4

Thinking Creatively about the Future: A Futures Wheel

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis is an activity that enables students to think through the consequences of change.






• Identify, assess and manage risks


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1. Students think of a significant future possibility or event that would have consequences forour lifestyle. Use a few words to describe that possibility or event (for example, tap waterpolluted) and write them in the centre of a page. A circle is drawn around the description asshown on the student worksheet.

2. Students then think of some immediate consequences of the predicted possible event. Eachof these immediate consequences (briefly summarised, for example ‘households withoutwater’) is connected to the predicted possible event. Link the immediate consequences bydrawing a circle around each one and drawing an arrow from the original idea to each of theimmediate consequences.

3. Considering the immediate consequences, students identify the further consequences thatarise from each of these items. These are linked as ‘second-order’ consequences to therelevant immediate consequence.

4. Two levels of consequences are now apparent. A partially completed futures wheel hasbeen provided on the student worksheet. Students can keep expanding the futures wheel by thinking of ‘third-order’ consequences, and so on, until they run out of ideas. Discuss the pattern of possible consequences that have grown out of the original possibility and see whether any conclusions can be drawn from the exercises.

5. Students are asked in what other contexts they could use a futures wheel (for example,when thinking about future career paths and making decisions in other spheres of life).


A C T I V I T Y 4

Thinking Creatively about the Future: A Futures Wheel

1. Think of a significant future possibility or event that would have consequences for ourlifestyle. Use a few words to describe that possibility or event (for example, tap waterpolluted) and write them in the centre of a blank sheet of paper. A circle is drawn aroundthe description.

2. Now think of some immediate consequences of the predicted possible event. Each of theseimmediate consequences (briefly summarised, for example ‘households without water’) isarranged around the predicted possible event. Link them by drawing a circle around eachone and drawing an arrow from the original idea to each of the immediate consequences,as shown in the diagram. By thinking of sufficient examples you will be able to form acircle of them around the original event.

3. Considering the immediate consequences, identify further consequences that arise fromeach of these. These are linked as ‘second-order’ consequences to the relevant immediateconsequence, eventually forming a second circle, hence the name futures wheel. Thediagram shows a partially completed futures wheel.

4. Keep expanding the futures wheel by thinking of ‘third-order’ consequences, and so on.


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Contaminatedwater supply – tap

water becomespolluted

Householdshave no water

Increasein sale of bottled

water

Tanks tocollect rainwater

Search forunderground water

supplies

Industry cannotuse the water

C h a p t e r 4

Learning Area EnterpriseActivities

The icons shown at the start of each activity crosslink the activity to relevant sectionsof the ‘Developing Enterprise Skills’ chapter, page 22.

The ArtsThere are many opportunities for developing enterprise attributes and undertakingenterprise activities in the Arts. It is a learning area in which creativity is emphasised,in which there are many self-employment opportunities, and that offers students thechance to be involved in school events like plays and exhibitions, which require theexercise of many enterprise skills and attributes.

For example, staging an Arts event such as a school play is something with whichmost Arts teachers are familiar. In relation to Enterprise education, it is worthconsidering how the Arts component can be combined with the expertise of yourcolleagues in the school and ‘experts’ outside the school to provide an integratedlearning experience for the students in:

• planning and marketing;

• financing;

• project management;

• project development.

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A C T I V I T Y 1

Producing and Marketing a School Calendar

Teacher notes

Background and contextThe purpose of this activity is to develop enterprise attributes and design and artskills through the design, production and sale of a school calendar. The activity couldbe run as a profit-making venture for the class, the profits to be used to support theend-of-year school social or party or perhaps donated to a charity of students’choosing. Others could be approached to become involved. For example: a Businessstudies teacher could talk about marketing and small business management; a localmanufacturer or retailer could address the class on researching, developing,marketing and selling a product.




• Using technology

Suggested year levels8–9

Suggested time for this activityFlexible, but possibly 1 or 2 lessons per week for six weeks plus out-of-class research





Learning Area Enterprise Activi t ies

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ProcessUsing the information in Appendixes 1, 2 and 3, discuss the difference between businessplanning, marketing planning and project planning with the class. Essentially a business plan is a long-range document that outlines a number of strategies to be used to achieve theobjectives of an organisation, which may include marketing plans and special projects.Budgeting is an integral part of all of these activities and is the subject of Appendix 4.

Roles and responsibilities for the class throughout the project should be developed anddiscussed. It is also an opportunity to manage the task using project management and marketingprinciples. (Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan, and Appendix 3 Project Management Cycle.)


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A coordinating group of about six students could be convened. All students in the classshould be involved in the market research and in considering what to include, as well as havinginput into the design of the calendar – for example photos, drawings, poems. The coordinatinggroup should have editorial responsibility, ensure that the timeline is adhered to, manage thebudget, and make final decisions regarding print runs, costs, printer, etc.

After the calendar has been produced and sold, students should seek feedback on customersatisfaction. The results of this should be tabulated and discussed in class to provide feedbackon the success of the project and to inform future ventures that develop Arts products forparticular audiences.

Producing and Marketing a School Calendar

You are to design, produce and market a school calendar.

Task 1: Marketing planDevelop a marketing plan for a school calendar (Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan.)

As you begin to think about a marketing plan you will see that there is information that youmust collect in order to determine the requirements of your market. A survey is a useful tool todo this.

Task 2: SurveyDesign a survey to test the market. In your planning you will need to consider the followingquestions:

• Who makes up the target market?

• What sort of calendar would they like?

• How much would they be prepared to pay?

• How many calendars will you be able to sell?

• Is there a particular time of year when people usually buy calendars, and by which thecalendar will need to be ready?

• Where are some good places to distribute the calendar?

Task 3: Further planning and implementation (Refer to Appendix 3 ProjectManagement Cycle.)Use the results of your survey to inform your planning. Write down the steps to be followed incarrying out the project.

Theme and contentWill ‘school’, ‘community’, or something else be the theme of the calendar? What will thepictorial content be on each page?

A C T I V I T Y 1


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Develop a timelineWhen deciding when best to develop, market and sell the product, work backwards from thedeadline showing when each of the steps will be carried out.

You will need to think about what kind of marketing is required, and how far ahead of theselling period it should be implemented.

The budget

• Careful costing is needed, and the quality of the final product is a key issue.

• You will have to weigh the pros and cons of publication, for example in one colour, twocolours or full colour, size, quantities.

• Consideration could be given to applying for a grant for printing from the school council,setting up a company owned by the class to which all students contribute the requiredamount of capital, or seeking sponsorship.

• Whichever method of financing is chosen, there will need to be a convincing submissionwritten to obtain funding.

• This might be a good opportunity for inviting assistance from an English teacher or aBusiness studies or Accounting teacher to assist with the drafting of the submission. Alocal business person should be approached to act as an adviser.

SalesEvery member of the class needs to assume a sales role and, if possible, calendars should bepre-sold (that is, ordered ahead) and prepaid.

Task 4: EvaluationNow that the class has participated in this project an evaluation of its success can take place.

Things to consider might include:

• Did the theme and content meet the needs of the target audience?

• Was the timeline for production and distribution realistic?

• Was the budget satisfactory?

• Were there any patterns in sales records?

• Would you make any changes in the promotion of your product if you did this again?


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A C T I V I T Y 2

Devising a Celebration Ceremony

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis activity gives students the scope to plan an Arts-related activity that will stimulate and challenge them and provides the opportunity to be involved in a localcommunity event. If this is not possible, then simulating this involvement can alsoassist students to develop enterprise skills and attributes. The students are asked toimagine they are in charge of devising the celebrations for a big event – such asAustralia Day, though it could be any significant event of their own choosing. They are to compile a portfolio of relevant artwork and present it to the class with adescription of the activity they have chosen and the budget they will require.






Suggested time for this activity7 lessons plus out-of-class research and liaison




ProcessUsing the information in Appendixes 1, 2 and 3, discuss the difference between businessplanning, marketing planning and project planning with the class. Essentially a business plan is a long-range document that outlines a number of strategies to be used to achieve theobjectives of an organisation that may include marketing plans and special projects. Budgetingis an integral part of all of these activities, and is the subject of Appendix 4.

To give the students some practical input and to enhance its enterprising context, you shouldconsider inviting to class people who have been responsible for organising a locally significantevent – the local agricultural show, Anzac Day commemorations, cultural festival, Clean UpAustralia Day, etc. These people could also be involved in observing and commenting on thestudents’ class presentations.


A C T I V I T Y 2

Devising a Celebration Ceremony

You are to undertake or simulate the organisation of an Australia Day (or other) celebration. A substantial budget has been allocated, which will enable a large-scale production. You arerequired to:

• develop a plan for the celebration;

• develop a folio of relevant artwork to complement the plan;

• present the concept to an audience.

Task 1: Planning (Refer to Appendix 3 Project Management Cycle.)In developing the plan take the following into consideration:

• What will be the theme, or main idea, for the celebration? Explain why.

• What activities will be conducted?

• Design a creative integrated theme for the event including a logo, any designs fordecorations or clothing worn by coordinators, tickets, staging, and so on. Undertake thenecessary research to guarantee an effective theme.

Task 2: Budgeting (Refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting.)Prepare a budget. You will need to research costs quite thoroughly – venue hire, appearancefees, printing costs, policing costs, council permit costs, etc. A spreadsheet software programcould be used. Report to the class and ask for their feedback.

Task 3: Developing linksLiaise with the relevant community organisations and businesses that might be interested inbeing involved in a community event. Seek as much input from them as possible and have thestudents expand their contacts and offer their skills, involvement and contribution. Ask them toattend the event or the simulation and provide feedback on students’ class presentations.


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A C T I V I T Y 3

Marketing a School Event

Teacher notes

Background and contextArts students are often involved in the production and performance of plays,exhibitions and other artistic events. Sometimes promotion and marketing are givenless attention than the artwork, the play, or whatever the event is – but they are infact integral to the success of any public activity.

It is important for Arts students to gain experience in the promotion as well as theundertaking of Arts activities and to understand and meet the needs of potentialcustomers. This often involves an integration of creative arts skills such as design withsound marketing skills.





Suggested time for this activity5 lessons plus out-of-class activities




ProcessUsing the information in Appendixes 1, 2 and 3, discuss the difference between businessplanning, marketing planning and project planning with the class. Essentially a business plan is a long-range document that outlines a number of strategies to be used to achieve theobjectives of an organisation that may include marketing plans and special projects. Budgetingis an integral part of all of these activities and is the subject of Appendix 4.

It is important for students to realise that marketing is more than working out how to sellsomething after it has already been developed. A key aspect of marketing is that it first of allinvolves finding out what potential customers want, then ensuring the product is produced in a way that meets those needs, and finally selling the product to the market that has beenidentified. It is therefore most helpful if this activity is seen as an integral part of the Arts eventthe class is involved in, not just an add-on after the event has already been decided upon.


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Students need to talk to people with the relevant expertise, for example people from thelocal theatre, a marketing company or an events manager from a service organisation such asRotary, Rotaract or the Lions Club. Invite such external contacts to talk to the class about howthey approach the organisation of an event.

Students need the opportunity to develop an understanding of the four Ps of the marketingmix: product, price, place (of distribution – ie where your customers will buy the product) andpromotion. This might occur by making use of the business studies teacher or a local businessperson. Students then draw up a marketing plan and budget, to implement this activity.

Students participate in the event and afterwards evaluate the artistic qualities of theperformance, display or show as well as the marketing of the event.

A C T I V I T Y 3


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Marketing a School Event

Identify or establish an Arts or other event at your school. Promotion and marketing areintegral to the success of any public activity, and your job is to ensure that the promotion, aswell as the undertaking of Arts activities, is managed to the best advantage of your school.

Task 1: Develop a marketing plan (Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan.)Working in a small group, think about planning for an Arts or other school event. In your planningfor this event remember the four Ps of the marketing mix: product, price, place (of distribution –ie where your customers will buy the product) and promotion. Consider the following points:

Product:

• What is it, and what customer need does it meet?

• Carefully define who the customers will be. Remember that there may be distinctly different‘segments’, with different needs.

Price:

• How much are the potential customers willing to pay?

• What other factors should be considered in setting a price?

• How do you know that they are willing to pay this much?

Place (where and how the buyer will buy the product, in this case the Arts event):

• Where is the best place or what method is best to use to sell to the potential customers, in order to achieve the greatest sales?

• Will there need to be more than one ‘place’, to cater for the needs of different potentialcustomers?

Promotion (the ‘marketing mix’):Four methods of promotion that can be used and combined as seen fit are:

• advertising

• publicity (media release, sponsorship)

• personal selling

• sales promotion (eg freebies such as ‘buy one, get one free’).Which kinds of promotion will be most appropriate given the product, place and

potential customers?

Task 2: Budgeting (Refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting to assist with a format.)Once you have made decisions about the direction in which you are heading and establish aplan, then a budget needs to be developed.

You will need to cost the various decisions made in Task 1 (such as advertising anddistribution of tickets), reviewing your decisions in light of financial considerations.

Task 3: ImplementationFinalise the marketing plan and allocate responsibilities for carrying it out.

Make sure timelines and procedures are clearly understood by all members of yourworking group.


Task 4: EvaluationNow that you have participated in the event, you will be able to evaluate the artistic qualitiesof the performance, display or show as well as the marketing of the event. Considerationshould be given to the following points in your evaluation:

• Did the product meet the needs of the target audience? How can you tell? (eg ticket sales,feedback, comparison of numbers who attended this year to previous years.)

• Which promotional activities were the most or least successful? Why?

• Which promotional activities could be used in future years? Would they need modification?How?


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EnglishEnterprise education provides an opportunity for English teachers to have studentsdemonstrate and further refine their reading, writing and oral communication skillsthrough activities that will be highly motivating and experiential. In addition, the useof ‘audience’ outside the classroom in the development and presentation of thestudents’ work allows for constructive critique, both by others and self, of Englishskills development.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Writing and Marketing a Class Magazine

Teacher notes

Background and contextA team of students produces a class magazine containing student contributions about the activities and events in their classroom, and then distributes it to others in the school community. This activity might become the responsibility of a group of students but requires contributions from the whole class. It could make use ofstories, poems, drawings, essays, crosswords, interviews, reviews, reflections,photographs and designs. All students can be involved in the marketing anddistribution.

Students could approach the local traders or Chamber of Commerce forsponsorship in order to fund the publication and also provide businesses with theopportunity to advertise in the publication. They could also contact local newspapersin which the school advertises regularly, and invite them to choose the best pieces ofwork in certain categories for publication in forthcoming education features. Theycould also ask the newspapers or other sponsors to provide prizes for students whosework was chosen. Students could organise and write up an interview with a memberof local government or a local identity for inclusion in the class magazine. Refer toAppendix 2 Marketing Plan.





Suggested time for this activity8–10 lessons plus outside class time


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• Use initiative


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Time should be set aside to reflect on the development of the magazine. As an extensionactivity a ‘magazine manual’ could be prepared for the next class producing the magazine. Thislonger-term planning for future projects corresponds with the intention of business planning asoutlined in Appendix 1. Students could survey the interest generated beyond the class, recordthe number of copies sold and make recommendations for future projects.

This activity is ideal when looking at newspapers as a communication medium. Studentsneed to consider selecting material appropriate for the target audience.

A C T I V I T Y 1


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Writing and Marketing a Class MagazineWork in a team to produce a class magazine containing student contributions about the activitiesand events in the classroom, and then distribute the magazine to others in the school community.

Task 1: Establishing a process (Refer to Appendix 3 Project Management Cycle.)Having undertaken to write and distribute a class magazine, discuss the steps that need to betaken to manage a project like this.

Task 2: Survey and market analysisDesign and administer a survey to establish who your audience is and what content theywould like to see included. Also seek information regarding the best way to distribute yourproduct, including how and where. Collate and analyse the results of the survey.

Task 3: Marketing plan (Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan.)Draft your own marketing plan using the information from your survey.

Task 4: Planning and negotiation of contentWith your English teacher, discuss how to negotiate with teachers in other learning areas toorganise tasks for inclusion in the magazine that can be assessed as course work in yoursemester report. For example LOTE could include a recipe or a crossword. Art could includedrawings or paintings. Science could include a report on the cosmetic industry as a result of arecent field trip or practical experiment. Mathematics could include a statistical analysis ofstudents’ food choices at the school canteen.

Task 5: Management and budgetingYour class needs to establish an editorial and management committee, which will beresponsible for:

• selecting and editing material using guidelines established by the class;

• preparing and managing a budget (refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting);

• conducting whole class discussions about the project’s progress;

• providing recommendations on layout and design;

• coordinating the distribution of the finished product.The advice of a local or city newspaper representative could be sought, especially one

with editorial and marketing knowledge.

Task 6: Implementation and monitoringAll students develop and contribute to the range of materials as negotiated through themanagement committee. Make sure you are clear about your role.

Materials can be collected in a storage folder so that the editorial and managementcommittee can make a selection using the guidelines negotiated by the class.

With the support of the editorial and management committee, some students willcommence design and layout using a software package.

You will need to source and properly acknowledge content for the magazine and negotiatewith other students to ensure content is not duplicated.

Students need to determine a price and print run for the magazine, as well as the best waysto distribute it. Any sponsorship received should be factored into the pricing of the product.

Task 7: Distribution and evaluationDistribute your finished product according to the plan, based on the information acquired.Keep sales records, which can later be analysed to determine the most effective strategies orlocations in the distribution chain.


A C T I V I T Y 2

Helping Younger Children Enjoy Reading

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents design, trial and present the final version of a reading aid to help tell a storyin a children’s storybook, or to relay the information in a children’s non-fiction book.









• Use initiative


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ProcessDivide the class into groups and ask each group to identify a target group and research thekinds of aids that would appeal to children in the target group. Refer to Appendix 3 ProjectManagement Cycle to provide students with a model of the steps they should follow in carryingout the process.

Students brainstorm a range of ideas and aids, for example felt boards, puppets,marionettes, musical tapes with sound effects, dressing up in character, food, keyrings, cartoon character pillows that could be used as a reading aid.

Parents, childcare workers, librarians and primary school teachers should be surveyed toseek opinions and information. The aids developed should relate to books used in thedesignated primary-age reading group identified as the target group.


A C T I V I T Y 2


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Helping Younger Children Enjoy Reading

Working in a small group, you are to design, trial and present the final version of a reading aidto help tell a story in a children’s storybook, or to relay the information in a children’s non-fiction book.

1. Initial proposalYour group will need to identify a target group and research the kinds of aids that wouldappeal to children in the target group. Brainstorm a range of ideas and aids, for instance feltboards, puppets, marionettes, musical tapes with sound effects, dressing up in character, food,keyrings, cartoon character pillows that could be used as a reading aid. Discuss Appendix 3Project Management Cycle to clarify the process you will need to follow to complete a projectlike this.

2. Market researchDesign a survey to seek opinions and information from parents, childcare workers, librarians andprimary school teachers that will help you select appropriate books to use. The aids developedshould relate to books used in an identified primary-age reading group, eg 8–9 year olds.

3. Product development and trialingAllow yourself enough time to select the book or books carefully. Use the information obtainedin your survey to construct the reading aids. Organise to trial your aids by contacting teachersin local primary schools and make an appointment to spend time with some of their students.Record the outcomes of your trials to establish which aids are suited to different learningsituations and students. If necessary, make changes to your reading aid as a result offeedback from the trials.

4. Presentation and marketingThe class is to conduct a ‘book fair’ and invite staff from the local primary schools, duringwhich each group demonstrates its aid. Each group is to prepare an invitation for a particularprimary school.

On the day, appropriate time will be allowed for the groups to prepare their presentationsand set up a display of the book and the aid. Consideration should be given to the location ofdisplays. Posters must be prepared to advertise each aid.

Each group will be allowed between five and eight minutes to make its presentation to theaudience.

5. EvaluationAsk for feedback on the effectiveness of the reading aids from primary school students, theirteachers and parents. Record and discuss the comments with the rest of the class. This willassist future groups of students who undertake this task.

A C T I V I T Y 3

Planning and Conducting a Trivia Event

Teacher notes

Background and contextPlanning, organising and conducting a trivia event integrates a range of English skillsas well as project management skills. Students are expected to design advertisingmaterial, research and write trivia questions and communicate to an audience on arange of procedural aspects. The class should decide the size and complexity of thetrivia quiz and could run a small version within the school before opening it to awider community audience.

Arrange for students to observe or participate in a trivia event or talk to someonewho has organised one and can explain to them some of the things that make itwork, what attracts people to attend and what some of the pitfalls might be.








• Use initiative


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Students need to consider the range of organisational details that need to be attended to inthis project, including structure of trivia quiz and target audience, time and date, prizes andawards needed, identification of a venue and furnishings and equipment required, cateringneeds, promotion strategy, finances required, and other matters as determined by the group.


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After student consultation with other students, teachers and adults in the wider community,the group must choose a theme for the quiz event by means of consensus decision making.Students will need to prepare at least 50 questions and it is important that the questions are allwritten and compiled by students themselves. After the event has taken place, students willneed to review the overall success of the quiz and consider areas for improvement.


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A C T I V I T Y 3

Planning and Conducting a Trivia Event

You are required to choose a suitable topic for a trivia event, design advertising material,research and write questions, coordinate the event and communicate to the audience on arange of procedural aspects.

Task 1: Research (Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan and Appendix 3 ProjectManagement Cycle to help establish a process for completing the tasks involved.)In preparation for this activity it would be useful to offer to assist in organising a trivia eventfor another community organisation, in order to ‘learn the ropes’. If this is not possible, asksomeone who has previously organised a trivia event to come and talk about his or herexperience.

Task 2: Developing a marketing planIn planning for your own event you will need to consider the range of organisational detailsthat must be attended to, including:

• structure of trivia quiz;

• identification of your target audience;

• survey to find out the type of event your target audience would prefer;

• collate and discuss the results of the survey;

• time and date;

• prizes and awards needed;

• identification of a venue and furnishings and equipment required;

• catering needs;

• promotion strategy;

• finances required;

• timeline;

• other matters as determined by the group;

• allocation of tasks to group members.



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Task 3: Obtaining fundsSeek outside sponsorship from industry, small business, the local Chamber of Commerce orcommunity groups for prizes, and offer complimentary passes to representatives of theseorganisations to attend.

Task 4: Product developmentPrepare at least 50 quiz questions. Some members of your group should use local and dailynewspapers to research topical questions. Others may interview school staff and localidentities to compile some of the questions with a school and community flavour. Designquestions that relate to both local and wider community.

Questions need to be written out but can be related to photographs, audio or handoutprompts. Response sheets will be required for each team.

Task 5: Promotional material and salesFlyers, posters and any other forms of advertising that you have decided upon in yourmarketing plan will need to be developed and distributed. Some members of your group willneed to do this.

Tickets will need to be designed and printed. Decide which members of your group will do this.All members of your group should make a commitment to selling a certain number of

tickets before the event, so that catering arrangements can be made according to theexpected attendance figure.

Task 6: The eventIn your final arrangements make sure your earlier planning has covered the following tasks:

• appointment of a master of ceremonies;

• confirmation of responsibilities on the night of the quiz;

• preparation of team lists of between five to eight people per team;

• allocation of team names;

• giving players explicit written and verbal instructions;

• after each round, collection of team sheets, collation and display of progressive results.

Task 7: EvaluationReview the event with consideration of areas for improvement. You should consider all areasof the operation in this review.

Health and Physical EducationHealth and physical education develops many of the qualities that typify anenterprising individual. A well-rounded person, who is creative and dynamic needs to have a healthy attitude to life and be physically fit. Participation in health- andsport-related activities builds confidence, self-esteem and determination.

A great deal of networking for business as well as social purposes occurs insporting clubs, and teamwork is the essence of success in many sportingorganisations. Striving to achieve one’s personal best and constantly seeking toimprove on one’s performance is an attitude that often leads to success in one’scareer and life, not just in sport.

The fitness and outdoor recreation industries have grown rapidly in recent years,providing students with many new career and job opportunities, includingopportunities to create their own businesses.

Health and physical education provides teachers with the opportunity to involvestudents in activities that will build enterprise and life skills and benefit both themselvesand a wider audience within and outside the school community. The activities thatfollow have this context in mind.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Producing a School Health Manual

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents work in groups as part of a class project to produce a school health manualcontaining student and community contributions about health-related activities andevents in the school and local community. It could include a range of material but as a manual it should have an advisory focus. This activity helps develop the capacity ofstudents to work in teams and can result in a valuable school resource for students,parents and the broader community.

This activity might become the responsibility of a particular group of students but requires contributions from the whole class and perhaps other classes andcommunity organisations. It could make use of stories, advice, listings of clubs,services and events, drawings, interviews, reviews, reflections, photographs anddesigns. All students can be involved in the marketing and distribution.






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Suggested time for this activity1 or 2 lessons per week for an extended period plus out-of-class research andinterviews




ProcessUsing the information in Appendixes 1, 2 and 3, discuss the difference between businessplanning, marketing planning and project planning with the class. Essentially a business planis a long-range document that outlines a number of strategies to be used to achieve theobjectives of an organisation that may include marketing plans and special projects. Budgetingis an integral part of all of these activities and is the subject of Appendix 4.

Time should be set aside to reflect on the development of the manual. The manual couldbecome a regular school-based publication and a community resource that is listed on relevantcommunity websites as well as the school’s website. This longer-term planning for futureprojects corresponds with the intention of business planning as outlined in Appendix 1.

A C T I V I T Y 1


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Producing a School Health Manual

Task 1: Establishing a process (Refer to Appendix 3 Project Management Cycle.)You are to work in a group as part of a class project to write and distribute a school healthmanual for students, parents and your local community. Firstly, discuss the steps that need tobe taken to manage a project like this and record them. Allocate specific tasks to each group.

Task 2: Survey and market analysis (Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan.)As you already know your intended audience, design and administer a survey to establish the content they would like to see included. Also seek information regarding the best way to distribute your product, including how and where. Collate and analyse the results of thesurvey.

Task 3: Management and budgetingThe class needs to establish an editorial and management committee. The committee wouldbe responsible for:

• establishing a set of guidelines for selecting and editing material;

• preparing and managing a budget (refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting);

• conducting whole class discussions about the project’s progress;

• providing recommendations on layout and design;

• coordinating the distribution of the finished product;

• allocating tasks to particular groups.The class will need to determine a price and print run for the manual, as well as the best

ways to publish and distribute it, including pricing and whether an electronic version of themanual is feasible.

Task 4: Research and developmentYou will need to source and properly acknowledge content for the manual and negotiate withcommunity organisations to ensure their commitment to contributing material.

Seek the advice and support of a local health and recreation authority, such as the localcouncil. Information and brochures could be obtained from local clubs and health services.You could arrange to interview council health and recreation officers.

All students are to develop and contribute a range of materials. Through the managementcommittee, different groups could be allocated the task of collecting, collating and writingmaterial for a particular target audience, eg preschool children, older adults, single parents.

Task 5: MonitoringRegular class discussions are to be held to record each group’s progress with their tasks, toprovide assistance with problem solving and to share ideas. Materials will be collected in astorage folder and after a few sessions the editorial and management committee, according to the set of guidelines decided upon, will make a selection of materials and note gaps wheremore information is needed. Some groups will continue to source or develop further content.Others could commence design and layout using an appropriate software package.



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Task 6: PublicationOnce the class is satisfied that the content of the manual is complete and the layout anddesign are finalised and approved by the class, the manual can be published and distributedas previously agreed.

Task 7: EvaluationThe class will discuss the process they went through to develop the manual and where itcould be improved if they were to do it again. This would include a financial reconciliation. Asurvey of the target audience could be carried out to assess the level of satisfaction with theend product and to identify gaps in information.

This data should be written up in a report to be used by other classes intending toundertake a similar project in the future.

A C T I V I T Y 2

Developing a New Indoor Game

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents working in small groups imagine that a national competition will be fundedby a sporting goods manufacturer. The competition involves producing an idea for anew indoor game. The manufacturer’s representatives want this game to become aspopular as indoor cricket and to appeal to both males and females in a range of agegroups. They want to establish the game nationally and to stage it in existingbuildings such as gymnasiums and halls. Later, if the game takes off, they will invest in new sporting centres to cater for the increased numbers wanting to play.

The game concept could be further developed giving consideration to:

• conducting a feasibility study to measure the possible popularity of the game;

• costing the manufacture of the required equipment and facilities required; and

• marketing and promotion strategies.





Suggested time for this activity1–2 lessons per week for an extended period plus out-of-class research andinterviewing



• Use initiative



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A C T I V I T Y 2


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Developing a New Indoor Game

Task 1: Market analysisYou are to work in small groups to develop a new indoor game. You will need to conduct someresearch to determine who your audience might be and what type of game might be the mostpopular. Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan to identify possible steps to take in this process.

Task 2: Research and developmentBefore deciding upon your game concept, investigate a range of options including:

• historical material on games from other periods;

• discussion with older adults about games from their youth;

• consideration of ‘variations’ on current games.Combine this information with the results of your market analysis to develop your

game concept.On the basis of this research you will prepare written proposals about the game concept,

outlining:

• the name of the game;

• the playing area to be used and how it is marked out;

• the equipment needed;

• the number of players and where they are positioned;

• how the game is played;

• how the game is scored;

• ways to avoid injuries to players;

• the rules of the game.Before finalising your game concept, demonstrate it to a group of students from another

class as a trial. Refine your game concept in light of the trial. Prototypes of materials needed(eg rules) and equipment will need to be developed.

Task 3: Marketing plan including budgetingOnce you have established the product concept, you will need to develop a marketing plan to promote it. You will need to consider how you will promote your product and the place ofdistribution.

Establish a timeline and budget for your project (refer to Appendix 3 Project ManagementCycle). You will need to consider the sale price of your product, so that your production costsare covered.

Task 4: MonitoringReview your progress against your timeline and budget after each stage of the project.

Task 5: EvaluationYour group is to organise to present its product to the class and to an external audience such as:

• school council;

• the sport faculty at the school;

• local sport and recreation authority;

• sport-related business representative.After the presentation, ask for feedback on the product and record important points. With

the class, discuss and record how you would change the process to improve the product ifyou were carrying out the project again.

Languages other than English (LOTE)The development of oral, visual and written communication in LOTE lends itself to involving the whole school and the local community in enterprising activities.Students participating in parent information evenings catering for different languagegroups, international food days, school fetes, and local community festivals have theopportunity to develop an understanding of different cultural orientations, and theimportance of speaking foreign languages in social situations and for commercialtransactions.

Many ethnic groups already have strong established associations and networkswithin local communities, which can be tapped into and provide a wealth ofnetworking opportunities. Students who become involved in well-organisedcommunity, social and sporting activities have the opportunity to developcommunication, organisational and leadership skills. Networking in these situationscan often lead to work experience or work placements.

Developments in technology also provide a host of opportunities to engagestudents in the study of languages in enterprising ways, as the following activitiesdemonstrate.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Planning an Overseas Study Tour

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents work in pairs on a project to create their own itinerary for an overseas studytour to a city in the country related to the LOTE they are studying. They shouldconsult with members of the community who speak the particular language ifpossible, and make use of Internet resources and print materials as well as travel-related businesses in the community.

This activity would involve interdisciplinary investigations into other learning areasand students could be asked to identify the links as part of their final report.

A project like this could become an annual event. Contact could be made with oneor more overseas schools with a view to developing a sister school relationship andan exchange programme. This longer-term planning for future projects correspondswith the intention of business planning and could be investigated by the students.






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Suggested time for this activityFlexible, but possibly 1 or 2 lessons per week for four weeks plus out-of-class researchand interviewing




• Use initiative

• Use interpersonal communication and influencing skills


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A C T I V I T Y 1

Planning an Overseas Study Tour

Task 1: Researching the projectWorking in pairs, you are to create your own itinerary for an overseas trip to a city in thecountry related to the LOTE you are studying. Firstly, you will need to identify the city whereyou will be going on this three-week study tour aimed at further developing your languageskills and understanding of the local culture. Refer to Appendix 3 Project Management Cycle to assist you in planning and organising your work.

You should identify the range of resources and people that could provide you with relevantinformation including:

• a person who is familiar with the city;

• the embassy or the government tourist office of a country with an agency in Australia;

• the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade;

• the Internet; and

• a travel agent.Establish contact with selected people with whom you can communicate regarding the

LOTE, culture and significant aspects of the chosen city. This may include mail or emailcorrespondence with overseas students and writing to foreign language newspapers. It couldinvolve visits to community centres or retirement villages where the language you are studyingis spoken, and local people cooking cuisine of that country for cultural familiarisation.

Task 2: Planning the tourYour plan will need to include:

• tour objectives;

• a detailed itinerary;

• organising necessary passports and visas;

• study programme;

• budget for the trip including air and land travel;

• visits to tourist attractions;

• accommodation;

• timeline of what should happen by when.(Refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting to assist with this.)If possible, prepare this plan, or parts of it, in the LOTE being studied.

Task 3: Reporting backPresent the tour objectives, itinerary, study programme and costing details in a report to theclass. Discuss all aspects of the plan thoroughly and identify the potential links to each of yourother subject areas.

If your proposed tour is thought to be realistic and affordable as well as educationallyworthwhile, the year level coordinator or LOTE coordinator could seek the principal’s approvalto survey parents and students to gauge interest in participating in such a tour. You may beasked to draw up the survey instrument and to collate the results.

Your year level coordinator or LOTE teacher may organise for you to speak to a staff andparents meeting to give the staff and parents an overall perspective of where the plan isheading, and to gain firm approval for the tour.


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Task 4: Making it happenIf the tour goes ahead, you will need to work with the other students involved to investigateways of fundraising to assist with costs. This may include activities such as raffles or sellingchocolates or organising a barbecue lunch. These activities will require you to undertakefurther project planning and implementation.

You will need to begin to make bookings for flights and accommodation, monitoring yourprogress against the established timeline and budget, and reporting back regularly to yourcoordinator, classroom teacher, students and parents.

Task 5: EvaluationWhether your proposed tour takes place or not, it would be worthwhile to discuss your planwith other classes, to exchange ideas and perhaps undertake similar projects that involvetours within your own country, relating to other subjects you are studying.

A C T I V I T Y 2

Promoting Language Studies in Your School and the Wider Community

Teacher notes

Background and contextThis project aims to promote the study of a LOTE to other students within theschool, future students and the broader community. It would be an ideal activity forstudents reasonably advanced in their LOTE studies. It opens up the possibility ofdeveloping links with particular language groups and established organisations in thecommunity, and with feeder primary schools for transition purposes.

Students working in small groups develop a marketing plan that could encompassa promotional brochure, video or small website in English, each of which may behandled as an individual project. They then give a presentation of the products in theLOTE being promoted to one or more of the three target audiences.






Suggested time for this activityFlexible, but possibly 1 or 2 lessons per week for four weeks plus out-of-class preparation





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ProcessUsing the information in Appendixes 1, 2 and 3, discuss the difference between business planning,marketing planning and project planning with the class. Essentially a business plan is a long-range document that outlines a number of strategies to be used to achieve the objectives of anorganisation that may include marketing plans and special projects. Budgeting is an integralpart of all of these activities and is the subject of Appendix 4.


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A C T I V I T Y 2


Promoting Language Studies in your School and the Wider

Community

Task 1: Collecting informationYou are to undertake a project to promote the study of Languages other than English (LOTE) to other students within the school, to future students and to the broader community. Firstly,choose your target audience. Next, it is essential to determine the best method/s tocommunicate with the target audience. Possible products may include a promotionalbrochure, video or small website in English.

With this in mind, work in small groups to conduct a survey of your target audience toestablish which media will be most effective. Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan to provideyou with a structure for managing this project.

Task 2: Devising a marketing planCollate the information from your survey and use it to inform your decision regarding the bestmedia to use for the chosen audience for a LOTE promotional product.

Develop a marketing plan with objectives, strategies, timeline and budget to develop yourchosen product. Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan for some ideas about how to organiseyour work. Prepare your marketing plan for presentation to your LOTE class.

Task 3: Development and trialingDivide up tasks for development of the product based on the interest and expertise of theindividual members of your group. Each promotional product should include:

• a labelled map of the school;

• special or outstanding features of the school’s LOTE curriculum or the resourcesassociated with the LOTE;

• a history of the teaching of the LOTE at the school;

• experiences of students studying the LOTE;

• relevant and interesting information about the staff involved.Make a presentation to representatives in the community who speak the particular LOTE,

to primary school students who may be studying the LOTE now or in the future, to the LOTEfaculty and to other students at your school.

Provide your audiences with a feedback sheet to fill in, so that you can incorporate theirresponses into the design of your final product.

Seek to have a discussion of the feedback in the target LOTE with the communityrepresentatives who speak it.

Task 4: Implementation and deliveryProceed with the final development of your product, measuring your progress regularly againstyour specified timeline and budget.

Task 5: EvaluationOrganise a launch of your product and invite representatives from each of your targetaudiences to attend. Seek their feedback and make notes of positive suggestions that wouldassist you to carry out the project more efficiently and effectively next time.

MathematicsProblem solving is as fundamental to Mathematics curriculum as it is to running asuccessful enterprise. Many aspects of business management rely on mathematicalprinciples and each topic in Mathematics can be linked directly to an application inthe world of work.

Cost estimating and budgeting, gathering data, analysis of information, predictionof outcomes and basic arithmetic are some of the skills taught in Mathematics. Notonly are they basic life skills, they are essential to making an enterprise successful inthe real world.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Planning a Stall for the School Fete

Teacher notes

Background and contextA class of students commits to the organisation of a stall at the school fete. A largeevent such as a fete may be an annual occurrence at a school, and perhaps apromotional strategy of the school’s overall business plan. Refer to Appendix 1Business Plan.

It is likely that the fete organising committee will have drawn up a marketing planfor the event. Otherwise it might be possible for the class to assist with this as well.Refer to Appendix 2 Marketing Plan.

There should be a list available of what stalls are to be set up to avoid duplicationof activities, and the class will need to come to agreement about the type of stall theywish to run from the choices available. For example they might hold a barbecue orsell novelty items. They may wish to organise posters or other forms of advertising topromote their own stall.

A budget should be drawn up and funding obtained to purchase items needed toset up the stall. (Refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting.) This is an ideal opportunity to makelinks with the community, and sponsorship could be sought from organisations suchas the Lions Club, Rotary, local Chamber of Commerce or council youth services.

Tasks for the stall must be identified and allocated. A process of negotiation willneed to be entered into to ensure that all bases are covered. This will be anopportunity for students to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Some will feelconfident about approaching outside organisations for funds and may in fact haveadult networks to support this. Some students may have an interest in the purchaseof goods and the related costing of items to make a profit. Others may have aninterest in sales. Some may prefer to organise the equipment and set it up on the day.

A spreadsheet could be used by members of the class to manage the budget and toassess income and expenditure throughout the entire process. The records could beavailable on the school Intranet or through the library.


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• Identify, assess and manage risk





A C T I V I T Y 1


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Planning a Stall for the School Fete

Task 1: Proposal and discussionAs a class you are to run a stall at the school fete. Discuss with your teacher the planning forthe fete. Using Appendixes 1, 2 and 3, you should discuss the differences between a businessplan, a marketing plan and a project plan and write a few notes to identify the key features ofeach one.

You should also discuss the possible alternatives for the stall and come to an agreementabout which one to choose. Defining the product is a vital part of marketing planning.

Task 2: Planning – objectivesOnce the stall concept is established, you will need to develop a marketing plan. Bear in mind thefour Ps of a marketing plan: product, price, place and promotion. Your plan will need to outline:

• objectives;

• the target audience;

• promotional strategies;

• budget;

• timeline.It is important to get a clear idea of what your objectives are, as after the project has been

completed you will evaluate it on the basis of these objectives.

Task 3: BudgetingAnother vital part of a marketing plan is to determine the price you will charge for yourproduct, so you will need to obtain quotes for the items you will need to purchase. It isstandard business practice to obtain three quotes. For example if you are going to organise a barbecue, you will need quotes for the meats, bread, sauces, etc.

Undertake a break-even analysis using the different prices that you might considercharging based on the quotes you have obtained. The class should discuss the advantagesand disadvantages of the different break-even points. For example, you would hope tomaximise profits in a fundraising activity like this. However, if you charge too much for yourproduct it will not sell. It is therefore very important to know exactly what your profit marginswill be under the pricing structure you choose. Use this analysis to develop a budget in a tableor spreadsheet format.

You will need to design a tax invoice for issue at the point of sale. You will need to establisha sales register, so that sales can be recorded and progressively checked during the fete onan hourly basis. You may be required to make instantaneous calculations of profit margins,which will indicate whether there is capacity to discount goods.

Possible scenarios such as providing suitable discounts for bulk purchases or advancepurchases should be considered and calculated in advance of the event. Optional discountlevels should form part of the spreadsheet. You will only be able to make final decisions ondiscounting during the course of the fete, depending on how the sales figures are going.

The class should put in place contingency plans if, for example, the fete is cancelled afterthe products have been purchased or poor sales mean that they fail to break even.

The analysis and sales strategy could be presented to the fete organising committee for adecision as to whether the stall set-up costs should be financed by them.


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Task 4: PromotionThe fete organising committee should play the major role in the development and coordinationof promotional strategies for the fete. The class should make sure that they tap into thesestrategies. You may also want to develop some additional strategies to focus on your particular stall.

The place where it is to be held and the time must feature clearly in the promotional material.A range of promotional strategies may be used including flyers in the local primary schools

and shopping centres, advertisements in local papers and possibly letter-boxing the localcommunity.

Promotional material will need to be developed and every member of the class will need to take a promotional role.

Task 5: Develop a timelineA good way to develop a timeline is to work backwards from the deadline. You need to workout what tasks have to be completed, decide when they need to be completed and allocatethem to a specific person to do. For example, promotional material has to be printed anddistributed by a certain date if it is to be effective.

Task 6: MonitoringOnce the tasks are allocated, you need to monitor progress against your timeline and budget.

You may find it useful to put the timeline showing the tasks that need to be done, by whenand by whom, on a wall in your classroom. You can then tick off the days and the tasks as theyare completed.

A running sheet of income and expenditure could also be displayed to keep all classmembers informed of the budget situation.

Task 7: EvaluationAfter the fete has been held, the class should complete an evaluation of the success of thestall. The evaluation should be made against the objectives that were set in the planningstage. Record your findings in a report to the fete organising committee to assist in planningfor future fetes.


• Did the theme of the stall meet the needs of the target audience?

• Was the timeline for achieving all the tasks involved well planned?

• Was the original budget realistic?

• Was the class able to balance the books upon completion?

• Based on the progressive monitoring of sales figures, did any patterns in the sales figuresemerge? If so, represent these in graph form and include in your report.

• Would you make any changes in the promotion of your product if you took on such aproject again?

A C T I V I T Y 2

Investment

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents work on a project simulating the purchase of shares, which can beundertaken formally through the Australian Stock Exchange Game or informallythrough a school-based approach.

Students are provided with a starting budget and restricted access to shares, andbegin to assemble a portfolio. They must research the market to observe trends inshares and their yields. Students need to determine how they wish to structure theportfolio, considering risk factors against return. This could involve a mixture ofshort-term and long-term goals, as would feature in a business plan. Students areencouraged to seek outside advice and make use of adult networks.

Students can form syndicates, organised at the school level, which can consist of a group of two or more students. Syndicates pool their financial and intellectualresources, their research and their networks. They must negotiate internally toachieve consensus regarding future expenditure and share trading, with a shared goalof maximising gain.








Suggested time for this activity4–6 lessons plus outside class time over an extended period


• Identify, assess and manage risk


• Use initiative




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A C T I V I T Y 2


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Investment

Task 1: Background informationYou are to work on a project alone or in a syndicate of two or more students to simulate thepurchase of shares and to maximise gain over a set period of time.

Before purchasing any shares it is important to understand the basic principles ofinvestment and how the system works. With this in mind, invite a financial adviser, stockbrokeror accountant to speak to your class on the concept of shares and investment-related issues.

You could also organise a visit to the Stock Exchange or examine the Australian StockExchange website for further information.

Task 2: Research and planningSelect a small number of shares from the daily newspaper and track the selling price over aweek to 10-day period.

Use line graphs to show the changes in prices, and percentage calculations from day today and over the extended period.

You could investigate high-performing shares and particular growth sectors. Again afinancial adviser or accountant could be a source of advice.

Draw some conclusions about the patterns you observe and establish a set of guidelines touse when making your own purchases and sales.

Task 3: ImplementationMake your decisions regarding share purchases, using the guidelines such as total availablefunds, size of share parcels, and so on. It would be useful for you to:

• inform an ‘outside-class’ group such as your family about decisions and future activities;and

• make use of a mentor, such as an adult investor, accountant or financial adviser to assistwith investment decisions.

Task 4: MonitoringAs you continue to be involved in the share-trading process over a period of time, record data and observations related to the investment decisions in a spreadsheet programme forgraphical representation and further analysis.

Your records should show expenditure, income, and profit or loss across all components ofyour share portfolio.

Use the evidence you collect and the patterns that you observe to further inform yourshare trading.

Task 5: EvaluationYou or your syndicate will prepare a report about what was learned from your investmentportfolio and the profit or loss made over a set period of time. Present the report to both yourexternal mentor and ‘outside class’ group at the end of the predetermined period.


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A C T I V I T Y 3

Mathematics Quest

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents identify a topic of their own choice and complete a project involving theapplication of mathematical skills. Students identify areas of their own interest andconsider how these can be applied to possible careers using mathematics.

Examples provided include the manufacture of a beaded purse and a statisticalanalysis of the range and age of cars in the local area.








Suggested time for this activity1 period for discussion of topics, 1–2 lessons per week for 4 weeks, plus out-of-classresearch time




• Use initiative



A C T I V I T Y 3


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Mathematics Quest

Task 1: Initial proposal and researchYou are to identify a topic of your own choice and complete a project involving the applicationof mathematical skills. You are then to consider how these skills could be applied to possiblecareers using mathematics.

Example 1: Manufacture of a beaded purse

• Graphic design

• Prediction of cost of materials

• Time taken to manufacture item

• Feasibility of producing these for sale at a market stall or boutique outlet

• Modifications to the design to make it more cost effective

• Marketing strategy

Example 2: Statistical analysis of the range and age of cars in the local area

• Collection of data

• Spreadsheet representation

• Graphing information

• Observation of trends

• Prediction of probable future directions

• Presentation of a report to local manufacturing industry, Chamber of Commerce, localnewspapersDiscuss possible project topics with other students and with your teacher, and then choose

one that interests you and has links to possible career or job options with a mathematicalfocus. Collect data from outside sources to establish what kind of a market might exist for yourproduct. Depending on the product, you may choose to interview a local manufacturer,retailers or a marketing organisation, or seek information through the local council or Chamberof Commerce. These people can also provide you with information about related jobs andcareers. Determine what form your end product will take. Refer to Appendix 3 ProjectManagement Cycle to assist you with a process to follow.

If you believe there may be a possible market for your product, investigate opportunitiesfurther with a view to establishing networks with outside authorities or organisations to assistyou with marketing and distribution of the product once it has been completed. Refer toAppendix 2 Marketing Plan to provide you with some ideas in this process.

Task 2: Planning• Decide upon some objectives for this project that state clearly what it is you intend to

achieve.

• Map out the tasks involved and the order in which they should be carried out.

• Determine the range of mathematical skills you will require.

• Estimate how long each component will take to complete and establish a timeline.

• Work out a projected budget, referring to Appendix 4 Budgeting to assist with a format.

• Discuss the plan with your teacher and other students for feedback.


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Task 3: Implementation and monitoring• Once you are in the implementation stage of your project, work through your list of tasks in

a systematic manner.

• Check your progress against the timeline you established earlier.

• Monitor your expenditure against the projected budget.

• When your project is completed, you should recontact your networks outside the school tofacilitate marketing and distribution of the product or report.

Task 4: EvaluationFinally present a report about your project to your class for feedback. Class members can actas a support and reference group for each other’s projects. In your report you should includecomments about:

• problems you encountered;

• the usefulness of your intended timeline;

• the accuracy of your projected budget;

• the success of your contact with outside members of the community;

• the degree to which you were able to achieve your intended objectives; and

• the results of your research into careers and jobs that have a mathematical focus.

ScienceScientists are trained to identify and define problems, and to formulate hypotheses asto possible solutions based on research. Hypotheses must be investigated and testedto explore all the possible variables in any given situation. Analysis of test results oftenleads to redesign and further testing, until a solution is found.

In seeking to solve scientific problems, as in real-life situations, there is often notone definite answer but a range of possible solutions. New and innovative solutionsemerge over time as technology develops.

In Science classes, students are encouraged by teachers to be inquiring, not to takethings for granted, to try new combinations of things, to experiment and to learn.These are significant aspects of the enterprising individual. In addition, by studentstaking their work out into the community, the concept of partnerships is fostered.

Students schooled in scientific method can apply similar approaches to manyaspects of their lives to create opportunities that will benefit both themselves and thecommunity.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Helping the Local Council with Environmental Issues

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents are to offer to help the local council by researching environmental issuesand undertaking a Science-related project negotiated with the council. Students couldinvite a member of the council or other appropriate representative to address theclass to discuss the environmental issues that face the local community, and possibleopportunities to reduce problems like pollution. Opportunities to develop links withthe local Chamber of Commerce and local industries could be investigated, with aview to promoting a whole-community approach to conservation.

Students may benefit from undertaking some of the earlier activities in this bookthat focus on negotiation and networking. If the venture were to become an ongoingpart of the school’s curriculum, it could be written up along the lines of a businessplan.







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Suggested time for this activity6 lessons plus out-of-class research and interviewing



• Use initiative



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A C T I V I T Y 1

Helping the Local Council with Environmental Issues

Task 1: Proposal and researchInvite a local councillor or other appropriate representative to attend your class to discusslocal environmental issues and opportunities for your class to undertake a Science-relatedproject to reduce problems like pollution.

You will need to prepare a list of questions for the speaker to address, and provide these inadvance.

In small teams, undertake an intensive study of one or two particular environmental issues,with the intention of forming practical plans to assist the local council’s environment strategy.

Task 2: PlanningIn order to plan effectively, you will need to establish your objectives for this project and somestrategies identifying who to approach, which resources to consult and where to collectinformation. This is the point at which you should consider which local industries you may beable to approach and work with to reduce pollution or address other environmental issues.Present them with a copy of your research report on the problems identified and possiblesolutions.

You will need to work out what tasks have to be done and a timeline to complete them.Think about the funding you might need to implement the project and work out a budget

that represents this. Refer to Appendix 3 Project Management Cycle and Appendix 4Budgeting to provide you with a planning model to follow.

Prepare a draft plan and present it to relevant representatives from the council and thecommunity for their comment. Reflect on your plan and revise it with regard to the following:

• Does it clearly outline the problems and the proposed solutions?

• What are the scientific principles underpinning your proposed solution to the problem/s?

• Does it need more detail?

• Is it practicable?

• What are the ‘critical success factors’?

• What stakeholders will need to get ‘on board’ to make the plan work? How will this beachieved?

• How will success of the project be judged?

• How will the project be financed?Finalise your plan and move into the implementation phase.

Task 3: Implementation and monitoringAs the purpose of your project is to support the local council’s environment strategy, ask foryour plans to be displayed in the local community, for example at the council offices, as wellas around your school. If your school has any industry partners or sponsors, ask for theirsupport in publicising your activities at their work location as well. You may also seek theirfinancial support.

Allocate the tasks you have identified to individuals in your group to complete by a certaintime, and monitor your progress against the agreed timeline. Keep your council and industrycontacts informed of the progress you are making. Keep a running total of expenditure as youprogress through the tasks.



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Task 4: EvaluationAt the conclusion of your activities, you should compile a report that evaluates the success ofthe project. This evaluation will involve you looking at the objectives you identified at the startand determining to what degree you have achieved these objectives.

You should also include comments about what you have learned about undertakingcommunity projects of this kind, and how you might change things you did if you were toattempt a similar project in future.

A copy of your report on the project and the findings could be provided to the communitynewspapers, the local Chamber of Commerce, the local council and your school council.

Seek the opportunity to attend a meeting of the local Chamber of Commerce, the localcouncil or your school council, and speak to your report.

Letters of thanks should be written to all those who assisted you in carrying out the project.

A C T I V I T Y 2

Technology and the Environment

Teacher notes

Background and contextThere are many ways of meeting human needs through technology, some of whichare damaging to the environment. In this activity, students are encouraged toconsider the multiple ways that particular human needs such as transportation, foodand water can be met, while minimising any negative environmental impacts. Factorssuch as cost and the acceptance by stakeholders of possible action plans will need tobe considered.

For this project students are to develop a report on the ways in which technologyis being used to meet needs in the local context, and make some suggestions forpossible changes to minimise environmental impact. Refer to Appendix 3 ProjectManagement Cycle for a process to follow with this study. Students should identify afew areas of interest that they will focus on, and be encouraged to make contact witha variety of local organisations to obtain information and develop an understanding ofthe different ways technology is being used.

Students may discover some problems associated with the way technology hasbeen used to fulfil needs. Take for example a water supply dam that requires theflooding of farmland or native forest and has numerous other side-effectsdownstream from the wall.

Environmental impact studies can provide useful information for businesses ororganisations that are providing technological services, and with forward planningbusiness operations can be modified to accommodate these findings.





Suggested time for this activity4–5 lessons plus out-of-class research and interviewing






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A C T I V I T Y 2


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Technology and the Environment

Task 1: Discussion and initial proposalYour aim is to prepare a report that profiles the uses of technology to meet needs in your localcontext, and make some suggestions for possible changes to minimise environmental impact.

Organise a round-table class discussion about important human needs that technologyserves in society. Prepare some notes in advance, so that you have some ideas to start yourdiscussion.

Some examples might be:

• food: genetic modifications, which enable farmers to reduce disease and increase yields;

• transportation: private cars, which enable flexibility and independence of travel;

• water: dams, which supply major metropolitan areas with water for a range of domesticand industrial purposes.

Task 2: PlanningIn a small group decide which aspect of the technology discussed you wish to investigate. You will need to contact an organisation related to this technology to obtain information anddevelop an understanding of the use of the technology.

In your group develop strategies to limit the negative effects or problems arising from theuse of an aspect of technology with consideration to a range of questions. These mightinclude:

• How could the need be met in ways less damaging to the environment?

• Who could you consult with or ask to help you?

• What would be the pros and cons of the idea and is it practical?

• How much would it cost to implement? Who would pay for it – individuals, private business,government, or a combination of these?

• Who would be likely to oppose the idea? How could they be persuaded to support it?

• Who would be likely to support the idea? Why? How could they be enlisted to help?

• What next – how could you make it happen?Your plan should include a clear set of objectives against which you will later evaluate the

success of your project.You should draw up a list of tasks that need to be completed, a timeline for these and a

budget that outlines any costs you envisage may occur through the process.

Task 3: Implementation and monitoringAllocate the tasks you have identified to individuals in your group to complete.

You could display a list of these on the wall in your classroom and tick them off as they aredone. It may also be useful to display the timeline and budget on the wall, so that you canmonitor and record the progress of your group and share the responsibility for bringing theproject in on time and on budget.

Task 4: EvaluationProduce a report that outlines the steps you went through in your project and the findings youmade. Your report should also include evaluation of how well the objectives you set in theplanning stage were achieved.

Present this report to the class, and open it up for discussion.Subsequent to your class discussion you may be able to generate further ideas for

conservation plans and approach the relevant organisation to respond to the ideas.

A C T I V I T Y 3

Conducting a Science Expo

Teacher notes

Background and contextMany of the practical activities undertaken in Science such as experiments, tests andanalysis provide a great deal of opportunity to reinforce enterprise attributes. Theyalso lend themselves to the ‘staging of performance’, which can capture theimagination and curiosity of all ages.

A class commits to the organisation of a Science expo. The expo could form part ofan orientation programme for primary school students to help promote Science or beconducted for the wider community. It integrates the skills needed to conductappropriate Science-related activities and event management. A large event such as anexpo could become an annual occurrence at your school, and perhaps a promotionalstrategy of the school’s overall business plan. Refer to Appendix 1 Business Plan.

There should be a list available of what stalls are to be set up at the expo to avoidduplication of activities. A good strategy would be to survey within the school andpossibly the feeder primary school teachers to seek a broad base of opinion as towhat theme or themes might be the most popular. This is a very important step, asstudents need to realise that a key aspect of marketing is finding out what potentialcustomers want, then ensuring that the product is produced in a way that meets theneeds of the target audience. Other classes could be invited to set up their owndisplays or activities. Students should organise posters or other forms of advertisingto promote the expo, both within the school and to the wider community.

A budget could be drawn up and funding could be obtained to purchase itemsneeded to set up the expo stalls. Refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting. This is an idealopportunity to make links with the community, and sponsorship could be soughtfrom organisations such as the local Chamber of Commerce, or specific scienceindustries in the local community.





Suggested time for this activity8–10 lessons spread over an extended period of time plus out-of-class time


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A C T I V I T Y 3

Conducting a Science Expo

Task 1: Proposal and discussionIn your class, brainstorm the various organisational aspects of the expo and develop ideasabout what could be included. This would include:

• different themes;

• possible experiments and tests that could be conducted;

• models that could be constructed;

• displays that could be mounted.Organise a survey to gather information from members of your school community and your

local primary schools to inform your decisions and the choice of your theme. Develop a list ofthe various businesses and community groups with expertise in Science-related industries andoccupations, which could provide you with ideas for the expo. Develop a list of potentialcontacts. Defining your product is a vital part of marketing planning.

Task 2: Developing a marketing planYour class will develop a marketing plan. Bear in mind the four Ps of a marketing plan: product,price, place and promotion. Using Appendixes 1, 2 and 3, discuss with your teacher thedifference between a business plan, a marketing plan and a project plan.

Your preliminary planning will need to include:

• confirmation of objectives and content;

• place, date and time of the expo;

• businesses and community-based organisations that might get involved;

• organisation of student groups;


• safety issues;

• costing of the event;

• communication with local primary schools and local science-based industries andbusinesses;

• consideration of activities to be undertaken prior to, during and after the day.You will need to develop a timeline highlighting the things that need to be done, by whom

and by when. When developing a timeline, it is often useful to start with the date of the eventand work backwards from there.

Your class could identify people to give advice and explain their experiences in organisinglarge events, including common pitfalls to avoid. Invite one of them to review your marketingplan and to offer advice.

Task 3: BudgetingAnother vital part of a marketing plan is to determine the price you will charge for yourproduct. In the case of a school promotional event of this nature, the school council andScience Department may decide to cover the cost or the bulk of it. However, you need toestablish the source of funding before you proceed. This is also an opportunity to invite yourlocal science industries to make a contribution to your activities.

When budgeting, it is standard business practice to obtain three quotes for the items youneed to purchase.


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Task 4: PromotionYour class should consider a range of promotional strategies for the expo. This may includedistributing flyers in the local primary schools and shopping centres, advertisements in thelocal newspapers, and possibly letterboxing the local community. You could even organise tovisit your local primary schools and speak to an assembly about your expo.

Task 5: Implementation and monitoringOnce you have finalised your list of tasks for the expo, allocate them to individuals to complete.

Keep a record of the timeline and budget for this expo in your classroom in a visiblelocation, and mark off tasks as they have been completed. In this way all members of yourclass can share the responsibility for doing what is necessary to make it all happen.

Task 6: EvaluationAfter the expo has been held, the class should complete an evaluation of its success. The evaluation should be made against the objectives that were set in the planning stage.Record your findings in a report to go to your school council.


• Did the theme meet the needs of the target audience?




• Would you make any changes in the promotion of the expo if you took on such a project again?


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Studies of Society and the Environment (SOSE)SOSE (Human society and environment) offers a wealth of opportunity to developenterprise attributes and undertake enterprise activities. Teachers in this learning area often encourage students to obtain information from primary sources throughinterviews and investigation in the outside community. This is an excellent way ofdeveloping and demonstrating enterprise attributes. Student involvement inconducting activities such as conferences and business simulations further developsthese attributes and provides students with the opportunity to observe first handvarious career opportunities and the changing nature of work. Such activities alsofoster understanding of complex social, political and economic issues.

As with other learning areas, participation often involves consideration of a rangeof planning and management issues.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Promoting the Local Community

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents will work as the ‘promotional ideas creators’ for their community andidentify a range of products and/or activities to help promote it. They will need todraw up a marketing plan that considers the specific characteristics of the local area.The plan will need to address what the area offers in terms of recreation, culture,employment, accommodation, specific events and entertainment that would be ofinterest to visitors, and to identify strategies to promote these. It will also need toconsider ways of getting the community involved in improving the attractiveness ofthe area and its services.

Once the plan is formulated, students will need to take it to local organisationssuch as the council and Chamber of Commerce, to seek their support with fundingand implementation. Different teams of students may choose to work on the differentproducts so that a suite of materials is developed.

This activity would be useful to support a unit on the local community within aSOSE programme. If relationships with community partners are handled well, anexercise like this might become an ongoing activity that local council and commercialorganisations might be prepared to write into their business plans.









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A C T I V I T Y 1

Promoting the Local Community

Task 1: Research and proposalAs a class you are to run a marketing campaign featuring your local community. Discuss withyour teacher the planning that will need to go into an activity like this. Using Appendixes 1, 2and 3, you should discuss the differences between a business plan, a marketing plan and aproject plan and write a few notes to identify the key features of each one. You will be workingon a marketing plan.

• Organise an excursion around your local community to identify its special characteristics.

• Conduct a series of interviews with members of your local council and Chamber ofCommerce to seek their views regarding marketable and attractive features of the area.

• Visit the local tourist office, if there is one.

• Invite a local council representative to speak to your class about the local area and thepromotional activities they already have in place, such as:– information about what is offered in terms of recreation, culture, employment, tourism,

accommodation, specific events and entertainment that would be of interest to visitors;and

– strategies used to get the community involved in improving its attractiveness.

• Compile the information and make some decisions about what to include in your marketingplan as promotional products and/or activities. Defining the products is a vital part ofmarketing planning.Different teams may then choose to work on the different products so that a suite of

material is developed.

Task 2: Planning – objectivesOnce you have defined the specific products you are going to develop to promote yourcommunity, you will need to develop a marketing plan. Bear in mind the four Ps of a marketingplan: product, price, place and promotion. Your plan will need to outline:

• objectives;



• budget; and

• timeline.It is important to get a clear idea of what your objectives are, because after the project has

been completed you will evaluate it on the basis of these objectives.

Task 3: BudgetingAnother vital part of a marketing plan is to determine the price or cost of your product. In thiscase you may not be selling items, but there will still be a cost associated with producingpromotional materials, whatever they might be. You will need to obtain quotes for any itemsyou purchase to implement your plan. It is standard business practice to obtain three quotes.For example, if you are going to make a promotional video, you will need quotes for the tapes,use of equipment including editing facilities, etc. You may have access to these at your school,but you should check this out before you begin. Refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting for a possibleapproach to this task.

You may find that local community organisations and the council are prepared to finance yourwork if you are able to give them an accurate cost estimate for the products you are producing.



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Task 4: PromotionEach team can develop its own promotional products and/or activities and seek support fromorganisations or groups in the community. The place/s where your products will appear alsoneed/s to be decided. Your promotional strategy may include a range of products and locationssuch as flyers circulated at local primary schools, advertisements in local papers, videodisplays at local shopping centres and the local tourist information office and possiblyletterboxing the community.

Teams should present their ideas to the class, a representative from the local council, thelocal newspaper, the local tourist information office and any organisation or interest group inthe community that might be interested in implementation of the plan.

The promotional material will need to be developed and every member of the class willneed to assume a promotional role.

Task 5: Develop a timelineA good way to develop a timeline is to work backwards from the deadline. Set a date for theproducts to be ready for distribution, and work out what tasks have to be completed in order to achieve this. Decide by when the tasks must be completed and allocate them to a specificperson or group to do. For example, promotional material may have to be printed anddistributed by a certain date if a local festival is one of the events you have chosen topublicise.

Task 6: MonitoringOnce the tasks are allocated, you will need to monitor progress against your timeline andbudget.


Similarly, a running sheet of income and expenditure could also be displayed to keep allclass members informed of the budget situation.

Task 7: EvaluationAfter the overall task has been completed, the class should undertake an evaluation of itssuccess. The evaluation should be made against the objectives that were set in the planningstage. Seek feedback from your target audience regarding the final products and include asummary of their comments. Record your findings in a report to the community groups thatsupported you, and to your school council.


• Did the theme of the products meet the needs of the target audience?




• Based on the progressive monitoring of sales figures, did any patterms in the sales figuresemerge? If so, represent these in graph form and include in your report.

• Would you make any changes in the promotion of your products if you took on such aproject again?


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A C T I V I T Y 2

Oral History Project: ‘How Work Has Changed over Time’

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents are asked to undertake historical research projects on the changing patternsof work in our society. Sources are to include the local library, the Internet andinterviews with different members of the community, including small businessoperators, industry spokespeople and senior citizens over the age of 60.

This activity encourages students to identify the wide variety of ways in whichinformation can be gathered, and the importance of consultation in decision making.

Students are required to gather information from different sources, analyse it andproduce a report incorporating written commentary, graphical representations andpossible multimedia elements.

Information and insight gained through this project will lead to students making ananalysis of trends in occupational pathways and educational training, with a view todeveloping possible career plans.








Suggested time for this activity2 lessons per week for four weeks plus out-of-class time



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A C T I V I T Y 2

Oral History Project: ‘How Work Has Changed over Time’

Task 1: Preliminary research and surveyYou are to undertake an oral history project to discover how work has changed over time. You are to identify the wide variety of ways in which information can be gathered, and theimportance of consultation in decision making. You will be required to gather information fromdifferent sources, analyse it and produce a report incorporating written commentary, graphicalrepresentations and possible multimedia elements.

In small groups, discuss your perceptions of what the current job growth areas are andstate the reasons for your views. Also discuss what types of jobs you believe were available50 years ago in your local area. Now consider how you could test the accuracy of yourtheories and opinions.

Devise a set of interview questions to take to a wider audience, including parents,grandparents, senior citizens, public relations spokespeople in local industry and members of relevant community organisations.

Collate and analyse the results of the survey.

Task 2: Planning and further researchYour group will report its findings to the class. Discuss and review the information obtained by each group.

Each group will now undertake further research on this topic. Map out the steps you willfollow in your research and what tasks need to be done. Discuss Appendix 3 ProjectManagement Cycle to provide a model for planning and managing your project.

You will need to prepare a project plan that:

• has clear objectives;

• shows a timeline;

• includes a production budget;

• demonstrates the assessment of functional, cultural, social and environmental issues asthese influence work opportunities over time;

• seeks the opinions of experts to guide research process; and

• seeks contact with local papers to have your findings published upon completion.Consider the possible formats your overall report might include. You may find it useful to

gather information through interviews, and compare this to information available from thelibrary and on the Internet. You could use video equipment to record interviews and edit thefootage. There may be facilities at your school to do this. If not, any multimedia cost includingtape and use of equipment will need to be factored into your budget.

Consider how you will present your findings in written and graphic form, taking into carefulconsideration the data you will need to assemble in order to construct tables, and graphs orcharts to support your findings.


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Task 3: Implementation and monitoring• Allocate the tasks identified in your plan to members of your group, to be completed

according to the timeline. You could display a list of these on the wall in your classroomand tick them off as they are done. It may also be useful to display the timeline and budgeton the wall as well, so that you can monitor and record the progress of your group as itoccurs and share the responsibility for bringing the project in on time and on budget.

• Produce a report stating your findings, including a comment revisiting your group’s initialperception of employment opportunities in the past and current employment growth areas.

• Present the report from your group to the class and gain their feedback. Make alterationsto the format or content as advised by your peers.

• Contact local newspapers to have your findings published.

Task 4: EvaluationProduce an evaluation statement that outlines the steps you went through in your project andthe findings you made. Seek feedback from external contacts on your final report and includea summary of their comments. Your report should also include evaluation of how well theobjectives you set in the planning stage were achieved. Comment on the accuracy of yourbudgeting process and timeline.

On the basis of information acquired, students reflect on their personal strengths andweaknesses and consider career pathways they may wish to pursue and the training requiredto facilitate these.

Letters of thanks should be written to all those who assisted you in carrying out the oralhistory project.


A C T I V I T Y 3

A Class Issues Convention

Teacher notes

Background and contextStudents undertake a special project to arrange a series of mini-conventions on socialissues of significance such as reconciliation, immigration, urban development, landclearing or youth rights. Each topic can be managed by a different small group of fouror five, and after each event the group involved will report back to the class. Thewhole class will provide feedback on the events as they occur, and helpful commentswill be incorporated into planning for the further events.

In preparation for each convention, students need to organise briefing papers forthe class that outline background issues. Information about the guest speakers andthe organisations they represent should also be provided. Guest speakers themselveswill be asked to present opposing views on the issues in question. Students will needto organise an appropriate venue and make all the arrangements for equipment andseating as required.





Suggested time for this activity6–8 sessions


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A C T I V I T Y 3

A Class Issues Convention

Task 1: Discussion and initial proposalYour class is to undertake a special project to organise a series of mini-conventions to explorecontemporary social issues. You will need to determine the range of topics you wish to coverin your series as soon as possible, so that speakers with expertise in the chosen area can bebooked well in advance. Possible issues might include:

• Reconciliation;

• Immigration;

• Urban development;

• Land clearing;

• Youth rights.Consider carefully where you will be most likely to obtain the best speakers on these

important issues.

Task 2: PlanningOnce your topics are chosen, you will need to set a date for each convention, book thespeakers and organise the venue. Discuss Appendix 3 Project Management Cycle to provide a model for planning and managing your project.

You will need to prepare a project plan that:



• includes a budget;

• seeks the opinions of experts to inform the process; and

• includes a monitoring and evaluation process.



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Each group within the class will organise two guest speakers to represent opposing viewson the issue of your choice.

• Develop a brief to be used when approaching possible speakers.

• Consider organisations that might provide speakers and approach them using the brief.

• Make a list of organisational issues such as booking of an appropriate room, equipmentand seating.

• Prepare convention papers for the class that provide background to the issue underdiscussion.

• Prepare ‘thank-you’ letters to be given to your guest speakers after each event.

• Once your speakers have accepted, write up some details about the organisations theyrepresent and some guidelines for questions the class might ask them.

• Confirm arrangements with your class as they are finalised.

Task 3: Implementation and monitoringAllocate the tasks identified in your plan to members of your group, to be completed accordingto the timeline.

You could display a list of these on the wall in your classroom and tick them off as they aredone. It may also be useful to display the timeline and budget on the wall, so that you canmonitor and record the progress of your group and share the responsibility for bringing theproject in on time and on budget.

After each convention is conducted, run a class discussion to come up with a range ofpossible solutions to address problems associated with each social issue. Compile these into a report on the issue, outlining the problems as well as suggested solutions. Your discussionshould also consider what changes, if any, need to be made to the arrangements for theforthcoming conventions.

Send a copy of your report to the speakers or the organisations they represent and ask fortheir feedback.

Task 4: EvaluationProduce a project report that outlines the steps you went through in your project and thefindings you made. Include a copy of the report you sent to the speaker/s and include asummary of any feedback you received from them.

Your project report should also include evaluation of how well the objectives you set in the planning stage were achieved. Comment on the accuracy of your budgeting process and timeline.

Present this report to the class, and open it up for discussion. Fill in any gaps in theinformation contained that might be identified through the discussion.

TechnologyEach stage of the technology process of designing, making and appraising providesthe opportunity for students to be enterprising. At the ‘designing’ stage students areencouraged to think of new ideas and innovations, investigate related issues anddevelop prototypes; at the ‘making’ stage they are to undertake materials andproduction planning; and finally at the ‘appraising’ stage they should reflect on andevaluate the product and processes. The very nature of this learning area means thatthere is often a tangible outcome (product) that is of value to a wider audience – be that a promotional item such as a bookmark being produced to assist with theschool’s marketing or the making of entertainment-related materials as detailed on the following pages.

A C T I V I T Y 1

Designing and Producing a Bookmark

Teacher notes

Background and contextThe production and distribution of bookmarks can be a viable promotional item foran organisation as well as a positive way of encouraging literacy. Working in teams,students develop a concept to be put to organisations in the wider community aspotential clients. Organisations in the local community that might be interested inusing bookmarks as a marketing item could include the school itself, local sportingclubs and local businesses.

The class decides on a list of the best prospects to approach and considers howthey could be invited to become partners in the concept, perhaps providingsponsorship for the venture. A marketing proposal is developed that could be used toapproach the potential partners. In this proposal students must consider the four Psof marketing: product, price, place and promotion.





Suggested time for this activity8–10 lessons plus out-of-class interviewing


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If relationships with the community partners are handled well, an exercise like this mightbecome an ongoing activity in the longer term, with other products being produced anddistributed by the school and various partners. The strategy could become part of the school’smarketing plan as well as a promotional vehicle for local industry and commercial organisationsthat might be written into their business plans. If conducted by students in years 9 and 10, it isalso a good way to make local community and industry contacts that may then be able to hostwork experience or work placement students.

Designing and Producing a Bookmark

Task 1: Proposal and discussionAs a class you are to design bookmarks that will be used for promotional purposes by the school and local organisations. Using Appendixes 1, 2 and 3, you should discuss thedifferences between a business plan, a marketing plan and a project plan and write a fewnotes to identify the key features of each one.

Divide into teams and brainstorm a list of organisations that might be interested in usingbookmarks as a marketing item. This could include:

• the school itself;

• local sporting clubs;

• local businesses.Your class as a whole decides on the best prospects and each group chooses several to

contact. Consider how you will approach them about the concept. Defining the product is avital part of marketing planning, and will be essential in your discussions with organisationsoutside the school.

Task 2: Planning – objectivesOnce the bookmark concept is established, you will need to develop a marketing plan. Bear inmind the four Ps of a marketing plan: product, price, place and promotion. Your plan will needto outline:

• objectives;



• budget;

• timeline.It is important to get a clear idea of what your objectives are, as after the project has been

completed you will evaluate it on the basis of these objectives.A promotional strategy is developed that could be used to approach the prospective

clients. This would include:

• Product: What is it, and what customer need does it meet?

• Price: How much are the potential customers willing to pay? What other factors should beconsidered in setting a price? How is it known that they are willing to pay this much?

• Place: Where and how will the buyer buy the product? Where is the best place or whatmethod is best to use to sell to the potential customers, in order to achieve the greatestsales? Will there need to be more than one ‘place’, to cater for the needs of differentpotential customers?

• Promotion: How will the bookmarks be advertised?It should be noted that the promotional strategy is dependent on many design, material and

production issues being resolved first.

Task 3: Seeking partnershipsApproach the organisations you identified earlier and discuss the proposal. Provide samplesfor their appraisal, and invite them to make suggestions. It is possible that they may wish tocustomise the product to suit their own purposes, and then provide sponsorship for itsproduction.

A C T I V I T Y 1


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Task 4: BudgetingAnother vital part of a marketing plan is to determine the price you will charge for your product,so you will need to obtain quotes for the materials you will need to purchase. It is standardbusiness practice to obtain three quotes on items you intend to purchase. For example, you willneed to cost out materials involved and the reproduction costs or printing costs for the product.

Undertake a break-even analysis using the price that you might consider charging basedon the three quotes you have obtained. For example, you would hope to maximise profits, but ifyou charge too much for your product it will not sell. It is possible that the bookmarks may bean item that is given away as a promotional tool. If so, you will still need to know the cost of itto the organisation that funds its development and production. Use this analysis to develop abudget in a table or spreadsheet format. Refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting for sample model.

Task 5: Promotion and distributionYour industry partner could also play a significant role in suggesting a range of promotionalstrategies and distribution methods for the product. The class should make sure that they areaware of these strategies. You may also want to develop some additional strategies for use inyour school environment.

Your industry partner should also support you regarding the place where it is to be distributed,for example through their office and with other promotional material they distribute.

Task 6: Develop a timelineA good way to develop a timeline is to work backwards from the deadline. Set a date by whichyou expect the product to be ready for distribution.

You need to work out what tasks have to be completed, decide by when they need to becompleted and allocate them to a specific person or group to do. For example, the design will needto be finalised, then the materials will need to be purchased and the items will need to be made up.

Task 7: Implementation and monitoringOnce the tasks are allocated, you will need to monitor progress against your timeline and budget.


Similarly, a running sheet of income and expenditure could also be displayed to keep allclass members informed of the budget situation.

Task 8: EvaluationAfter the product has been completed, the class should complete an evaluation of the successof the project. The evaluation should be made against the objectives that were set in the planningstage, and should include feedback from your industry partners. Things to consider might include:

• Did the theme of the bookmarks meet the needs of the target audience?




• Based on the progressive monitoring of sales or distribution figures, did any patternsemerge? If so, represent these in the form of graphs and include in your report.

• Would you make any changes in the promotion of your product if you took on such aproject again?


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A C T I V I T Y 2

Production of Entertainment Equipment

Teacher notes

Background and contextAsk your students to identify a need for equipment related to entertainment orphysical education in the school or in the local kindergarten or primary school.Students investigate the need, obtain specifications and quantities required, and then take up the challenge to produce the items.

Students need to prepare a project plan with production proposals, using facilitieswithin the school and if possible external advice. Devise a plan to organise,implement and adjust the production process to meet quality standards and useabilitycriteria. They will need to evaluate the process and obtain feedback from the users.

This project uses the technical skills of students to fulfil a need in the schoolcommunity.





Suggested time for this activity6–8 lessons





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A C T I V I T Y 2



Production of Entertainment Equipment

Task 1: Survey and research proposalIdentify a need for equipment related to entertainment or physical education in your school ora local kindergarten or primary school. Apart from your own observations, it is useful to seekthe opinions of others before making a firm decision about the item you will produce. As youalready know your intended audience, design and administer a survey to establish whatproduct others would like to see developed.

Collate and analyse the results of the survey.

Task 2: PlanningHold a class discussion to review your findings and decide upon a particular product. DiscussAppendix 3 Project Management Cycle to provide a model for planning and managing yourproject.

You will need to prepare a design and production proposal that:



• includes a production budget;

• includes consideration of a range of optional designs and materials;

• demonstrates the assessment of functional, design, social, and environmental issues;

• uses graphic design and technical skills associated with the particular field of technology;

• seeks the opinions of experts to guide the design process in particular.Your production process will need to:

• achieve defined standards of quality and safety;

• meet production plans;

• be flexible and allow for modifications as required.Once you have drawn up your plan you may find it useful to seek feedback from outside

your planning group, for example:

• members of your family;

• an external mentor, such as manufacturer or engineering company in the local community.In discussions with outside companies or organisations, it may also be possible to seek

sponsorship and ongoing support for your project.

Task 3: Implementation and monitoringAllocate the tasks identified in your plan to members of your group, to be completed accordingto the timeline.

You could display a list of these on the wall in your classroom and tick them off as they aredone. It may also be useful to display the timeline and budget on the wall, so that you canmonitor and record the progress of your project and share the responsibility for bringing theproject in on time and on budget.

Task 4: EvaluationProduce a report that outlines the steps you went through in your project and the findings youmade. Seek feedback from your user group on the final product and include a summary of theircomments. Your report should also include an evaluation of how well the objectives you set inthe planning stage were achieved. Comment on the accuracy of your budgeting process andtimeline.

Present this report to the class, and open it up for discussion. Fill in any gaps in theinformation contained that might be identified through the discussion.

Meet with your external mentor or manufacturer and discuss your findings.


Appendix 1

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Business Plan

A business plan is a long-range document that lays out all aspects of the intendeddevelopment of a business.

The four essential elements of a business plan:1. Mission2. Objectives3. Strategies4. Tactics.

A business plan includes the mission statement of an organisation, its long-term objectives,and strategies and tactics for achieving these objectives.

Steps to follow in developing a business plan

1. Define the mission statementThe mission statement is the reason for the existence of the organisation. It sets out the

purpose of the business.

2. Set long-term objectives for achieving the missionOnce the purpose of the business is defined, the objectives are established.

3. Develop strategies for achieving the objectivesOnce the objectives are established, strategic plans must be developed in order to work

towards achieving these objectives. Budgeting for the current year and projected budgeting is an important part of showing how the business will develop as intended in the long-termobjectives.

4. Develop tactical plans for achieving each element of the strategyTactical plans for achieving the elements of the strategy include marketing plans

(refer to Appendix 2) and project plans (refer to Appendix 3). There may be many marketingand project plans implemented over the course of a business plan.

In the process of developing a business plan, an organisation identifies tasks that areroutine operations and gaps where new projects need to be established and managed.

Refer to Appendix 3 Project Management Cycle for an outline of the process involved inproject management.

Appendix 2

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Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is a document that provides the guidelines for marketing products orservices, and making budget allocations over a specified planning period.

Steps in a marketing plan

• Collect and analyse

• Develop objectives, strategies, programmes and timeline

• Develop a budget

• Negotiate the final plan

• Monitor ongoing progress

• Evaluate – leading into further planning.The purpose of a marketing plan is to structure a way to think about the concepts and

issues involved in marketing products and services. Always include the four Ps of themarketing mix:

ProductPricePlace (where your customers will obtain the product)Promotion.

Steps in a marketing plan

1. Collecting and analysing dataIt is always important to establish what market opportunities exist before any product orservice is produced. It is therefore essential to conduct research to identify:

• the characteristics of your target group;

• the products or services they want.Surveys are useful tools for establishing public opinion on a wide range of matters, and

survey results can assist greatly when making key decisions about the direction to take in yourwork. The results can then be used to design your product and assess what is a reasonableprice to charge for it.

2. Developing objectives, strategies, programmes and timelineOn the basis of the research data you have collected:

• choose an area in which to work;

• develop objectives that state clearly what you intend to achieve in your venture;

• develop a realistic timeline by which the tasks involved must be completed;

• select appropriate strategies or develop programmes to meet the needs identified.In your strategies you should consider the place of distribution for your product and how

you will promote it.



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3. Developing a budgetFinancial considerations must be taken into account:

• How will you pay for the materials you need to complete your work?

• Are there any ongoing costs, eg venue hire, telephone, electricity?

• Do you have access to any funds?

• Will you need to seek sponsorship?

• What level of income do you expect to receive from your work?In your budget you will need to consider possible income against expenditure to establish

what the overall cost of implementing your plan will be, and what profit or loss you expect togenerate. (Refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting.)

4. Negotiating the final plan

• Revisit all aspects of your plan, including your timeline, to make sure that your intentionsare realistic.

• Make sure that you have considered the objectives, strategies and materials required, inthe light of budgetary constraints.You can now begin to implement your plan.

5. Monitoring ongoing progress

• Keep ongoing records of work in progress so that you can measure your progress overtime against the objectives and timeline that you identified in your plan.Monitor expenditure against your proposed budget to keep it on track.

6. Evaluation – which leads into further planning

• Once your work is completed you will be able to assess how effectively you were able tocomplete the task.In the light of these observations you can document some recommendations that youbelieve would improve the outcomes of further ventures.


Appendix 3

137

Project Management Cycle

• Projects are tasks that have a beginning and an end.

• A project is not a routine operation because it has a specific purpose.

• Projects are identified when gaps appear in a business plan.

• Projects are often used as a means to implement change in organisations.

• Projects must be managed so that their objectives are achieved on time and within theintended budget.

The four stages of project management:

• Initial proposal and research

• Planning

• Implementation and monitoring

• Evaluation and closure.

The four stages of project management

1. Initial proposal and researchThis stage is when the project is defined:

• The new idea is discussed.

• The necessary research is undertaken to establish the viability of the project.

• Data is collected on the basis of which decisions can be made in the planning stage.

2. Planning

• The project objectives are established.

• The best alternatives for action are chosen on the basis of the research that wasundertaken previously.

• The timeline and budget are established.

• Tasks are identified and allocated to workers (refer to Appendix 4 Budgeting).

3. Implementation and monitoring

• Workers and other resources need to be coordinated to carry out the plan.

• The major budget expenditure occurs.

• Progress is monitored regularly against the project’s budget, timeline and objectives toensure the project is kept on track.

4. Evaluation and closureWhen completed:

• An evaluation of the success of the project can be made against the project objectives.

• Recommendations for improved outcomes in subsequent projects can be made basedon these observations.This marks the formal conclusion of the project.

Appendix 4

138

Budgeting

Budgeting is an essential part of achieving any plan. Income and costs must be establishedbefore a project can be implemented. Examine the headings provided here to give you someidea as to the factors you will need to consider in your own planning.

INCOME Budgeted amount Actual amountFundingDonationsSponsorshipIncome from SalesTotal Income:

EXPENDITURE Budgeted amount Actual amountMaterialsVenue HirePublicityProduction Costs

(eg printing, photocopying)RefreshmentsTotal Expenditure:

NET INCOME/EXPENDITURE


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