Entrepreneurship · Grade 11

Active learning ideas

Entrepreneurial Skills and Self-Assessment

Self-assessment is a critical step for any aspiring entrepreneur in Ontario. This topic encourages students to look inward and evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses using various diagnostic tools. By identifying their current skill levels in areas like communication, organization, and technical ability, students can create a realistic personal development plan that aligns with their career goals.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• BDI3C Overall Expectation 2: Evaluate their own entrepreneurial strengths and weaknesses.
• BDI3C Specific Expectation 2.2: Assess their own entrepreneurial skills and characteristics using a variety of tools.

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Learning Contracts
• 50 min · Individual

Station Rotations: The Entrepreneurial Audit

Set up four stations, each featuring a different self-assessment tool (e.g., a soft skills quiz, a technical skills checklist, a leadership style inventory, and a values alignment sheet). Students spend 10 minutes at each station and record their results in a personal portfolio. This provides a multi-faceted view of their potential.

What are my personal entrepreneurial strengths?

• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Peer Teaching
• 40 min · Pairs

Peer Teaching: Skill Swap

After identifying a strength, students prepare a 2-minute 'micro-lesson' to teach that skill to a peer. For instance, a student strong in social media marketing might teach a peer how to create a basic brand aesthetic. This reinforces their own strengths while building a collaborative classroom culture.

How can I develop areas for improvement?

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 35 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Growth Mindset Plan

In small groups, students share one 'weakness' they identified and brainstorm three practical ways to improve it using local Ontario resources (e.g., library programs, online certifications, or mentorship). They present their 'Growth Plan' to the group for feedback and additional ideas.

Why is self-awareness critical for business success?

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• A 'weakness' means I am not cut out to be an entrepreneur.

  Every entrepreneur has gaps; the key is knowing when to build the skill and when to partner with someone who has it. Active peer mapping helps students see how different strengths can complement each other in a team.

• Self-assessment is a one-time event at the start of the course.

  Self-awareness is a continuous process of reflection. Using regular 'check-in' activities throughout the semester helps students see how their skills are evolving as they work through the venture plan.

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Methods used in this brief

• Learning Contracts
• Peer Teaching
• Inquiry Circle