Business · 5th Year

Active learning ideas

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

The entrepreneurial spirit is the driving force behind business innovation and economic growth. Students explore the characteristics of entrepreneurs, such as risk-taking, resilience, and proactivity, and the skills they possess, like decision-making and networking. This topic encourages students to see enterprise not just as starting a business, but as a mindset that can be applied within existing organisations (intrapreneurship).

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• LC Business Unit 2.1: Enterprise
• LC Business Unit 2.2: Characteristics of Entrepreneurs

• 30–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Project-Based Learning
• 60 min · Pairs

Entrepreneurial Interview Project

Students work in pairs to interview a local business owner about their journey. They must identify which specific characteristics (e.g., resilience) and skills (e.g., time management) were most important to that person's success and present a 'profile' to the class.

What distinguishes an entrepreneur from a manager?

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Intrapreneurship Challenge

Students are given a scenario where they work for a large Irish company like An Post. They must work in small groups to 'intrapreneurially' design a new service or improvement for the company, presenting their idea to a panel of 'senior managers'.

What are the key characteristics of a successful entrepreneur?

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Irish Enterprise Heroes

Post stories of diverse Irish entrepreneurs (e.g., the founders of Gym+Coffee or a local tech start-up). Students move around, identifying the 'opportunity' each entrepreneur spotted and the risks they took to make it a reality.

How does intrapreneurship benefit an established business?

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• Entrepreneurs are born, not made.

  While some traits are natural, most entrepreneurial skills like financial planning and networking can be learned. Active learning tasks that focus on 'skill-building' help students see that they can develop an enterprising mindset through practice.

• Entrepreneurship is only about making a profit.

  Many entrepreneurs are driven by social change (social enterprise) or the desire to solve a specific problem. Discussing social enterprises like FoodCloud helps students broaden their definition of what it means to be enterprising.

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Methods used in this brief

• Project-Based Learning
• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk