By: Lea Kalc Furlanič
The International Faculty of Social and Business Studies in Celje is participating in an interesting project called LittleBigEntrepreneurs. It is intended to strengthen key entrepreneurial competencies and develop an entrepreneurial mindset in children. On May 18th, the results of the project will be presented at a seminar.
The three-year LittleBigEntrepreneurs project is aimed at learning entrepreneurship. It is intended for children, teachers, and organisations working in the field of education.
They are developing a computer game
The main goal of the project is to create an innovative computer game for children that, with a design thinking approach, strengthens the key competencies of entrepreneurship and develops creativity and an entrepreneurial mindset in children. “The competitiveness and innovation of the European economy depend on entrepreneurship. We are increasingly aware of the potential of young people to start and develop their own business or social initiatives, thereby becoming innovators in the areas where they live and work. Therefore, the development and promotion of entrepreneurial education have been one of the key goals of the EU and member states for many years. It is important to find new and effective approaches for integrating entrepreneurial thinking into children’s lives, both in formal and informal learning, and digitally enhanced learning through play further strengthens children’s interest in learning,” the faculty explains.
The project has been lasting for three years and it will be completed this August. Partner organisations from Slovenia (the Northern Border Fighters Primary School from Maribor), Estonia, Greece, and Portugal participate in it. The initiative is co-financed by the Erasmus programme.
Other project results
In addition to the educational computer game, the participants in the project created a manual that will also help teachers, some of whom will be specially trained to encourage entrepreneurship among students. They designed a website with the results and information about the project, which they also present to the target groups, they made a video to promote the game, there is a competition between children in the partner countries for the best pictorial presentation of the game experience, they are developing a strategy for how to effectively apply the results of the project in the future. At the end of the project, all developed materials will also be available in Slovenian at https://littlebigentrepreneurs.eu/.
Seminar on creative learning and design thinking
As part of the project, a seminar will be organised on May 18th. Teachers, principals, and other professionals from elementary schools and professionals from public institutions in the field of education are invited to attend. “Can we learn creativity?” is the title of the seminar. Also, within the framework of this project, they confirm that even elementary school children can learn design thinking and entrepreneurship quickly and in a fun way, precisely with the help of a computer game, which can also benefit them in school and later in life.
The seminar will be held on Thursday, May 18th, 2023, at 3 p.m. in the Fighters for the Northern Border primary school in Maribor. Applications must be sent by Friday, May 12th, via the link https://mfdps.1ka.si/MaliVelikiPodjetniki.
Leadership and quality in education: a one-year master’s programme delivered as a distance learning course
The International Faculty of Social and Business Studies in Celje has been conducting master’s studies in the field of educational management for many years. This one-year study programme is intended for teachers, educators, principals, and other professionals in education, as well as those who deal with education, training, quality, and management in other areas. The programme is carried out entirely remotely, and candidates with a completed 3- or 4-year education can enroll, as well as those with a so-called completed old university education.
“Students acquire knowledge in the fields of organisations in education, management, learning and teaching, quality assurance and assessment. They learn about international trends in education and the sensitivity of their transfer into national school policies,” the faculty explains. All information is published on the website mfdps.si/vodenje-in-kakovost-v-obrazevanju-magistrski-studij. The information day is May 12th, 2023, at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Applications at: https://mfdps.si/informativni-dnevi/.