BCILD – school and community

School and Community – An Interactive Learning Experience

Sixth grade students were studying the California Gold Rush of the 1800s. They had to decide whether they were going to be miners or storekeepers. BCILD arranged for local entrepreneurs to come into the classroom to share their experiences in starting businesses. After students had formulated their plans, the group of business professionals (investment bankers, sole proprietors, and venture capitalists) from the community participated in an investor panel, vetting investment proposals. These investors listened to student proposals and questioned them as they would any pitch in a real world business setting.  Students were urged to consider risk factors, financial budgets, earnings to debt ratios, and marketing.

By bringing community members into the classroom, students were empowered as they experienced genuine interactions.  They were invigorated by relevant discussion.  Students approached the material they were learning with a level of sophistication and maturity, uncovering new skills in negotiation, quick thinking, precise listening, careful word choice, teamwork, deliberate questioning, critical thinking, and analysis.  

Students, teachers and professional community members came away from the project impressed by the learning and practice the students experienced.  Their due diligence, coupled with the inspiration of business people in the classroom, expanded the students’ learning, solidifying not only the lessons of the demanding times of the Gold Rush years, but also lessons of business and the entrepreneurial quest. Additionally, students learned how to communicate respectfully, how to collaborate with team members, and how to set forth and defend those proposals with perseverance and quick thinking. These are skills we want today’s students to learn and practice, so that their messages are impactful and clearly articulated.