Secondary School Business Education: Vision and Mission

What is Business Education Today and Tomorrow?

What is SSBE?
A subject discipline prepares students:
about business understand the economic and function as consumers for business have knowledge & skills to be productive employees &/or employers

(Williams, Herrin and Taylor, 2001)

It allows students to engage in business activity

What is competence?
According to Bartlett (1992) & Thompson (1998, p. 15), competence is:

a definable knowledge/skill/attitude or
attribute made explicit in task

socially constructed through practice,

study and personal interactions

Global Views on Youths Competence

Competencies the young people should possess:

Language Numeracy, Information technology Personal management Planning/goal-setting Problem Solving Decision-making Critical thinking Creativity Communication Teamwork

(Identified by UK, USA, NZ, AUS, Europe & Asian countries)

Views of HK
Generic skills to be possessed by students:

Collaboration, communication, creativity, critical

thinking, IT, numeracy, problem solving, selfmanagement and study skills. (CDC, 2001, p. 24)

Similarities:

Knowledge-based economy Vast population to be employed in the services sector New workforce demanded

Latest Findings on Business Teachers Views

The six conceptions of students competence held by the business teachers: 1. Work-based skills 2. Broad business knowledge 3. Professional attributes 4. Critical thinker 5. Relating theory to practice 6. Lifelong learning

Competent business students possess

Broad business knowledge (
)

Generic skills ( ) Transferable ability ( )

Broad Business knowledge

Core
1. Entrepreneurship - business plan, mgt of growth, marketing, finance, HRM, IT applications, legal 2. E-business B2B, B2C, E-tailing, Emarketing, E-payment systems, E-strategy, Career Various careers, vocational opportunities, job expectations, technical aspects of jobs

Generic skills
Thinking skills
analysis, association, comparison, reasoning, divergent, creative & problem solving

People skills

communication, interpersonal & teambuilding skills

Personal skills

Self management, crisis management,

Transferable Ability
Short-term Daily Application Long-term Workplace Application

New Role of SSBE

from traditional skill training to preparation for today s global, high-tech, and diverse workplace (Williams et al., 2001, p. 41)

Implications
Curriculum Teaching Approach Assessment Teacher Education

Input - Curriculum
Today
Subject: BF, WP &BC, CO, BS, PA Content: narrow-focused & static Focus: technical & conceptual

Tomorrow
Subject: No boundary, start with 1 or 2 Content: broad-based & on-going refined Focus: practical and transferable

Process Teaching Approach

Student-centred > Teacher-centred Examples:

learning in groups authentic learning experiential learning project-based learning co-operative learning problem-based learning

Output - Assessment
Competency-based: Informal Formative Process Continuous Criterion-reference Individual and group focused Co-judged Mode: Project-based, Portfolio, Hands-on, Schoolbased,

Teacher Education
Teacher becomes a
curriculum developer learning facilitator co-explorer assessor resources provider liaison officer change agent,

active lifelong learner & collaborator

Resources & others

Resources: Timing & teaching materials Others: Social norm & school policy

Challenges

Can we? Why & Why Not? Whats your view?

Dont wait, Be a Maker not Follower!

Show your views in SSBE Survey

Thank You