JA Be Entrepreneurial® (Creative Problem Solving)

JA Be Entrepreneurial® is a reimagined, modular learning experience that teaches students about the mindset and the skills needed for success by aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators who add value to any organization. Students completing all three modules use Design Thinking, a problem-solving approach, to create business ideas. Students also learn to transform their ideas into concise, effective, and actionable one-page business plans.

In the JA Creative Problem Solving module, students learn and apply design thinking, an innovative process for problem solving used by entrepreneurs (and intrapreneurs) to brainstorm customer-centric ideas. This process focuses on the user needs and experience through the creation of empathy models, problem statements, high-level solutions, prototypes, and testing plans in order to validate a design solution.

Following participation in the learning experience, students will be able to:

• Describe the Design Thinking model and the steps involved in the process
• Demonstrate how to write a short, clear problem statement that reflects the problem to be solved
• Construct a prototype based on a problem statement and a brainstormed solution to the problem
• Develop a testing plan for a given product and target audience

JA Be Entrepreneurial® is part of the JA Entrepreneurship Pathway and is recommended for high school students (grades 9-12).

The learning experience is a blended model that includes teacher-led content, volunteer-led opportunities, and self-guided content to support flexible implementation options. JA Be Entrepreneurial® is available as a classroom based, remote live, or afterschool experience.

Modules can be offered together or as stand-alone experiences to meet the diverse needs of educators and students. Each module offers a culminating, self-guided project for students to create an artifact that allows them to apply what they have learned.

Participating students will have the opportunity to compete in a new national virtual competition, JA Social Innovation Challenge, which provides a platform for them to share their innovative ideas for improving their communities and to compete for national honors.

JA teachers and volunteers are encouraged, as part of this learning experience, to utilize the resources available in JA Connect® Learning Pathways, located at connect.ja.org. This self-guided experience includes interactives, JA Here to Career™, and games and apps for student use.

JA Learning Experiences support national and state standards in reading, mathematics, social studies, work and career readiness. Please see here for more information on alignment with national and state standards.