This article is a book review of Getting Beyond Better, and it raises some very interesting concepts to explore about social entrepreneurship and social innovation.

Appropriate Subject Area(s):

Entrepreneurship, business management, social justice, social innovation

Key Questions to Explore:

• What is social entrepreneurship?

Introduction to lesson and task:

This lesson creates opportunities for students to explore social entrepreneurship and social innovation.

Action (lesson plan and task):

• Ask students what a social entrepreneur is.
• Using a T chart on the board, ask students to differentiate between an entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur.
• Distribute the article for reading.
• In small groups:
  • Have students discuss the following sentence from the article: “Social entrepreneurs try to understand the world around them, envision the future, build a model for change and scale up their solution so that it benefits more and more people.”
  • Have students dissect each of the components of the sentence, citing examples from their own community or experiences
  • Understand the world around them
  • Envision the future
  • Build a model for change
  • Scale up a solution
  • Select a representative to share the key highlights of their discussion with the class.
• As a class, identify social enterprises in your community. Discuss how they have applied the components discussed in 4b.

Consolidation of Learning:

• The article outlines three powerful tensions that social entrepreneurs encounter. Ask students to select one from appreciation and abhorrence; expertise and apprenticeship; and experimentation and commitment and write a brief paper outlining their understanding of the concept and why it is relevant to social entrepreneurs.

Success Criteria:

• Students understand the difference between a social entrepreneur and a for-profit entrepreneur.

Confirming Activity:

• Entrepreneurs often see what others do not.  This article discusses the insight gained from being an expert and an apprentice at the same time when it comes to social entrepreneurship.  Have students discuss how this would apply to a for-profit entrepreneur.