The Network Map
Author: Anni Stavnskaer Pedersen
Facilitated by the teacher
The aim is to raise students’ awareness of their contacts’ potential in aiding the creation of a solution.
30-60 mins
Groups 2-40
Whiteboard, pen & post-its
Steps
- The teacher asks the students to draw a rough circle to represent a network.
- With their respective challenges in mind, the students must fill their circle with:
- Close contacts at its centre - close friends & close relatives
- Good contacts a little further from the centre - colleagues, friends/acquaintances & elatives
- Peripheral contacts at the edge - Facebook and LinkedIn connections or companies that could be relevant to the challenge
- The teacher tells the student to review their network of individuals and select three contacts whom they believe may contribute positively to the preparation of their suggested solutions. The students plan how they would establish contact with these individuals and how they would engage them in productive collaboration.
- The students implement their plans and attempt to get in contact with the chosen individuals and collaborate with them.
- The students identify which of their contacts they had the most success in contacting and how they will engage these individuals during the process of the project work.
- The students and teacher reflect upon the importance of having a network. The teacher may present some generic information about the value of networking here.
Reflection
This activity can expand the range of knowledge, competencies, materials, etc. from which the students may draw. It helps to identify which individuals students may collaborate with to generate solutions. This activity can be connected to a lesson about the importance of network when working with innovation and entrepreneurship.
The activity could be done using online tools such as Padlet, virtual whiteboard and breakout rooms in Teams/Zoom.
The activity could be done using online tools such as Padlet, virtual whiteboard and breakout rooms in Teams/Zoom.
Inspiration