We are all Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs use skill, savvy, and resources to design new products, open new markets, create jobs, and anticipate the next Big Thing. 

When we ask our students to engage in creative problem solving, to collaborate with purpose, to identify a need in the world and imagine how it might be uniquely addressed, we are asking them to think like entrepreneurs. We invite them to shape their future and, in turn, their world. We ask our teachers to do these things also. They collaborate with one another to craft learning opportunities which lay a foundation for developing the acumen and practical experience necessary to succeed in an increasingly complex world.

We know that entrepreneurs are successful when they are able to move quickly to be among the first to seize on an idea and build something profitable around it. Here at WardlaLAartridge, we add a philanthropic lens to the entrepreneurial view by asking students to think about what innovations are needed to address very real and weighty problems confronting populations. Our Global Scholars Program aims to send graduates on to university and beyond with skills and habits of mind that include asking thoughtful and probing questions and being prepared to take action on the things that matter most to them. This is also entrepreneurial thinking, as they are embracing an orientation toward growth and seeing problems as opportunities to get involved as solution engineers.

As a school, we must continually innovate, think and act strategically about what it means to teach and learn in an era of increasingly rapid change.  With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) to the educational landscape, we have a unique opportunity to harness a powerful tool to support learning, and this requires that educators themselves learn all they can about an emerging technology, and quickly! That is why I am so intrigued and inspired by the work our very own teachers are doing with AI.

In our multivariable calculus course, Mr. Joe Konczynski invites students to utilize ChatGPT to obtain a solution to a challenging question he provides. They compare the ChatGPT solution with their own, looking for errors and discrepancies in each. They must investigate where the divergence responses originated, explain the error (conceptual, mathematical, or coding-related), and then, most importantly, correct the error, providing a clear explanation as they do so. Students then write a reflection wherein they discuss the overall accuracy and reliability of artificial intelligence applications in this high level math course. Mr. Konczynki was inspired to develop this activity based on his own experiences from industry, where he worked as an engineer. He met regularly with clients and employed a peer-review system to ensure projects were up to code and industry standards. As in that peer-review model, students in his class here are reviewing the solutions generated by AI searching for errors that when extrapolated out to real-world functions, such as engineering a new building or bridge, have potentially dire implications. 

Indeed, this exercise shows that discernment is one of the most important attributes we can develop in the young people with whom we work each day. Whether exploring an AI program purportedly able to solve complex mathematical problems or participating in a lively in-person debate as a member of Model United Nations or Mock Trial, students need to know when to deploy the best strategy and best tools for a situation. Arming students with a toolkit of options is part of our approach and one that has and will continue to serve our graduates well as they embark on college and careers in fields and industries that are only emerging. The frontier is an exciting one and we are privileged to play a part in preparing today’s pioneering thinkers for the undiscovered world of tomorrow.