The Network Map

Category: Realise
Author: Anni Stavnskær Pedersen
Facilited by the teacher
The aim is to raise students’ awareness of their contacts’ potential in aiding the creation of a solution.
30-60 min
5-50 student 2-20 groups
A virtual whiteboard

Steps

1. The teacher asks the students to draw a rough circle to represent a network, it’s advised the students make this digitally hence it’s easier to help the students to come up with ideas if they can show and tell what they have.

2. With their respective challenges in mind, the students must fill their circle with:

• Close contacts at the center – close friends & close relatives

• Good contacts a little further from the center – colleagues, friends/acquaintances & relatives

• Peripheral contacts at the edge. Facebook and LinkedIn connections or companies that could be relevant to the challenge

3. The teacher tells the students 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.

4. The students implement their plans and attempt to get in contact with the chosen individuals and collaborate with them.

5. The students identify which of their contacts they had most success in contacting and how they will engage these individuals during the process of the project work.

6. 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 with which individual students they may collaborate to
generate solutions. This activity can be connected to a lesson about the importance of network
when working with innovation and entrepreneurship.