William Rosser

Lesson Plan Name: ​Building an Empire - IKEA Rationale: In terms of innovation there is not a furniture company quite like Ikea. This Swedish company uses the layout of their store to calm the minds of customers and to ease tension, has a cafeteria to fill the bellies of visitors so they are able to think clearly and discuss potential purchases in a relaxed manner, and sells furniture that customers have to build themselves as a way to create a sense of commitment after a purchase is completed. While the furniture is fairly plain, the business model that Ikea follows and believes in and their culture make the business itself an innovation in technology that should be studied. This lesson plan is generally just a trip to an Ikea store and a short reflection activity afterward that allows students the time to consider how the store itself is an innovation and what it has to do with the further development of businesses, technology, and conceptual design. Standards Addressed/Learning Objectives: ● ● ● ● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.4​: ​Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.B:​ Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. SS.EC.2.6-8.LC​: Analyze the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in a market economy. SS.H.1.6-8.LC​: Classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity. Materials Needed: ● Writing utensils/notebooks (Completion of reflection worksheet) ● Permission slip form for trip to Ikea store ● Ikea Reflection Worksheet General Outline: Prep: 1. This lesson will take considerable planning. Please follow this list and use it as a checklist to ensure you are ready: a. Consider how the class will make it to the location. Will a bus be provided? Make sure that administration is well informed in advance, possibly a month before the actual trip commences, so that the correct transportation can be found. b. Contact Ikea and ask permission to bring in a class for a tour. Ask if you can have a guide show you around the store, explain the history of the company, and offer the class any sort of extra benefits to the visit that will make it memorable and enjoyable. c. Tell students and their parents/guardians about the trip at least two weeks in advance (minimum), and send a permission slip home to them to go over together as a family. Have the parents sign the permission slip form and return it to class before the trip date. Students that do not provide a signed permission slip should not be able to attend (liability issue). d. Alongside the permission slip send home a chaperone volunteer form in case any parents are interested in accompanying the class on the trip. Chaperones can offer excellent mediation and management of students, especially in a foreign location, and should be utilized if possible. e. Develop a firm itinerary, alongside an Ikea manager, so best use class time and to get students home at a reasonable hour. f. Make sure to create copies of the reflection worksheet and have students complete the worksheet as an assignment for discussion the following day of class as a bell-ringer or warm up assignment. The Trip 1. Welcome students to class and instruct them to take their seats. Take attendance quickly and then instruct students to gather their belongings and prepare to leave for Ikea for their field experience. 2. During the trip to the store make sure to create an atmosphere of discussion focusing on the store itself and how it can be a great example of business and cultural innovation. Ask students about their own experiences with Ikea, whether they have any Ikea furniture themselves at home, or if they have ever visited an Ikea store before, what they liked about it, and how it compares to other stores they have visited. 3. Once the class arrives at the store the teacher becomes a mediator alongside the chaperones while the appointed manager or staff member takes over as a tour guide. Make sure during this time period that students are paying attention and that they are on their best behavior. 4. When lunch time arrives make sure to inform students that the cafe experience is an important part of Ikea and for them to pay close attention to how the cafe operates and what they notice about it. Tell them that this will be important for their reflection activity. 5. Make sure to take attendance again before leaving the store and discuss the trip on the way back to the school, focusing heavily on questions that are on the reflection worksheet so that students have a chance to think about them before they have to begin work on the assignment. 6. When students return to the school hand out the reflection worksheets and instruct them to have them completed and be able to turn them in for grading and discussion the following class day. Assessment(s): Participation​: Students will be actively participating throughout this lesson as they will be directly interacting with the Ikea store, the people who work there, the customers who are shopping there, and the products that are on display. This will create an engaging learning environment for them, both individually and collectively. Field Experience:​ The trip to the Ikea location offers a hands on lesson on business innovation and efficiency. Students will be able to go on a guided tour of the location (in theory), and will be able to interact with the layout and genius-level design of the Ikea store. Reflection Worksheet: ​The reflection worksheet is given to class members when they return from the field experience. It asks them a series of questions, both based on the history of the Ikea company and on what they personally experienced while visiting the store.