Welcome to Next Gen Personal Finance's
October 2016 Newsletter
Welcome to the latest edition of the NGPF Newsletter (#24 for those of you scoring at home). This month we tackle the Case Study. Those who know me recognize my passion to incorporate case studies into the personal finance classroom.
Why do I (and so many other educators) love case studies? Here's what teachers tell us about NGPF Case Studies:
Provide real-life scenarios that students can identify with
Force students to look at financial issues from a different perspective
Teach students to tackle problems where information is ambiguous and there are no "correct" answers
My hope with this newsletter is that it piques your interest in case studies and you give them a try this month. We get such great satisfaction from hearing your feedback, so please let us know how it goes.
Regards,
The NGPF Team
P.S.: If you are planning to attend the upcoming Jump$tart Conference in Dallas, please stop by our exhibitor booth or workshop (we hear it's sold out!) and say hello. We would love to meet you!
NGPF Most Popular Case Studies
Here are the top five case studies that teachers are using with brief descriptions:
Students will compare various checking account options and see how parents can influence financial decision-making. Finally, they will decide whether to opt in to overdraft protection for their checking account.
Students learn how to analyze credit profiles and then develop strategies to improve credit scores. They will then create a basic debt paydown plan to assist a student client.
Students learn the basics of budgeting, from setting priorities, creating a savings goal, tracking spending and learning about the tradeoffs required to achieve financial goals.
This case study provides a series of common situations for consumers, for which students will determine “What is the Catch?” to help them avoid these potential financial pitfalls.
Students learn about two high school friends with very different savings habits. Samuel is a super saver but not happy about it. Juan Carlos, with no history of saving, learns suddenly that he needs to develop a savings plan for college.
How Do I Implement Case Studies?
This is a question that many educators ask. They are interested in the idea of using cases but not sure exactly where to get started or how to ensure success. The good news is that we have plenty of resources to help, including:
Each case comes equipped with a handy Teacher Guide and Student Guide with tips on how to prepare for the case study method.
Experienced educators describe how they use case studies in these NGPF podcast conversations:
What Are Teachers and Students Saying About NGPF Case Studies?
Here's a sampling of feedback we heard from teachers and students recently about our Case Studies and curriculum:
How Do I Budget? Case Study
Student: "It was the most interesting thing we have done in class since school started - in any of my classes!"
Teacher: "We had a great discussion about whether a cell phone was a necessity."
Teacher: "Best part was the way that you asked questions related to real-life situations!"
Feedback on NGPF curriculum
"I love the cross-curricular aspect of the curriculum. Although my class is technically a math class, I’m really enjoying the ability to infuse writing, public speaking, marketing, technology, and other critical thinking features into the class. I also love the fact that the material is so easy to access."
Featured Educator Podcast: Elizabeth Justema
When she isn't riding camels in the deserts of the Middle East, Elizabeth Justema is teaching personal finance at Summit High School in Bend, Oregon. Elizabeth raised her hand when the Social Studies department created a personal finance elective. It’s quite popular with over 250 students enrolled! With a previous career in international marketing at Microsoft, Elizabeth has a wealth of experience to share with her students. As for her interest and knowledge of personal finance, she has her entrepreneurial parents to thank for that.
How she selected a primary curriculum for her course
How she decided what topics to cover
How she developed her first unit (“Intro to Personal Finance”) to have students identify their money beliefs and values.
Enjoy!
Who's Heading to Dallas for the Jump$tart Conference?
Next Gen Personal Finance is pleased to support these 22 outstanding educators (read their bios on the NGPF Contest page):
Allison Gossick, Blue Valley North High School (Overland Park, KS)
Ann Endicott, Byhalia High School (Byhalia, MS)
Beth Callahan, Williamsburg Independent School (Williamsburg, KY)
Brian Johnson, Forest Hills Northern High School (Grand Rapids, MI)
Colleen Martin, Stafford High School (Stafford, CT)
Doug Andersen, Billings Senior High School (Billings, MT)
Jill Lucero, East High School (Cheyenne, WY)
Jimmy Cappels, Carlmont High School (Belmont, CA)
Julie Giglia, Whitman-Hanson Regional High School (Whitman, MA)
Laurie Gardner, Marine City High School (Marine City, MI)
MaryBeth Bailey, Bethel and Bryant Middle Schools (Bryant, AR)
Michael Brazeau, Raymond High School (Raymond, NH)
Michael Carfang, Centreville High School (Clifton, VA)
Nancy Bonnifield, Kimball Area High School (Kimball, MN)
Pete Rosinski, Pinkerton Academy (Derry, NH)
Petrina Blakeslee, Cooperative Arts and Humanities Magnet High School (New Haven, CT)
Sheree Pasini, Stafford High School (Stafford, CT)
Renee Karr, Southington Local Schools (Southington, OH)
Sheila Miller, Newfound Regional High School (Bristol, NH)
Shelagh M. Quigley, Lake Charles-Boston Academy (Lake Charles, LA)
Stephanie Mills, South Warren High School (Bowling Green, KY)
Talitha Oliveri, Hopedale Jr./Sr. High School (Hopedale, MA)
Community Activity Next Gen Personal Finance actively supports the financial literacy community through workshops, sponsorships of conferences and teacher professional development events. See below for a representative sample of events that we have attended in 2016. Please stop by and say hello if you plan to be at any of our upcoming events!
In 2016, we are committing $25,000 to support teacher professional development. If you organize or attend a workshop and are looking for sponsors, please let me know by emailing me at tim@nextgenpersonalfinance.org.
Upcoming 2016 Events
October 21, 2016: Federal Reserve of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
October 22nd and 29th, 2016: DC Public School Teacher Training (Washington, DC)
November 5-7, 2016: Jump$tart National Educators Conference (Dallas, TX)
November 8, 2016: Working in Support of Education (WISE) Conference (New York, NY)
November 11, 2016: Vermont Jump$tart Educators Conference (Burlington, VT)