World Teachers Day is this week (Wednesday Oct. 5th), and we want to celebrate all of you educators!
As an educator, you’re always focused on your students, but we want to talk about you for a second.
Think back to your days in high school for a quick minute. Do you have any regrets? We’re not going to ask you to divulge them here but what we know is that we regret how little we were taught and how little we were interested in finance as high-school-aged kids.
We at Explorer Hop want to reverse that trend for your high school students today.
If you believe, like we here at Explorer Hop do, that all kids should be exposed to the wonders of finance early in their development, read on to see our three ways to help you get your students more interested in finance.
1. Personalize It
Warning: This is going to sound super conceited and self-absorbed.
A lot of us like to talk and hear about ourselves all the time, right? If we’re the center of attention, we’re more likely to be engaged in whatever is going on.
Take that principle and apply it to your finance lessons going forward to make the lesson more engaging for your high school students. Instead of using the generic names out of a textbook in a math problem about apples and oranges, use the names of two students in your class.
In other words, unless you have a Bob and Steve in your classroom, substitute those names for two real names of students to personalize the problem more and make it more fun to solve.
2. Use Relevant Examples
In much the same way as the point about personalization, using relevant examples to your students’ personal lives is a great way to get them more interested in finance. Let’s be honest, are your students going to care more if you focus finance lessons on buying a house – which they might do in a decade – or if you focus their lessons on dealing with having a car and insurance, which they will be involved with a lot sooner?
If we relate to the material we are being taught, we are more likely to absorb, pay attention and understand it – a reality that is not any less true with a subject matter like finance.
3. Explain Real-Life Consequences
Make financial consequences mean something. Explain how financial mistakes and successes can really impact their future. Making finance resonate with them by veering away from hypotheticals and applying it to their real lives is another great way to further engage your students in finance going forward today and beyond.
That’s all for now, folks. We hope that you are able to implement our three tips for getting your students more interested in finance, because we truly believe in the ideas presented above.
Want to give your students more ways to engage with and learn about finance, specifically by putting their learning in your classroom into practice? Talk to them about the Wharton Competition. The Wharton Competition is an opportunity for students to use and build their analytical, teamwork, and communication skills through the world of investing. Teams will receive a case study in which the team will need to form a portfolio from a selected stock list to suit the client’s needs.
Looking for more resources for yourself as an educator after reading this blog? Check out Explorer Hop's Global Educator's Circle, where we connect educators from all over the world to help each other grow. With benefits including free training and financial literacy workshops for teachers, we believe our Global Educator’s Circle is a great resource for you.
Best of luck with shaping the minds of our next generation of young minds and leaders!