Kids Learn By Doing
I use project based learning.
See, I can only lecture for about 45 minutes. Maybe it’s just because I’m getting old, maybe I’m just sick of my own voice, or maybe it’s actually what’s best for kids! No matter the real reason, I just can’t lecture any topic for greater than 45 minutes anymore, which leaves another 40 minutes in a class period, because I’m on block schedule.
What to do…what to do…
Well, I’m a master at Project Based Learning, and have created multiple projects over the years with time requirements from one class period to an entire semester-long extravaganza. I’ve found that engaging students in a project helps them internalize the topics and vocabulary that I initially shared with them. While I appreciate that sometimes you just gotta lecture, for most of my class time, I try to use experiential learning to keep students interested and participating in my class.
Don’t get me wrong: Sometimes I absolutely have to lecture to introduce a new topic, new vocabulary, new unit plan. There is a place for that in education. But it can’t be your best weapon for engaging students—you’ll lose them hard and fast.
You and I both know: Kids learn best by interacting with the material individually.
What Are Some Topics That Really Get Them Excited?
I am fortunate to use an incredible national curriculum in my classes, complete with proctored exams, all of which leads to an insane amount of college credit. I use the High School of Business through MBA Research (https://www.mbaresearch.org/) and it is absolutely amazing—can’t recommend them highly enough. Due to the nature of the curriculum, my ability to use outside resources is curtailed by time every semester.
Some of the topics, though, are insanely popular with students! The number one topic students clamor for is definitely the stock market. They are convinced they can easily and quickly make a million in the stock market, and want to know everything about it.
They are also addicted to learning about managing their personal fortunes. What I consider “dry” topics like credit scores, student loans, and using credit wisely, are incredibly popular with my students. They want to know everything to do—and particularly what to avoid. In many instances, our students have seen their parents make mistakes of ignorance with their personal income, and our kids are savvy enough to know that education is going to be the key to their financial future.
These are GREAT topics for project based learning.
How To Use Them In The Classroom
So I’ve got an incredible resource in the High School of Business, and so many resources I can’t use them all. But I know that, across the country, I am the exception to the Business Education rule. Most of our teachers and CTSO advisers are doing it on their own—creating curriculum and unit plans, organizing meetings and preparing activities that will engage and encourage our students to learn more.
I use simulations and game-like curriculum in several ways for project based learning in my classroom:
Ancillary Assignments
I always have a “background” assignment in my classes, and recommend the same to new educators. There is always something else students can work on when they have finished today’s work. By using simulations as secondary assignments, students can devote anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to the simulation after they complete today’s assignment, and it isn’t due until the end of the week/month/quarter. This way, everyone has something to work on until the bell, but it’s okay if you only work on it for five minutes today—you’ll have more time next class.
Guest Teachers
Most of the resources I am going to recommend to you involve kids getting excited, so the noise level in your class might be a bit much for a substitute to handle.
However, if you can find the right guest teacher, using these resources while you are off campus will guarantee that kids will be engaged in your absence, even if the guest isn’t perfect at project based learning.
Extended absences
Since these resources don’t require you or a textbook, they are a great way to keep kids engaged in your curriculum while they are off-campus for an extended period of time. They just need the internet, and you can monitor their work from your desk at school.
End of the quarter/semester
Need something for that weird week before Winter Break? Have just one week before the end of the quarter? These resources are perfect for you to use during these random periods of time. They can be adapted to any length of time you need, and are absolutely curricular and valuable for the kids.
How To Use Them In CTSOs
This is easy! Let’s look at the core of DECA or FBLA (or any other CTSO!): Competitions.
Now let’s look into the competitions: They are simulations. Literally—they are role plays or presentations or tests based on presenting information in a given construct.
The resources I’m suggesting you use share some things in common, and one of them is that the student needs to make decisions on their own. They need to make a choice that they think will lead them to “win” the game.
That is exactly what role plays and presentations are in the CTSOs. That ability to make decisions in real-time is an extremely important skill that we need to cultivate in our students. This sort of project nurture all facets of learning. In real life, they won’t have overnight to study for that test—the test is going to come quickly and unexpectedly, and they need to think on their feet and respond given a set of circumstances. You know…a simulation…
Fantastic Websites
There is a plethora of resources available to Business Education teachers on the internet. Some of them are fantastic, and some are barely developed. Unfortunately, some of them cost money—which is the one thing we don’t have. I’m going to share with you some of my absolute favorite resources that share several things in common:
- All of them are free
- All of them are impressively and professionally made and managed
- All of them are enticing and engaging to teenagers
Let’s look at the four I want to recommend you look into for the upcoming semester:
EverFi
I can’t say enough about EverFi. I’ve used it for years for a wide variety of topics, and everything they create is top-notch. Not only do they have topics ranging from Identity Protection and Use of Credit, but they actually have many other curriculum developed for other courses, and every age from early childhood! One of the greatest features of EverFi is that it grades everything the kids do, and reports those grades in an easy-to-transfer way so that it can seamlessly be moved into your gradebook. It is entirely self-paced, making it a perfect secondary assignment for students.
Commonsense.org
This is the resource I am suggesting that I have the least experience using, but is highly impressive with the different games they have developed starting with elementary school. The game format appeals to students of all genders and ages, and is perfect for a substitute lesson plan. Following one of these games, it is easy to have students write a short reflection paper about what they learned/how they did in the game, that you could use as the grade for completion.
NGPF
Bookmark this goldmine!!!!!
My link goes right to the arcade—which kids love—but this resource is so robust and huge that you’ll never run out of resources from here. Next Gen Personal Finance is completely free, and will give you daily, weekly or even semester-long lesson plans!!! One of my absolute favorite things from this website is the Question of the Day because it gives you your entry/warm-up question every day. The three-slide presentation for every question also gives you the actual answer and an explanation! It is the single best resource I’ve ever found that I can use every single day. Check it out!
TheStockMarketGame
I’ve saved this for last, because it is, by far, the fan favorite of my students every single year. We do it in the spring of Junior year in class, and every fall in FBLA.
The premise of the “game” is that the student team is given $100,000, and can fictitiously invest it as they see fit for ten weeks. They use real-time transactions using actual stock market figures, and are competing against teams from their own school, the entire state, and the nation. The goal is to have the highest gains in the time period. This simulation is ADDICTIVE, and can be used as a once-a-week or last ten minutes every day lesson plan for an entire quarter.
These Are Too Fun To Be Educational!
Business Education, as you know, is a different type of beast in the traditional public school system. We are hands-on, project-based, and often an environment of controlled chaos. If you are thriving in this environment, I’m thrilled for you. Not only because you should be having a blast and reaching many students, but you obviously have an administration that recognizes the value and the individuality that is Business Education.
So they won’t mind you playing arcade games with students. They will understand the importance of engaging students using their own interests so they can learn and internalize important, real world, difficult concepts and topics.
You’ve done all the hard work. Now let these resources add a little fun and relaxation into your successful classroom.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS FAR!!!
Wow, thank you for reading about project based learning!
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