Friday, August 4, 2017

Effective Financial Education Strategies


I’m just coming off a road trip leading two full-day Financial Education Boot Camp workshops attended by over 100 New Jersey teachers. A lot of valuable information was shared about personal finance content and engaging learning activities. Here are some insights that resonated with me:

 

Watch Your Language- Common words that financial educators use can be intimidating. Instead of talking about “the future” to people (especially students) who live day-to-day, use words like “now’ and “later.” Instead of focusing on goals, which seem intimidating and formal, focus on instilling good habits.

 

Tell Powerful Stories- Stories make difficult changes seem possible. One Boot Camp participant put it this way: “students want to know someone who has gone through it or is going through it.” The most important part of a story is not the happy ending but how people overcame obstacles between Point A and Point B.

 

Use Engaging Activities- Engage your students’ creative juices and senses. At Boot Camp, teachers shared financial advice on index cards and posted them online. I am pleased to share some of the results of their efforts.

 

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