Learning Environment & Situational Factors to Consider

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1. Specific Context of the Teaching/LearnForSituation

How many students are in the class? Is the course primary, secondary, undergraduate, or graduate level? How long and frequent are the class meetings? How will the course be delivered: live, online, blended, flipped or in a classroom or lab? What physical elements of the learning environment will affect the class? What technology, networking and access issues will affect the class? There are 60 students in the financial literacy course, which is an introductory course with mainly 11th graders. The class will meet daily, Monday through Friday, for 65 minutes. The class will meet in person in a classroom with classroom material being posted in Canvas. Our campus is a one-to-one campus with students using Chromebooks. The classroom has one Parmanthan board for displaying presentations. The internet connection in the class can be challenging due to the slow speeds and limited bandwidth.

 

2. General Context of the Learning Situation

What learning expectations are placed on this course or curriculum by: the school, district, university, college and/or department? 

the profession? society? The learning expectations include regular class attendance by the school and the district. Students receive one extra day for each day absent to complete the missing work. This course is a requirement for graduation from the state. Therefore, students must successfully earn a "C" letter grade.

 

3. Nature of the Subject

Is this subject primarily theoretical, practical, or a combination? Is the subject primarily convergent or divergent? Are there important changes or controversies occurring within the field? This course is a mix of theoretical and practical since it deals with personal finance and literacy as it relates to personal finance. The only changes or controversies may deal with purchasing a home or renting in periods of higher interest rates.

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4. Characteristics of the Learners

What is the life situation of the learners (e.g., socio-economic, cultural, personal, family, professional goals)? What prior knowledge, experiences, and initial feelings do students usually have about this subject? What are their learning goals and expectations? Many families are middle-class working families, with 95% of the student population being African American. There is also a significant sub-population, primarily from west Africa. Most West Africans are second-generation in the United States. Most students have some general knowledge of credit, taxes, and retirement on a surface level. Some students have a more profound understanding of auto insurance based on personal experiences. Coming into the course, some students have many questions about taxes or how to make money in the stock market.

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5. Characteristics of the Teacher

What beliefs and values does the teacher have about teaching and learning? What is his/her attitude toward: the subject? students? What level of knowledge or familiarity does s/he have with this subject? What are his/her strengths in teaching? The teacher's constructivist view of learning focuses on creating a learning experience where the students learn by doing. I hope the students gain valuable lessons that will positively impact the student's finance for years to come. The teacher has a Bachelor of Science in Economics, previously held various securities licenses, and owned two businesses. 

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Questions for Formulating Significant Learning Goals 

 

"A year (or more) after this course is over, Studnets should be able to answer basic questions on credit, investments, and basic insurance protection."

 

My Big Harry Audacious Goal (BHAG) for the course is: I want and hope that students will be able to navigate questions of personal finance with some familiarity successfully.

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Foundational Knowledge 

What key information (e.g., facts, terms, formulae, concepts, principles, relationships, etc.) is/are important for students to understand and remember in the future?

What key ideas (or perspectives) are important for students to understand in this course? Basic calculations for the time value of money and the value of time in investments. The importance of credit and its impact on lending and cost of insurance. Learners should also be able to identify basic concepts of a budget and paying off debt.

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Application Goals

 What kinds of thinking are important for students to learn?

¨      Critical thinking, in which students analyze and evaluate

¨      Creative thinking, in which students imagine and create

¨      Practical thinking, in which students solve problems and make decisions

· What important skills do students need to gain?

· Do students need to learn how to manage complex projects?

Students should be able to do basic math calculations and understand how financial decisions impact monthly budgeting and long-term financial success. Creative thinking will be applicable in 

 as students create long-term goals in achieving personal financial goals.

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Integration Goals 

· What connections (similarities and interactions) should students recognize and make…:

¨ Among ideas within this course?

¨ Among the information, ideas, and perspectives in this course and those in other courses or areas?

¨ Among material in this course and the student's personal, social, and/or work life? 

Some students will make some connections with their knowledge for solving for "X" in mathematical equations. There will also be some connections to U.S. History and the great depression that may allow students to make connections with introductory courses. Due to the nature of the course, there may be very few connections to prior knowledge besides math and some history lessons.

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Human Dimensions Goals

· What could or should students learn about themselves?

· What could or should students learn about understanding others and/or interacting with them?

 

The student should learn how personal decisions drive outcomes related to overall financial goals and their ability to modify behavior to reshape financial results. In addition, working in collaborative groups should teach the importance of shared goals and adjusting those goals based on input from the group.

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Caring Goals

· What changes/values do you hope students will adopt?

        Feelings?

        Interests?

        Values?

I hope the students adopt the power of "yet" regarding their financial goals while also developing empathy for family members and strangers concerning financial literacy issues. I also hope they become interested in entrepreneurship and financial literacy within their community.

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"Learning-How-to-Learn" Goals"

· What would you like for students to learn about:

¨      how to be good students in a course like this?

¨      how to learn about this particular subject?

¨      how to become a self-directed learner of this subject, i.e., having a learning agenda of what they need/want to learn, and a plan for learning it?

Being open to new ideas may differ from what they grew up learning about while working with others in the learning community. Learn how to take control and make financial decisions impacting students actively.

 

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BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) – Overarching Course Goal

Learners will … Students will gain a basic level of understanding of personal finances to prepare them to navigate issues of insurance, loans and credit, and investments by the end of 2023 course.

3 Column Table

 

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