How do you motivate junior high math students including main-streamed special education class members to see if you can tap into their potential and enhance their learning potential?
In 1987, I created a Community Classroom project, providing a 5 foot circular-shaped foam mountain landscaped with lakes and streams and land plats for purchase with Monopoly houses for ‘residences.’ Students earned faux cash by being on time, bringing supplies, and doing their homework.
Amazingly, homework was turned in and test scores improved and students learned how important math is in the real world. The above photo was posted by a local newspaper which covered our year-end auction. Students used their faux cash to buy real prizes donated by local merchants.
Although we only used it for Math, the same concepts could be adapted to integrate all school subjects. In fact, I was inspired by one teacher who had developed and used the concepts in his combined 4th and 5th grade classroom in 1978. My children’s 5th grade teacher had a similar program in the early 1990s.
In 2005, as a City Parks and Recreation Program staff member, I created a proposal for an interactive Financial Literacy program for local schools. Although I did not pursue the project, I still firmly believe that age-appropriate Financial Literacy should be a required part of our school curriculum for students in all grade levels.
I’m in the process of updating this presentation in 2023-2024.