Qualities of Top Financial Education Lesson Plans
Teaching basic personal finance lessons is easy; making a measurable impact requires more effort, but can be accomplished. There are important steps you need to consider when designing your program and selecting a financial literacy curriculum to use. This page explores the qualities of top financial education lesson plans.
Most financial education resources are focused on lower-order thinking processes, are built to be delivered in lecture format, and do little to prepare people to confidently make effective financial decisions. They fail to address financial sentiment, behaviors, and systems to demonstrate measurable results.
When you set out to teach personal finance, selecting the right education resources is critically important. Financial education resources should be grounded in research-based educational methodologies and real-world application. They should focus not only on knowledge, but also on financial behaviors and establishment of systems to encourage long-term benefit for the learners.
Important Considerations for Financial Literacy Lesson Plans
Backwards Planning. Ensure that the lessons support learners to progress toward pre-defined outcomes.
Active Learning Techniques. Include visual, social, self-regulated, and project-based learning.
Audience Adaptation. Enable instructors to adjust activities to support learners at different levels.
Motivation & Reasons. Help learners determine their personal reasons and motivations for adopting positive financial behaviors.
Ongoing Education. Include long-term follow-up and support to encourage permanent change.
Application. Include activities so students take action on what they learned and practice completing real-world tasks.
Champion Spotlight
Pavi Lightner
Pavi Lightner was called to start a financial education business and bring people in her community a quality financial literacy education. She built a strong foundation through earning her Certification and gaining access to the NFEC’s curriculum. For her first program, she partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Richmond. This relationship began with her gaining understanding of the students’ needs and the organization’s goals. She then designed a program that was unique to her audience by using the curriculum Print on Demand Center to customize the lessons for her audience. Her goal was to create lesson plans that infused education into fun, interactive activities. She coined the term “funteractive” for her brand. These goals aligned with the Boys and Girls Club’s long-term outcomes to empower young people – especially those from disadvantaged circumstances – to succeed in life.
Empower the people you serve with financial literacy lesson plans & resources that provide high-quality content and practical lessons that focus learners on the application of the lessons. Resources chosen should also align with the specific needs of each audience and include suitable scaffolding to support their development to higher-order thinking skill sets.