Answer at least one of the following questions:
- What are the three most important topics or skills that you learned from the FutureSmart course.
- How will knowing these things help you in your life now and when you are an adult?
- What are your dreams for the future (college, travel, dream job, dream life)? Explain how what you learned in FutureSmart will help you reach those goals.
By assuming the role of Townville’s Mayor and helping the citizens achieve their financial goals, students embody perspectives and address real-world financial decisions within the context of a larger goal. The result is a learning experience that builds healthy financial habits and encourages students to apply a variety of financial skills to many connected decisions, rather than in isolation.
The course opens with a “Financial Personality Test” in which students identify present and future values and reflect on their financial habits.
The 5 learning lessons start with a scenario introduction where students learn about a goal or task that a citizen wants to achieve and the financial barriers they are facing. Students are then taken through a series of activities where they learn about financial concepts and immediately apply them to the scenario. Each content lesson ends with free-response reflection question encouraging students to reflect on the concepts they have learned and apply them to their lives.
In the final lesson, students revisit the values they identified in the very beginning of the course and complete a portfolio piece – their Blueprint – through a series of activities in which they identify and prioritize personal, financial, education and career goals.
