You might be scratching your head while looking around on the semester course page.  Where did the Behavioral Finance Mini Unit go?  The popular mini unit that many teachers use to start the year hasn’t gone anywhere!  It’s now Money and Me.  As a part of the launch of our Behavioral Economics unit, we wanted to be clear that these units are different but equally important parts of the NGPF curriculum.

What’s the difference between these units?

The Money and Me unit contains three lessons that broadly explore our relationship with money through budgeting, social media, and your own personal values.   While it touches on cognitive biases, it is not nearly as comprehensive as the new Behavioral Economics content.

The Behavioral Economics unit is a brand new, seven lesson unit that is a part of our Full Year course.  It explores eight cognitive biases and their effects on our financial decisions.  It also includes an introductory lesson so that students can experience these biases through thought experiments and a concluding project exploring how cognitive biases can influence us through social media.  

Which unit should I use to start the year?

The Money and Me unit is a great way to start the year to get your students thinking about their relationship with money.  It is a brief introduction to personal finance before you move into more in depth content.  However, if you’re feeling ambitious, the Behavioral Economics unit is also perfectly suited for the start of the year!

Where can I learn more?

We have a number of Virtual PDs focused on the start of school and new curriculum:

• August 26th - Ideas for the First Day of School
• September 1st: 5 in 50: Behavioral Economics
• August 26th and September 2nd: Exploring the First Financial Algebra Units
• September 2nd: NGPF Speaker Series: Morgan Housel

About the Author

Dave Martin

Dave joins NGPF with 15 years of teaching experience in math and computer science. After joining the New York City Teaching Fellows program and earning a Master's degree in Education from Pace University, his teaching career has taken him to New York, New Jersey and a summer in the north of Ghana. Dave firmly believes that financial literacy is vital to creating well-rounded students that are prepared for a complex and highly competitive world. During what free time two young daughters will allow, Dave enjoys video games, Dungeons & Dragons, cooking, gardening, and taking naps.