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Re: ideas for financial math?
Posted:
Nov 16, 2012 12:57 PM
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I'm teaching Business & Personal Finance to juniors and seniors, and making
it up as I go along. :)
Some of it depends on the student population you are targeting - grade and
ability levels.
One thing I did recently that I am going to build on, and which was a hit,
was run a simple share exchange. I have a somewhat socratic approach to
whole-class discussion, and the class had arrived at the idea of selling a
share of a business in order to raise money. Then we did this activity to
trade shares:
Slips of paper for each of seven companies were made up, with each slip
being one share. Bowls were set out for each company, and counters were
used to represent money. Every share was priced at 5. Each student was
allowed to choose ten shares (next time I think I would make it five) and
was given ten counters. We cleared the center of the room and set up the
trading table at the front of the room.
Now we put up a news flash on the screen, with events relating to an
earthquake. This was followed by the list of new prices. Students were
given time to go to the trading table to buy or sell with the teacher
running the table, where all prices were exactly as listed. They were also
told they were free to make deals with each other for whatever prices they
agreed upon.
We put up news flashes and allowed trading four times. The final set of
prices represented the end of the trading period, and at that point
students were told to figure out how much they were worth. The top earners
got small prizes (chocolate).
This activity is a bit messy - it can get boisterous, and some students
became quite convinced their strategies were the best. We had some good
unintended teachable moments, like when the crowd around the trading table
became too big and slow and we called "Two more minutes until trading
closes! Any trades not completed by then are void."
We followed this class the next day with a discussion of what the trading
experience was like, how students might suggest improving it, and what the
function of a stock exchange is.
Next Wednesday, after a few more classes relating to stocks, we'll hold
another trading simulation. For that one the news will be more company
internals than external disasters, and we will also have a "rumors" piece
that will essentially simulate a pump-and-dump with three consecutive
increases in price for a target company (with accompanying rumors) followed
by the crash. It is my hope to get students yelling "That's not fair!",
which in turn should yield some insights about regulations.
Is this the kind of thing you mean? If it is, I can send you copies of the
materials I made for the lesson.
Evelyne Stalzer
--------------------------------
On Fri, Nov 16, 2012 at 8:26 AM, <APrince@lockport.wnyric.org> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Our math dept. has inherited a "Math & Financial Applications" course from
> our business dept.
>
> We need ideas for activities/projects/cooperative learning/supplemental
> info pertaining to interest & loans, or finance.
>
> If anyone has any *ideas, activities, or websites* that they could share
> with me, I would greatly appreciate it!
>
> Thanks so much!
>
> Amy Prince
>
> Our text is: Contemporary Business Math for colleges - Deitz & Southam
>
> The topics include:
> Fundamental Processes:
>
> Word Problems and Equations
> Weights and Measures
> Decimals
> Fractions
> Percents in Business
>
> Business Math:
> Payroll Records
> Federal Income Taxes
> Sales and Property Taxes
> Commissions
> Discounts
> Markup
> Simple Interest
> Notes and Interest Variables
> Borrowing By Business
> Charges for Credit
>
> Finance:
> Business Inventory and Turnover
> Business Depreciation
> Business Financial Statements
> Corporate Stocks
> Compound Interest and Present Value
>
>
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