Do you know that NGPF has done case studies for many of its units? Case studies are a great way to engage your students in real-world situations and ask them to use their new knowledge of personal finance subject matter to solve a problem through roleplay.
Case studies can be found on the unit pages below the list of activities. If the case study has a (sp) (most do!), it’s also available in Spanish.
Note: You can find other great activities translated into Spanish on our Spanish and ELL directory.
If you’re interested in trying out a case study in your classroom, but perhaps you’re not sure where to start, here are six ways to implement a case study in your classroom:
use case studies as an assessment instead of a traditional exam
When considering all the ways to formally assess students’ knowledge, traditional multiple-choice and open-ended tests are often dreaded by students because it asks them to memorize and retell information. A case study can be used as a comprehensive way to ask students to demonstrate what they know without the need to use the traditional end of unit test.
Use case study to review unit testing
You probably still want to use unit tests. Wouldn’t it be nice for students to have a ready-made review? Before giving unit tests, engage students with each other as they complete the case studies. This is a great way for students to find and remove gaps in understanding before they take the unit test.
Connect case studies to a personal lesson
Some case studies focus on a narrow part of the unit and can be completed after an individual lesson. Ask students to work on the case studies as reinforcement of what they have just learned and as a check of understanding.
Have a case study ready as a sub-lesson plan
Have you ever had to take a sick day unexpectedly and scrambling to leave something for your students to work on? After completing a unit, make copies of a case study and have it ready to sub when you are out. Spiral teaching has been shown to help students reinforce knowledge, so it doesn’t hurt to revisit topics previously covered in the curriculum.
Multiple case studies as ongoing full course projects
Case studies can be used to prepare a portfolio for students to compile everything they have learned throughout the course. Completing case studies on multiple topics learned throughout the course and creating a final artifact shows students the amount and value of the knowledge learned in your course.
Case study as a reappraisal
let’s face it. Some students are just bad test takers. They feel like they know it when they study and don’t see those results on the test. When a student wants to show you what they know, case studies can be a great way to reevaluate, show their understanding of the topic, and adjust their marking period grade appropriately.
The teachers at FinLit Fanatics generally recommend case studies as an important and engaging part of their lesson plans. Here are the three most recommended:
Fender Bender Mania! (Insurance)
how do i budget
Car, house, retirement: what do I plan for (savings)
Tell us how you plan to use case studies in your classroom!