Did you know that NGPF has 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 a personal finance topic to problem solve through roleplay.

Case studies can be found on the unit pages below the activities list.  If the case study has an (sp) next to it (most do!), then 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 class but maybe you’re not quite 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 of the ways that you can formally assess student knowledge, the traditional multiple choice and open ended test is often dreaded by students because it asks them to memorize and regurgitate information.  A case study can be used as a comprehensive way to ask students to show what they know without needing to use the traditional end of unit test.

Use case studies to review for a unit test

Maybe you still want to use unit tests.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a ready made review for students?  Prior to taking the unit tests, have students engage with each other while completing case studies.  This is a great way to find gaps in understanding and address them before students take the unit test.

Tie case studies to an individual lesson

Some case studies focus on a narrower portion of the unit and can be completed after an individual lesson.  Have students work on the case study as a reinforcement of topics just learned and as a check for understanding.

Have case studies ready as a sub-lesson plan

Have you ever unexpectedly had to take a sick day and started scrambling for something to leave for your students to work on?  After you complete a unit, make copies of a case study and have it ready for a sub to assign while you’re out.  Spiral learning has been shown to help students to reinforce knowledge, so it never hurts to revisit topics that you taught earlier in the course.

Use multiple case studies as an ongoing whole course project 

Case studies can be used to produce a portfolio for students to compile everything that they’ve learned throughout the course.  Completing case studies on many of the topics learned throughout the course and creating a final artifact shows students the quantity and value of the knowledge they’ve learned in your course.

Use case studies as a reassessment

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 reassess, show their understanding of the topic, and adjust their marking period grade appropriately.

Teachers on FinLit Fanatics commonly suggest case studies as a vital and engaging part of their lesson planning.  Here are three of the most suggested:

Fender Bender Frenzy! (Insurance)

How Do I Budget (Budgeting)

Car, Home, Retirement: What’s My Plan (Saving)

Let us know how you plan to use case studies in your classroom!

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.

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