Lesson plan for mild to moderate special education

I. Subject/Topic: Curriculum area. What will be taught in this lesson?
The lesson to be taught will be finance and investment. This is an ecological topic as individuals within society will be forced to use finance and investment at some point within their life cycle. Credit Cards, Student Loans, Mortgages, Saving Accounts, Checking Accounts, Retirement Accounts, Annuities, and 401k, all have a basis in finance. Those will special needs are often victimized by professional money managers who are looking to generate fees at the expense of their client. This course is designed to equip special needs children with the basis financial aspects that will help their navigate in the future. This is important as money is unemotional. It does not choose who will be rich and who will be poor. It is only individual actions that determine such outcomes. By teaching the basics of finance and investment, the aim is to equip special needs children with the foundation to pursue their goals. This could mean creating a company or investing in a particular stock that they like. All of which will help mitigate the debilitating aspects of society on those with special needs. It will also help students become better informed so that they will not be taken advantage of by unethical money managers or people looking to use the child’s disability to their advantage. The grade level will be middle school to high school level. The children will need to have a basis understanding of adding, subtracting, multiplication and division. No other pre-requisites are required.
II. Rationale/Purpose; Why should students learn this material? What is the value to the student? What misconception about the goal conception is being addressed?
Students should learn this material as their entire life is predicated on knowing the basics of finance. No matter what an individual’s circumstances are, they will be forced to make an economic decision over the course of their life. Examples include financing a car, buying a house, student loans, stock investment, personal lines of credit, credit cards and so forth. It is important for students to have a foundation grounding in basis financial principles so that they can make better informed decisions.
It is a common misconception that finance is “difficult” or “Esoteric.” It is believed that only the very smart among the general population can ever hope of mastering the concepts of finance. This is entirely not true. Finance utilized basis principles of adding, subtracting, multiplication, and division. The only difference is the application of these principles to businesses and companies as oppose to simply doing problems that have no benefit to the student.
Let’s be honest; many special education courses don’t help the student address real life situations or problems they will face in adulthood. It is always assumed that a parent, a sibling, or an advisor will be around to address the needs of the student. What happens when this is not the case? What happens if a person who is a close confidant, is looking to enrich themselves at the expense of the student. This, by no means is rare. In fact, we have seen multiple instances of special needs children being used for the benefit of others (Booth, 1998). This course is design to fight back! This course is used to help arm students with the means to take control of their own future. The aim is to better equip special needs children with the problems and dilemmas they will face in adulthood while avoiding be used or taken advantage of by others.
The value for the student comes from the overall knowledge they gain. Here, the idea is to provide students with the basics to combat the financial evils of the world. Unfortunately, school cannot mimic the real world. Once a student is outside of school, they often find it daunting dealing with the real-life situations that are presented them. A landlord often doesn’t care about the inability to pay rent, they often only care about an on-time rent payment. Students need to be able to afford to pay grocery bills or light bills or run the risk of having neither. Employers are looking for individuals who add value to their organization and can help them make money. These are the realties that are not necessarily taught but are essential to the survival in the real world. This course is designed to lessen the shock of this reality, but equipping students with the tools needed to successfully navigate through life.
III. Learning Objectives: What will the student be able to understand or do after the lesson
After the series of lessons, the student will be able to understand and do the following
1. Understand what compound interest is
2. Understand what a credit card is
3. Understand what a debit care is
4. Understand what a savings account and debit account is?
5. Understand and be able to describe the difference between a stock and a bond
6. Understand and be able to describe the difference between as asset and a liability
7. Understand and be able to describe the difference between income and expenses
8. Understand what a market economy and capitalism is
IV. Content: Outline form ...Detail the central points, questions and skills that will be emphasized
The central points that will be emphasized are related to real world examples. It will be assumed that each student will have some form of income throughout their life. It is also assumed that each student will need some form of assistance as they currently have special needs. From here, the central points will be based on what options are available to each student when the receive their income. The questions will also be related to this concept. Through the learning objectives mentioned above the student will be able to differentiate between different alternatives and make better informed decisions. The student will also be able to leverage this knowledge to better understand the motivations of their confidant who may be making decisions on their behalf.
V. Strategies and Activities: What will be done for, by and with the students in order to reach the objective(s)?
Case studies and real world exampled will be used for and by the students in order to reach the objective. The strategies will heavily emphasize both student and teacher engagement. The idea will be to allows students to come to their own conclusions and then discuss those conclusions with the context of the large group. We will also look to leverage real world speakers within the classroom. Very basic math calculations and exampled will be used in class. Specific attention will be paid to the needs of the students and their ability to comprehend the material. Overall, the pace of the class will be very slow in order to ensure that each student understands the overall objective and assignment.
VI. Materials: A check list of the items needed for the strategies and activities (include copies of handouts, etc.
1. List of accounts and their benefits
2. List of the benefits of very basic investment options
3. Math tables so students can easily identify and calculate various outcomes
4. Resource list so students can research on their own time
5. Contact list for student who would like to get more information or utilize services in the future
VII. Plans for Individual Differences; How will the lesson be adapted to meet the individual needs of various students in the class?
Pacing will be used to address individual differences in the class. The course will be designed to be slow paced. In addition, a prerequisite for the class will be a basic understanding of adding, subtraction, multiplication and division. Students will not be admitted if they don’t adhere to these standards. In addition, we will be utilized group work so students can properly learn from each other at their own pace. The idea of the course is to teach real world problems and solutions. Therefore, it is imperative that each student understands the implications of their decisions at their own pace. Through heavy use of group activities, the aim will be to arrive a mutually beneficial solutions for each student.
VIII. Evaluation: How will students' progress based on objectives be determined?
Progress will be determined on the student’s ability to identify the pros and cons of specific actions. We will not utilize standardized testing, but instead based progress on the students overall understanding of the concepts. Here, we want students to be focused on their decision-making ability as oppose to learning something simply to pass a test
IX. A References section should include complete references for all sources you use
1. Booth, Tony and Ainscow, Mel. (Eds.) (1998). From Them to Us: An International Study of Inclusion in Education. Routledge, 11 New Fetter Lane, London, EC4P 4EE, England; 29 West 35th Street, NY, NY 10001. 271 pp.