Banqer, an online financial programme, is being well used in Natasha de Soden’s Year 8 class. Student learning includes how to open bank accounts, buy a house, cope with financial disasters, buy cars, insure them and even how to wisely spend money. With a wealth of real-life experiences, students learn to identify financial traps, and what their options are to get themselves out of the hole. Students keep a reflective journal on their Banqer journey, writing about their experiences, how they felt and what they learnt. One student had their car was written off with no insurance – that lesson is certainly sure to stay with them!
A highlight for the class last year was an auction where students used their Banqer dollars to bid on items. Students wrote creative descriptions for the items and a real estate agent brought in his auction paddles. One student bid too much for an envelope of Banqer notes with a misleading description. Mrs de Soden says, “He consulted his lawyer uncle and charged me with giving misleading information and took me to a classroom court with a judge and jury.” She even ended up having to pay compensation!
Banqer parent homework assignments are used to spark rich conversations at home. Most parents are comfortable talking about opening their first bank account or getting their first mortgage, and frequently offer advice to their children. Mrs de Soden says “Lots of the students emulate their parents’ suggestions such as the importance of saving to buy their first house.” Last year one girl’s parents opened current and savings accounts for her on the basis of the conversations she was having around Banqer.
