Thanks to Kerri Herrild of DePere High School (WI) (NGPF podcast guest) for passing along this activity created by Kate Kaster of Stevens Point Area High (WI). We love to get ideas from teachers that we can share with our community so thanks to Kate and Kerri for sharing!!! Kate credited the FEFE Business teacher website for the core activity which she then tweaked.

This all started when Kerri inquired whether NGPF had resources that link potential earning power to educational attainment (go to the bottom of the post to see what I found).  Kerri then came across Kate’s activity on a WI teacher listserv. It is a hands-on activity that demonstrates the power of education through a tower-building exercise and follow-up discussion.  Enjoy and better yet let us know how it goes in the classroom!

Education vs. Income Tower

Directions:

1. Divide the class into groups of 2

2. Hand out building materials (25 toothpicks, 25 small marshmallows)

3. Hand education sentences to each group

4. Have each group read their education statement

5. Give groups 10 minutes to build the tallest free-standing tower using supplies given

6. Discuss the success of each group after the activity.

Education Statements:

• High School Graduate – One team member can use both hands, other members can use one hand ONLY, the other must remain behind their back and all communication must be done nonverbally to represent limited skill and education.

• High School Dropout – Team members can use one hand ONLY, the other must remain behind their back and all communication must be done nonverbally to represent limited skill and education.

• Associate’s Degree – Team members have full use of their hands but all communication must be done nonverbally.
• College Degree – Team members have full use of their hands but must designate only one person who can talk.  The others must communicate nonverbally.

• Doctorate Degree – Team members have obtained the highest level of education and have no limitations for building the tower.

• Other Ideas:  Extend time or limitations for each group based on education level.  

____________

Here are a few questions that I thought could help drive the discussion:

• Do you think the limitations based on educational level were fair?
• For those in the drop-out or high school graduate group, how did you feel watching the other groups work on the tower?
• We used physical and communication limitations in this activity. What limitations do you think high school dropouts and HS graduates experience in the workplace?
• Do advanced degrees guarantee success in the workforce? Why or why not?
• Other than education, what do you think impacts your earnings potential?

__________

Here are NGPF Resources that link income potential to education:

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.