May 18, 2017

NGPF Podcast: Tim Talks To Teacher-Innovator Todd Gragg (Midwest City HS, Oklahoma)

I had a great conversation with NGPF Teacher-Innovator Award winner, Todd Gragg, who discussed his award-winning project, “The Great Depression Game.” Despite being a relatively new teacher, Todd has already demonstrated his passionate advocacy for financial education through his involvement with the Oklahoma Council on Economic Education and Oklahoma Jump$tart Coalition.  In this podcast, you will learn more about his “Great Depression Game,” a cross-curricular activity that helps students experience the Great Depression through the lens of family budgets.  Enjoy!
Details:
  • 0:00~1:04 – Introduction
  • 1:04~1:58 – Todd’s job and background
  • 1:58~6:04 – Passion for personal finance
  • 6:05~7:26 – Building a curriculum as a first-time teacher
  • 7:26~12:06 – Gambling is one of the standards in Oklahoma, why?
  • 12:06~13:39 – Demographics of students
  • 13:39~16:33 – Students’ money concerns
  • 16:33~32:35 – Details of “Great Depression Game”
  • 32:35~32:50 – A word from our sponsor, Next Gen Personal Finance
  • 32:50~36:45 – Feedback from students
  • 36:45~38:15 – Oklahoma state financial standards
  • 38:15~40:27 – Hurdles to increasing access to financial education
  • 40:27~41:36 – Best thing bought for under $10
  • 41:36~42:00 – Favorite website resource
  • 42:00~42:55 – Favorite book
  • 42:55~44:04 – Text to communicate with students on ongoing basis
  • 44:04~45:06 – Conclusion
Resources:
Quotes:
  • “Our school is trying to move personal finance education to later years in high school because the students might be more engaged later on. It might be hard for a student to actively learn if they don’t have a lot of their own money experiences.”

 

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.

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