For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them. – Aristotle
WHAT: Credit unions are committed to financial literacy and members’ well being. But traditional outreach, especially to large groups like students and SEG employees, often falls short. The answer is not a better flyer or a perkier speaker. Instead, explore with us the idea of experiential learning – learning through doing.
Filene went to the nooks and crannies of the credit union system and the wider experiential learning economy to bring you ideas and inspiration. This experiential learning colloquium will explore the foundations of the craft and help you ensure that the money you spend reaching out to members actually helps them to make better decisions.
WHEN: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
EXPERTS:
- Professor Lou Centini – Darden School of Business, University of Virginia – What are the theoretical foundations of experiential learning; what is it good for and why does it seem to be good for those things? Professor Centini offers examples of experiential learning and its application in helping make better personal finance decisions.
- Tim Vandenberg – Young Tycoons: A Better Way to Teach Math – Monopoly is more than a way to inspire young capitalists. In the right hands, it can teach math from every angle. Tim Vandenberg, an accomplished Monopoly player and 6th grade teacher, shows how he is using gamification to bring a record number of disadvantaged students past state standards and teaching them to love math along the way.
- Jason Young and Ty Moore – Revolutionizing Financial Capability through Mobile Gaming – 94% of college students text every day; 75% sleep near their phones; and 60% are “addicted” to their phones. Jason Young, the founding partner of Mindblown Labs, shows how the app revolution is making it easier and more fun than ever to learn financial life skills.
- Professor Lance Palmer - Housing and Consumer Economics, University of Georgia - Experiential learning thrives on timing, and what's more regular than tax time? Professor Palmer shows how helping credit union members during tax time can benefit the students who help, the members who learn, and the credit union that serves both.
- Life Simulation – National Credit Union Foundation – Walking in another’s shoes is a far more effective way to sensitize others to the needs of immigrants and other low-wage working families than from traditional diversity or classroom learning. We assist members every day that have difficulty managing their money or who live paycheck to paycheck, unprepared for emergencies or unexpected financial difficulties. The Life Simulation experience is designed to help credit union employees, volunteers and leaders understand what it might be like to live in a typical low-income family trying to survive from month to month. At the conclusion of the exercise (this is not a game), participants will be more aware to the daily realities of many American families – including their members.
“The great difficulty of education is to get experience out of ideas.” – George Santayana