UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 22, Page 6
March 5, 1992
Starting early; National program makes economy relevant issue

     "Choices and Changes," a national program created by the Joint
Council on Economic Education, is changing the choices young
students make about their futures.
     According to Bonnie Meszaros, associate director of the
University's Center for Economic Education, the program teaches
youngsters that they can be active participants in the nation's
economy and that their own decision making has a direct impact on
their futures and careers.
     Currently a pilot program in Delaware involving 18 teachers in
the Brandywine and Christina school districts, "Choices and
Changes" has been shown to be effective for all children, but
especially for disadvantaged or at-risk children who have not been
given guidance about the "how-to's" and options in pursuing future
goals and careers. It also has been shown to be more successful
when begun in the lower grades, Meszaros said.
     In the first stage, young children learn about different jobs
and careers and the importance of acquiring skills to perform
tasks. They become familiar with such terms as human capital (their
own skills and knowledge) and physical capital (the tools and
materials needed to perform tasks).
     In the next phase of the program, for grades 4 to 6, students
create, manufacture and market products from available materials
and through hands-on experience, learn about economics. \
     Older students learn that present decisions eventually have
consequences on their economic future, and that sharpening skills
and acquiring an education is important to them personally.
     They learn to analyze decisions in terms of the present and
the future. For instance, dropping out of school and getting a job
may be profitable now, but, in the long run, a lack of diploma and
skills may prevent them from getting better jobs.
     Older students study the job market and interview employers to
get a feeling of the specific skills and knowledge they will need
to compete in the job market.
     Fourth grade teacher Ronni Cohen in Wilmington's Burnett
Elementary School is an enthusiastic booster of "Choices and
Changes." After attending a workshop in Louisville, Ky., with three
other Delaware teachers, she incorporated the program into her
classroom curriculum and found it to be effective both when
teaching at-risk students a few years ago and in teaching her
current gifted class.
     "It's a highly successful program, promoting higher-level
thinking, open-ended questions and cooperative learning. It makes
students more aware of what's going on outside the classroom," she
said. "The teacher's manual from the Joint Council on Economic
Education is easy to use, and we have received a lot of support
from the University's Center for Economic Education."
     When describing her experiences with "Choices and Changes" in
teaching at-risk children in Trade Secrets, a College of Education
publication, Cohen wrote that the program was "precisely what my
children needed....They seem to understand how very important it is
to practice the decision-making and problem-solving skills of the
program....When at-risk students find something they like about
school, I think they have made that first step necessary to break
through their sense of failure, to make the personal choice to
succeed and to change their behavior. That is what `Choices and
Changes' offers."
     In one exercise, the children were asked to make a snowman,
duplicating a design by using only construction paper and their
hands to tear the paper.
     When they found this difficult, Cohen led a discussion on what
skills and what tools, such as pencils, scissors, pattern and glue,
would make the task easier, highlighting the terms "human capital"
and "physical capital."
     Cohen's gifted class created a product called Ho Ho Hot Cocoa
in December. The students had to bring equipment, such as measuring
cups, to class and accurately mix ingredients (cocoa, sugar,
marshmallows and some secret additions) and then package and sell
their product. Cohen originally bankrolled the product, but the
class had to pay her back from sales.
     Their new project is making marbleized flower pots. Each
student became a shareholder in the flower pot company after the
class held a flea market to increase their investment capital.
     The students are now manufacturing their product: putting a
base coat of paint on the clay pots, then sponging on another color
and feathering the pots to resemble marble.
     "'Choices and Changes' promotes hands-on learning and decision
making.
     The youngsters have to decide on a product, determine
marketing strategies, and learn about such economic concepts as
profit and loss, supply and demand, reinvestment and how a company
is structured.
     'Choices and Changes' incorporates other skills, such as math
and reading, and teaches responsibility," Cohen said.
     "Choices and Changes" is relevant to students' lives, which is
why it is successful, Meszaros said, In some cases, she said, the
program can turn students around and motivate them to invest in
themselves and in their education.
                                        - Sue Swyers Moncure