As part of financial literacy month, the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise
and Economic Education (Stavros Center) at the USF College of Education and have partnered to encourage students in Tampa Bay to learn about managing money by
playing the financial literacy game, . Teachers from local area schools attended workshops at the Stavros Center in preparation
for bringing the Give-Get challenge to their classrooms.
In April, approximately 1,000 students from fourth to twelfth grade played the game,
competing against fellow students and classes.
"The response to the Give-Get game has been overwhelming. We had over 7,000 games
played through this challenge in the month of April," said Peter Trakas, director
of the Stavros Center. 鈥淕aming is an innovative way to encourage learning. The Stavros
Center strives to empower teachers with tools like Give-Get that engage students and
teach financial literacy.鈥�
Give-Get game story
The inspiration for the development of Give-Get came from a teacher and an experienced
financial planners, Jill and Kevin Ruth, who saw a need for kids to practice making
decisions about finances at an earlier age. They quickly learned the key to the engagement
with the game was that kids love to compete and hate to lose. 鈥淢ake it fun. Make it
competitive. Make it a game,鈥� said Jill Ruth.
Workshop-to-classroom learning
At a workshop in the Stavros Center, teachers were provided curriculum aids on common
financial literacy concepts such as budgeting, saving, investing, speculating and
borrowing. Then, teachers were provided with an account to have their students鈥� participate
in the Give-Get challenge.
Teachers returned to their classrooms and encouraged their students to watch the five 鈥淢oney Musts鈥� videos to learn how to grow their net worth from the starting point of $20. The students gave money to get money to grow their net worth and move around the board. Players practicing good money behaviors such as saving and avoiding speculation led to building a net worth of $100 which wins the game.
Students played the game against other students and the artificial intelligence (AI)
bot in the classroom as well as against their siblings and parents at home. The top
student in each class received a financial literacy book. The Give-Get leader boards
for each school determined the winners of the game. Raymond James provided prizes
for classroom winners and financial support to participating teachers to attend the
workshops at the Stavros Center.
鈥淕iving back to the communities in which we live and work is an integral part of our
culture at Raymond James,鈥� said Andrea Masterson, vice president of corporate responsibility.
鈥淧rograms and organizations that drive the importance of financial literacy among
students align seamlessly with our mission and vision as a financial services firm
committed to making a difference.鈥�
Student engagement
In high school, students earn money and it is an important time to learn how to spend
their income wisely on Give-Get. "It provides an introduction to money management.
My students have part-time jobs and are starting to learn to budget. Give-Get allows
them to practice responsible money practices to apply to their finances," said Angelique
Diaz, Strawberry Crest High School teacher.
Give-Get is popular with elementary students too. 鈥淕ive-Get is the most engaging game
my students have ever played! It is invaluable because it provides a fun, risk-free
and highly interactive way to learn financial literacy skills. It helps build a solid
foundation for future financial security in our youth,鈥� said Lisa Lawson, Claywell
Elementary School teacher.
Jaxson Comito, an elementary student, is a stand-out in the Give-Get challenge sponsored by Raymond James. He has won 148 games and lost 27 games while competing with middle and high school students. He is ranked 14th overall out of the 1,000 participants (estimated).
Due to the success of this program, the Stavros Center looks forward to hosting future
Give-Get challenges.
鈥淔or over forty years the Stavros Center at the USF College of Education has been
providing teachers with innovative teaching approaches to share financial literacy
with students. We are grateful for the support of the Give-Get challenge by Raymond
James, game developers Jill and Kevin Ruth and students and teachers from our partner
school districts,鈥� said Trakas.