Many personal finance teachers don’t feel confident teaching the subject. There are often hurdles to participating in effective professional development including distance, dollars and relevance. The good news is that there are innovative organizations creating solutions to this problem. I spoke with leaders at one of these innovative companies, Digital Promise, about their micro-credentialing platform, which is designed to build finance educator competencies. Thanks to Odelia Younge and Jennifer Kabaker for discussing their micro-credential program and how educators can benefit from this new approach to professional development. Enjoy!

Details:

• 0:00~1:06 – Introduction
• 1:06~2:40 – Jennifer and Odelia’s roles at Digital Promise
• 2:40~6:37 – Success of digital tools int he classroom
• 6:37~8:57 – Research behind micro-credentialing
• 8:57~9:56 – Partnerships developed for micro-credentialing
• 9:56~11:49 – Alignment with continuing ed requirements
• 11:49~13:33 – Personal finance micro-credentialing specifics
• 13:33~14:31 – Cost of micro-credentials
• 14:31~18:40 – Example of a micro-credential
• 18:40~18:58 – A word from our sponsor, Next Gen Personal Finance
• 18:58~20:04 –  Marketing the program to teachers
• 20:04~20:55 – Teacher recognition
• 20:55~23:26 – Using phones
• 23:26~26:09 – Discussing risk and return
• 26:09~27:25 – Popularity of the program
• 27:25~28:05 – Gaps in current micro-credentials
• 28:05~29:53 – Why teachers should participate in the micro-credentialing movement
• 29:53~30:40 – Conclusion

Resources:

• Digital Promise website

• “Micro-credentials give educators a tool to understand explicitly what they can do in their classroom to improve student learning”

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.