Using Budgeting to Teach Real Living Skills in a 7th Grade Life Skills Classroom by Kimberly S Miller A MASTER S PROJECT For ED 7999 Submitted to the Office for Graduate Studies Graduate Division of Wayne State University Detroit MI In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of MASTERS OF ARTS IN TEACHING FALL 2005 MAJOR Social Studies Education Approved by Bob Pettapiece Date ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT Introduction The Situation The Need Significance of the Study Population Summary 1 1 2 3 3 3 CHAPTER TWO REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Introduction Theoretical Bases Problem 1 Languishing with Lectures Problem 2 Tedious Texts Problem 3 Inactive Imaginations Solutions Summary 5 5 6 6 8 9 9 CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY Introduction Hypotheses Sample Population Methodology Data Collection Summary 10 10 10 11 11 13 CHAPTER FOUR PROJECT FINDINGS Introduction Hypothesis I Table 1 Hypothesis II Table 2 Summary 14 15 15 16 16 17 CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS AND PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS Introduction Conclusions Recommendations Personal Observations 18 18 19 19 iii Summary 20 REFERENCES APPENDIX A APPENDIX B 21 24 28 iv Chapter One Introduction to the Project Introduction Middle school students benefit when given the opportunity to experience their learning in a hands on environment In this age of instant gratification students become bored easily unless one can grab their attention This project will examine whether or not using a hands on approach in teaching a budgeting unit would stimulate students learning more than using the textbook to teach the same concepts The Situation Middle school students are in a state of flux Everything about their experience is constantly changing It is a time of great academic and social exploration Students should be given a chance to come into contact with as many new and different learning experiences as possible This time of transition also holds true for their way of learning Throughout elementary school the teacher took center stage in assisting the young child in her learning thus rendering the student dependent As they enter the middle school setting most students still fit the mode of dependent learner The middle school experience should give students the opportunity to move from dependence upon their teacher academically to a state of independence The traditional methods of conveying information to students via the use of lectures and worksheets that are often employed at the middle and senior high school levels needs to be 1 reevaluated Finding a way to connect the curriculum to the middle school student in a deep and meaningful way becomes of paramount importance Many learning experiences in elementary school though teacher directed were constructivist in nature allowing the student to be an active learner Oftentimes once a student reaches the middle school setting hands on active learning gives way to lectures and worksheets Continuing the tradition of utilizing hands on experiences within the middle school setting is a wonderful way to foster that learning According to McCombs 2001 p 187 The learning of complex subject matter is most effective when it is an intentional process of constructing meaning from information and experience Using active hands on experiential learning opportunities will encourage students to develop critical thinking skills that they will use throughout their lifetimes It is important that middle school students be given ample opportunity to experience hands on learning In their work as counselors Stroh Sink 2002 are of the opinion that students should be involved in a learner centered environment They should be given ample opportunities for hands on learning so that they can construct their own knowledge This ability to construct one s own knowledge builds the framework for continued investigation and learning on the student s part The Need The need for a more constructivist approach to teaching students at the middle school level exists Sadly most students are only accustomed to the routine of copying down information 2 and then repeating it back to the teacher at a later time either through discussion or by means of a test This type of activity does not promote understanding Students are often unable to take what they have been taught and put that information to work The common understanding among students is that they simply need to do enough to get by so that they can pass the test Most students need more hands on learning opportunities so that they will get more out of their educational experience More critical thinking skills should also be encouraged Salmi 2005 According to Jonassen 1994 the constructivist classroom encourages students to collaborate with one another to construct knowledge As they work through the process they learn to assimilate and accommodate relating these elements to their own experiences thereby creating new knowledge for themselves By making learning interesting and enjoyable more hands on or constructivist students feel more of a connection with the information being taught and retain more of the knowledge learned This leads to a better knowledge base on the part of the learner and the ability to learn more and retain more knowledge and skills in the future Significance of the Study The significance of this study is that it will support the idea that students learn best when they are allowed to learn in a hands on constructivist environment It will remind teachers that encouraging students to create their own learning through this active learning environment will serve them far better in the long run and will equip them with the necessary skills to excel in their 3 future education Population This study was conducted using students from four seventh grade Life Skills classes Three of the classes are forty eight minutes in length and meet five days a week The other class runs one hour in length and meets four days a week The sample population consists of ninetythree students forty two boys and fifty one girls Summary Lessons prepared by teachers in junior high school classrooms are often based on a textbook that holds little appeal to the average student Teachers need to think beyond the book and use liberal amounts of hands on constructivist active learning based curriculum instruction in an effort to engage learners Students who have an interest in the material learn better and retain more of their knowledge than