So what's involved?

The primary program enables students to create a community with its own:

• Currency
• Mini businesses
• Market
• Governance system

Students begin the program by observing people, goods and services in their local shopping centre. They gather ideas to incorporate into their own enterprises and market days. In a meaningful context they acquire new vocabulary to describe their experiences and knowledge.

Participating in “The Sandwich Shop” simulation, students will discover why a simple sandwich with ingredients costing 32 cents needs to sell at a greater amount to achieve a profit. Role playing the part of customer, students will learn that they can choose when, where and what to buy or, when acting as shop owner, that they have to control costs and meet customer demands to succeed in a competitive market.

Students construct a school economy by developing their own economic activity. The program engages students in a variety of experiences and responsibilities.

Students set up businesses and assume the roles of employers and employees, bankers, legislators, administrators and such other positions of responsibility as are necessary to run their mini community. They develop systems to support their economic activity, exchange ideas, products and services, and keep records of their results. Within this economic activity, students create opportunities for themselves and each other. They identify rules by which their economy operates and change them if they do not achieve the desired results. To do this they establish a representative school parliament.

This approach requires students to apply a wide range of skills, gives them opportunities to explore their own attitudes and values and to become more aware of their own qualities.

Working in teams

Students are encouraged to work in teams giving them opportunities to work in a variety of roles including those of leadership. Teams and their members are challenged with managing their time, their resources and accepting responsibility for their actions.

Real world experience

The program encourages students to use real world terms to describe their activity. For many students, it will make school work relevant. With practice, students will be able to apply their experience to other issues outside the classroom.

Personal Development

When students identify and decide which roles to take and then carry these out in practice, they will develop a range or personal skills and qualities which for them might be new and unique.

Students will begin to identify areas they excel at, and others that might need further development, students will broaden their scope for learning achievement. Students are also encouraged to develop a sense of self and community responsibility, a work ethic, and a sense of personal worth and respect for others.

The teacher as a mentor/facilitator

The process that students adopt at the beginning may not always lead to the best outcome. Reviewing the choices made, however, is an important component of the learning. While it is often tempting to predict the outcomes of potentially bad decisions for students, letting them learn from their mistakes leads students to better decision making next time. The program is about encouraging calculated risk taking within the safety of the school.

Allowing students to muddle through the problem by themselves or in groups allows them to construct knowledge from their experience. This approach is an exciting way to learn. It is highly motivating for students and it’s a gratifying experience for parents and teachers to see the change in students.

The parents as a mentor/facilitator

Learning is a whole life experience not just confined to the classroom. Parents play a vital role in passing on life’s skills to their children. Your experience at home or at work, many that you probably take for granted, shopping, banking, handling money are essential skills that your child needs to acquire to exist comfortably in the world we live in. By taking an involved role in the program at home and perhaps at school, working in conjunction with the teacher or other parents, you can make an invaluable contribution to children’s learning.

Curriculum delivery

The program has been designed to assist schools in determining the delivery structure which is best suited to their demands and the differing learning needs of their students.

Whether you are looking for a program that includes the whole school right from the start or one that is introduced gradually across the school over time, the choice of program can be made easily with the help of your ABW Regional Manager.