Page 51 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Classical Studies and International Languages

FINANCIAL LITERACY IN CLASSICAL STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES
The document A Sound Investment: Financial Literacy Education in Ontario Schools, 2010 (p. 4) sets out the vision that:
Ontario students will have the skills and knowledge to take responsibility for managing their personal financial well-being with confidence, competence, and a compassionate awareness of the world around them.
There is a growing recognition that the education system has a vital role to play in preparing young people to take their place as informed, engaged, and knowledgeable citizens in the global economy. Financial literacy education can provide the preparation Ontario students need to make informed decisions and choices in a complex and fast-changing financial world.
Because making informed decisions about economic and financial matters has become an increasingly complex undertaking in the modern world, students need to build knowledge and skills in a wide variety of areas. In addition to learning about the specifics of saving, spending, borrowing, and investing, students need to develop broader skills in problem solving, inquiry, decision making, critical thinking, and critical literacy related to financial issues, so that they can analyse and manage the risks that accompany various financial choices. They also need to develop an understanding of world economic forces and the effects of those forces at the local, national, and global level. In order to make wise choices, they will need to understand how such forces affect their own and their families’ economic and financial circumstances. Finally, to become responsible citizens in the global economy, they will need to understand the social, environmental, and ethical implications of their own choices as consumers. For all of these reasons, financial literacy is an essential component of the education of Ontario students in a twenty-first century context – one that can help ensure that Ontarians will continue to prosper in the future.
In the classical studies and international languages program, students have multiple opportunities to investigate and study financial literacy concepts in relation to the texts explored in class. Students can build their understandings of personal financial planning by participating in role plays of interactions such as buying and selling goods. They can also become familiar with the variety of currencies used in regions or countries associated with the language of study. Through their study of these regions or countries, students will learn about global economic disparities and their impact on the quality of life in different countries now and in the past. Examples related to financial literacy are included in some examples and teacher prompts that accompany the expectations in the curriculum.
A resource document – The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9–12: Financial Literacy, Scope
and Sequence of Expectations – has been prepared to assist teachers in bringing financial literacy into the classroom. This document identifies the curriculum expectations and related examples and prompts, in disciplines across the Ontario curriculum, through which students can acquire skills and knowledge related to financial literacy. The document can also be used to make curriculum connections to school-wide initiatives that support financial literacy. This publication is available on the Ministry of Education’s website, at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/policy/FinLitGr9to12.pdf.
SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN CLASSICAL STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGES
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