Page 76 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: Health and Physical Education, 2015 - revised

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Health and Physical Education
FINANCIAL LITERACY IN HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
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 – one that can help ensure that Ontarians will continue to prosper in the future.
Health and physical education is linked to financial literacy education in a number of ways. In the Healthy Active Living Education courses, the Healthy Living expectations provide opportunities for the exploration of financial issues in connection with a variety of health topics, such as considering how affordability can impact healthy eating choices and examining the economic costs associated with substance use. In making decisions related to achieving their personal fitness goals, students consider financial factors such as the affordability of different physical activity options. They may also have opportunities to examine how physical activity and sports affect and are affected by the economy, develop consumer awareness as they consider choices that affect their health and well-being, and consider cost-effective ways to disseminate health promotion messages to specific target audiences. The exploration of such issues also involves the application of the personal,
interpersonal, and critical and creative thinking skills developed in the living skills component of the program. The understanding of their own identity and the personal relationship skills and thinking skills that students develop in the program will contribute to making sound and informed financial decisions throughout their lives.
A resource document – The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9–12: Financial Literacy Scope and Sequence of Expectations, 2011 – 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
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