Angela Ruggieri's Portfolio Page

Navigation links: ETAP 623 Fall 2024

About Me

My name is Angela Ruggieri and a current student in the CDIT graduate program at University of Albany. I am a graduate of Herkimer College and the State University of New York at Oneonta. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Adolescent Education, with a specialization in science. I currently live in upstate New York, where I am an academic instructor at a vocational school. I adore creatures of all kinds, rocks, the ocean, traveling, roadside oddities, writing, a good urban legend, theme parks, and can play various instruments.

My Topic and Purpose

My mini-course will be about integrating financial literacy with math. There is no context where it’s not important to teach students in school (or even out of school) about personal finance. In the school where I teach, we have to prepare students to live independently, specialize in jobs they will excel at in order to support themselves out of school, and to break cycles of generational trauma and poverty. It is essential to teach young people skills to make responsible decisions and provide for themselves and others. Combining these invaluable lessons with math, will create meaningful lessons while sharpening mathematical skills.

Scope of Learning Outcomes and Content

Some knowledge and skills that students will develop in this mini-course will include the basics of financial literacy and how to develop positive money management mindsets. Students will get introduced to how to use debit cards, credit cards, how to build credit, how to write checks, how to balance a checkbook, budgeting, how to figure out sales tax with mathematical operations, what loans are, how to calculate interest, along with doing some labor market research. This research will give students a realistic idea about the careers and trades they are interested in and how this will pay in their area. This course is intended to aid a wide array of learners: students more than likely above the age of 15, looking to go to college, seeking to enter the workforce, and those who desire to learn more about finance.

Needs Assessment

The educational opportunity:

There is a lack of financial literacy coursework offered in the basic K-12 curriculum in most of the United States. With many students electing to go to college, enter the workforce, and living independently after graduation (or other alternate educational routes) there needs to be a standard course on the basics of how to financially support oneself- and others, when needed. This course will be especially useful for students with lack of background knowledge surrounding finance and those that wish to apply math skills to real-world concepts.

The learners/participants:

Students wanting to learn more about personal finance. Overall, aimed at a variety of learners (but the prerequisite is to have knowledge of mathematical operations at least at a middle school level). This course would be most beneficial to: high school students who are approaching graduation and looking into colleges, students about to enter the workforce, young adults looking to fill gaps of knowledge on the topic, any participant desiring to learn more about the topic.

Analysis of gaps:

Upon graduation from school, how many students know the impact of debt? What about the future impacts of the student loans they are about to take out to go to their dream school? How does one get approved for a mortgage? How to financially prepare to live independently? We need to create a financially independent younger generation, eventually improving the economy as a whole. This mini-course will help teach foundational skills about budgeting and setting financial goals, how to be a wise consumer in an economy where inflation is the norm, and empower learners to motivate them, helping them build a better future.

Exiting efforts:

There are existing efforts in place to address this gap. Most states in the US require financial literacy to be incorporated into some aspect of the curriculum, with only half of the states requiring a course in order to graduate from high school.

Intent statement:

This mini-course will help address gaps in learner knowledge, better equipping learners in the discourse of personal finance. Using mathematical skills learned in the course, learners will apply these skills in a real-world context. Learners will be empowered, feel hopeful about building a better financial future, and set realistic goals for their careers moving forward.

Analysis of the Learner and Context

Who are the learners?

This course is made for anyone looking to learn a bit more about personal finance, financial literacy, and money management (from a mathematical perspective). Aimed for students (ages 14 through young adulthood, preferably) and young adults. Whether they are looking to enter the workforce, desiring to learn how to save money and budget, or are looking to learn about student loans and interest. There will be meaningful results for all.

Prior personal/cultural experiences, knowledge and skills or interest they have?

This course will be most helpful for students with a deficit in financial literacy. Those with an interest in improving money management skills and looking to prepare for the future/independent living should take this course.

In what settings will they use this mini-course to learn?

Instruction in how to carry out the course curriculum will occur through the KNILT course found on Wikipedia, and can be implemented in either an online math course, or an in-person math or financial literacy class. Learning for students occurs via the Google Classroom Link, where learning can be asynchronous online.

How much time will they spend?

It’s anticipated that this mini-course will take learners about 1-2 weeks to complete, as each topic would likely take a few hours. The Google Classroom curriculum can be completed in any order, as all topics and lessons are available so learners can select where to begin, but the order of the lessons IS important as each lesson builds on the prior with increasing difficulty and some lessons require collaborative groups to be created.

What resources will they need?

For both in-person and online learning, students will need pencils, papers, and a calculator for calculations. Also, a laptop with an internet connection for discussions and research. For in-person learning, some other mini-course activity materials include- and are not limited to: a checkbook, physical fake checks, etc. More information is given in the course units regarding specific activities.

Performance-Based Objectives

After completing this mini-course, learners will be able to:

Understand basic definitions of financial terms, the importance of money management, and how this mini-course is applicable in their everyday lives.
Perform mathematical calculations to figure out sales tax, interest, loan-rates, savings, how to invest, and how to keep track of expenses versus income.
Apply their learning for the future: searching for careers, gaining insight into later-in-life expenses, and growing confidence in ability to secure a stable retirement.
Collaborate with other learners in discussions, research, and creating a budget for their groups within the mini-course.
Assess what they have learned about financial literacy, how it integrates into what they already know, and evaluate the mini-course to provide feedback with topics they want to go further in depth with.

Task Analysis

Before taking this course, the learner should know:

Foundational math calculations and operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponents).
Basic ideas on what the importance of finance is (Example: the idea of saving money/having a lot of it is a good thing versus being in debt as a bad thing). This is the motivation behind the course.
Basic knowledge on how to operate a computer/tablet/phone in order to do research, take notes, and participate in online discussions

Curriculum

Integrating Financial Literacy With Math: Frontpage of a Mini-Course (by Angela Ruggieri)

Click here for the Google Classroom.

Google Classroom Code: etnwrxd

Unit 1

What Is Money and Why Do We Need It?

After this unit, the learner will be able to:

Have a firm understanding and self-awareness of what money and personal finance means for them.
Understand how to create a realistic budget, calculate expenses, and internalize how to save money and avoid debt.
How to prioritize expenses.

Unit 2

Debit, Credit, Checks, Oh My! How Do We Pay?

After this unit, the learner will be able to:

Understand the different forms of payment (Example: debit cards- paying with money you DO have in a checking account versus credit cards as borrowing money that you have to pay back), how and when to write a check, and the rise of other electronic forms of payment (Cashapp, Venmo, etc).
Understand how to build and maintain good credit and the effects of having a good credit history, as opposed to bad credit.
How to balance a checkbook and what it means for budgeting.
Understand sales tax and how to calculate it.

Unit 3

Interest- the Good and the Bad.

After this unit, the learner will be able to:

Understand the concept of interest.
Be able to calculate interest on loans, as well as interest accrued on money saved.
Make informed decisions- taking interest into account- when making large purchases where loans must be utilized.

Unit 4

Labor Market Research. What Kind Of Life and Career Would You Like To Pursue?

After this unit, the learner will be able to:

How to perform research to find where their career of interest pays well versus the cost of living, keeping in mind “expenses vs income” from Units 1 and 2.
Be able to calculate income taxes, helping make informed lifestyle decisions such as where to live, what kind of home to purchase, and other later-in-life expenses.
Use mathematical skills to create a projection of savings and retirement, to give a realistic image of the future given their desired career/life path at the time of this mini-course.

Curriculum Map

**Replace this photo with your map image**

References and Resources

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (2023, October 19). How are prepaid cards, debit cards, and credit cards different? https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-are-prepaid-cards-debit-cards-and-credit-cards-different-en-433/
Equifax (n.d) What are the Different Ranges in Credit Scores?. https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/articles/-/learn/credit-score-ranges/
Marquand, B. (2024, November 20). 15 Tips for First-Time Home Buyers. NerdWallet. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/mortgages/tips-for-first-time-home-buyers
NerdWallet. (2022, August 26). Roth IRA vs 401(K): The Best Investment For You | NerdWallet. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GS4WMN4PlA
O’Shea, A. (2024, March 29). 6 types of investments to know about. NerdWallet. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/types-of-investments
Parys, S. (2024, October 22). 2024 and 2025 Tax Brackets and Federal Income Tax Rates. NerdWallet. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/federal-income-tax-brackets
PennLive.com. (2015, April 22). How to write a check [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukcSDS6PGms
Roxanne Tovar. (2020, May 12). Balancing a Checkbook [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjfQD2cuX94
Tax Jar| A Stripe Company. (2021, June 17) The Basics of Sales Tax in the U.S. [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87gNa9Uxbts
Two Cents. (2019, April 29) Budgeting Basics! [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVKQn2I4HDM.
Wall Street Survivor. (2013, April 29) Interest Rates | by Wall Street Survivor [Video]. Youtube. Tax Jar| A Stripe Company. (2021, June 17) The Basics of Sales Tax in the U.S. [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87gNa9Uxbts
Wells, L. (2023, November 23). 10 Types Of Savings Accounts. Bankrate. https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/types-of-savings-accounts/#ira
123test team. (2024, May 17) Career test- Fast Free Career Aptitude Test. https://www.123test.com/career-test/