As coordinator for the gifted education program at Hopkins North Junior High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Marcia Danahy wanted to keep the school's brightest students engaged and enthusiastic about learning.
"These are students who often find themselves bored by the pace of their traditional school activities," she said. "The Stock Market Game, however, completely absorbs them."
The program's interpersonal and social aspects - competitive and cooperative - were what drew her to the program. "While it's the competition between the groups that originally gets students excited about participating, it's the interdependence among the individuals of each group that sustains their interest, gets them communicating effectively and often, and in my view leads to one of the most effective learning experiences," she said.
The seventh, eighth, and ninth graders in the gifted program became well versed in economics and investing, but they weren't the only ones. An English teacher, Ms. Danahy knew almost nothing about finance before The SMG program. The program sparked her curiosity, and each summer she attends seminars on financial concepts to learn more.
