He thought it would be a fun way for the students to learn math and it would give them the opportunity to learn about investing for their futures. Dacker was taking no chances. After he finished a loose outline complete with class goals, he walked around to different rooms in the school trying to recruit students. He believes that kids need to know how to combine their skills and knowledge in order to succeed in the world. That's what the students get all semester from Dacker.
All students bring a calculator, ruler and colored pencils to class the first day.
Dacker first uses overheads to show the class what an SSG looks like as well as to describe its function and meaning. Using the NAIC Investors Manual as a textbook, students learn the difference between authorized and outstanding stock, the three reasons a corporation would issue new stocks, three sources of revenue for a bank and how to interpret the meaning of the different lines of the SSG graph. Students often work in groups of four or five. Students have plenty of time to practice, analyze and understand each concept and calculation. Some class periods are held in the library where different groups work on different projects.