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Changemakers in Financial Education

STEM Education for Sustainable Futures

The challenge

Developing financially capable (financially literate/financially numerate) young people is a critically important aspect of the school curriculum and teachers’ work.

Yet while teachers believe that financial education is important, research shows that they do not have the knowledge and confidence they need to flourish as financial educators.

This is why a growing body of international research evidence argues that efforts to strengthen financial education at school must target teachers and their teaching.

Project overview

The Changemakers in Financial Education project is a partnership between Deakin University and the South Australian Department for Education that supports teachers to develop as financial educators through unique and innovative professional learning.

The project centres on the design, delivery and evaluation of the Changemakers in Financial Education course. This short course is offered through Deakin University’s Professional Learning Education Hub (PLEdHub@Deakin) and aims to prepare teachers of Years 5 to 10 to connect the school curriculum with young people’s current and future financial worlds.

Thirty teachers from 24 South Australian public schools completed an 18-week pilot course in 2024.

About the course

Download the course brochure:

Complete this form to express your interest in completing the course in 2025.

Course outcomes

Educational design research methodology and methods were applied to study the effectiveness of the course in meeting the specified professional learning intentions or outcomes. Surveys and interviews produced high-quality insights into the project’s reach, impact and outcomes.

We found that the course design generated growth in teachers’ professional values and their knowledge and practice for teaching about finance, together with a marked increase in confidence to teach about a range of finance-related contexts.

At the end of the course, teachers reported feeling better equipped to continue to strengthen financial education in their classrooms and schools for years to come.