Annually, with support from Scott & Stringfellow, Inc, VCEE awards one or two teachers who use the Stock Market Game with their students a scholarship to attend the Summer NYSE Euronext Teachers' Workshop. This week long program is held in New York City.

Below are the reasons Michele Adkins, a former scholarship winner, provided for using the SMG with her students.  Ms. Adkins is a business teacher at Battlefield High School in Prince William County. 

Students are engaged in the real world.  I have observed passive learners transform into active learners simply by immersing them in the news of the day and how their portfolios are being affected.

Empower students. Students are empowered by utilizing math skills they were certain they would never actually use in life. Mastery of the math in relation to calculating "what if I had invested in that back then" solidifies the importance of math skills in daily life and the importance of financial planning. Most importantly, however, students realize they can be successful in a challenging course (Finance) and I believe proving that to oneself will make the student more confident in his/her ability to succeed anywhere.

Create a dynamic classroom. Teaching using the Stock Market Game and related lessons creates a fun classroom for both the teacher and the students.

Engage higher order thinking skills. The Stock Market Games helps students that may have difficulty understanding basic economic concepts. By utilizing the daily newspaper in conjunction with the Stock Market Game, students will begin to see the market forces at work. Example: I showed the students an article in the morning paper about Johnson & Johnson baby products. The article cited a study that found that the perfumes in the products could be harmful to children. I asked them to make short-term and long-term predictions on the stock price, trading volume and corporate reaction. I was amazed at the quality of the answers from my students.

Cross-curricular activities increase literacy skills. Voluminous research supports this idea. Students respond to the competitive nature of the game and will seek out information to improve their portfolio. They may be trying to have the top performing portfolio but they are researching, reading, comprehending, and acting on information. The result is the student improves his/her literacy skills because it was in his/her best interest to do so. (Behavioral economics in action!)