Financial literacy

We’re heading into tax time here in Australia, and that means you’ll be thinking about what to include in your return. This article shares examples of common expenses incurred by teachers and education professionals that you can claim for, and some of the things that aren’t tax deductible.

In today’s podcast, we’re joined by Dr Carly Sawatzki from Deakin University to discuss the state of financial education across Australia. She also shares how opportunities for teaching about finance are framed within the Australian Curriculum and provides examples of other educators teaching financial education exceptionally well.

Dr Carly Sawatzki and Dr Jill Brown from Deakin University discuss findings from their Economics + Maths = Financial Capability Research Report, what they learned from young people and professional educators during the research, and what they want to see happen next.

Over the last 12 months, schools have started to move back to in-person learning after a number of lengthy lockdowns. As teachers and school leaders in Australia begin to prepare their 2021-22 tax returns, check out this Q&A with the ATO on what to keep in mind, and examples of what you can and can’t claim for.

With plenty of ‘get rich quick’ hype circulating around social media, and well-marketed trading apps luring people in to investing, it’s important to understand cryptocurrency. In this context, schools and teachers have an important role to play. Here, Dr Carly Sawatzki, Dr Jill Brown and Peter Saffin explore how teachers can understand students’ learning needs in this area.

An Australian survey has found that the vast majority of teachers value financial education, but only 52 per cent had taught it at school, and only 21 per cent in the last year. Find out more about their responses and the finance-related topics that students of different ages would like to learn about in today's infographic.

Financial technology developments such as cashless transactions and in-game purchases, and risks such as scam emails and texts warrant teaching about. Carly Sawatzki, Jill Brown and Peter Saffin ask: ‘In what ways are your students financially active, and how is your school preparing them for informed financial participation?’

Several states have banned financial institutions from delivering banking and branded education programs in schools, paving the way for school-led programs free from commercial interests. In today’s reader submission Carly Sawatzki, Jill Brown, and Peter Saffin outline some guiding criteria to help schools consider ways to strengthen their financial education programs.

Over the last 12 months, schools have continued to switch in and out of remote learning in response to COVID-19, with educators working from home. As teachers and school leaders in Australia begin to prepare their 2020-21 tax returns, check out this Q&A with the ATO on what to keep in mind, and examples of what you can and can’t claim for.

In her new Teacher column, Dr Sue Thomson examines the importance of financial knowledge and skills in addressing socioeconomic disadvantage during the current global economic downturn.