Teach the Budget

Teach the Budget--A Discussion our Students Deserve to Have with Us

UC-AFT is collaborating with the graduate student union, UAW 2865, on a four-week campaign to ‘Teach the Budget’ in as many UC classes as possible leading up to the National Day of Action for Education on March 1.  To facilitate your participation in this campaign, we have developed a suite of materials and resources that you can choose from based on your class topic, your particular interest, and the time you have available.  We are also training class presenters who can come to your class to lead the discussion if you would prefer that option.  Follow this link to let us know that you'll give a presentation, or to arrange for a presenter to come to your class:   

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VWCHRS3

UC-AFT is asking lecturers to use their professional talents to engage their students in a conversation about the budget, tuition and student loan debt, state and UC priorities, access to higher education, and what we can all do to change the current trend to the high fee/high aid model.  Graduate students at UCSC developed this up-to-date curriculum which is thoroughly footnoted with references for all the facts and figures, so we don't have to be experts on budgets to lead a meaningful discussion with our students.

Please click through the resources below and begin to think about how you might present 'Teach the Budget' in your classes.

For more helpful information, please check the content below and visit the original teach the budget website:  www.teachthebudget.com 

A TtB Grammar Exercise for ESL and Foreign Language Teachers

This quick grammar excercise using TtB information can be used or adapted by ESL and foreign langauge instructors without taking time away from your usual class routine.   (Click here for a downloadable .doc)

Some Helpful Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching the Budget

Here are some helpful tips on how to initiate the Teach the Budget (TtB) conversation, and to share some examples of ways that instructors are making connections to TtB in their courses.

Introducing TtB to Your Course

Teach the Budget in 5-10 minutes

Many instructors will have only 5-10 minutes to devote to this material, so we have created a few short versions of the curriculum that are designed to be presented in this time frame.  Each of the short versions includes a very brief introduction to locate the discussion within the larger curriculum, and a conclusion focused on what students can do with the information.

 Teach the Budget in 5-10 minutes

Teaching the Budget a Good Idea for Every UC Instructor

It is difficult, if not impossible, to separate instruction in particular disciplines or fields from the need to educate students broadly about the context for their learning experience. Students are often so preoccupied with the increasing difficulty of getting into required courses and other issues that result from State, UC, and campus decisions, that their ability to focus on actual course material may suffer. Although the subject matter of many courses at UC does not seem particularly related to these broader educational concerns, there is every reason for all instructors to spend some, limited time explaining to their students what is happening with instructional funding at UC.

Student Loan Debt Cartoon

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