One of my favourite things about education is the ability to help others. I take great pride in sharing resources, best practices, or activities that engages another teacher’s class.
That is why I compiled this list of business education resources. I’ve spent a long time finding items I can implement into my lessons through research or collaborating with other educators.
The best part is that resources are infinite. As I continue to find more, I will update this list, Don’t forget to check back and see what new things you can implement in your classroom.
Business News
The Morning Brew – If you’re not familiar with The Morning Brew, you’re missing out. The Morning Brew is a daily email updating you with the newest business news in a witty and entertaining way. It is how I start my workday, and I encourage you to do the same. I have pulled so many topics of discussion for class from these emails.
Some of their other newsletters I use frequently are Retail Brew, Marketing Brew and Emerging Tech Brew. Having all of these coming into my inbox gives me a wealth of resources.
Marketing
Mimic Social – Stukent’s social media marketing simulation has been integral in my marketing and digital commerce class. My students have always been fascinated with how to market products on social media. Mimic Social allows students to not only learn this, but they also get to compete against their peers. I especially love the analysis rounds which force students to understand why certain posts did or did not perform well.
Knowledge Matters – Knowledge Matters offers simulations in a variety of high school business education topics. I haven’t used any with my students, but this comes highly recommended by many others. I am keeping it at the forefront as a potential simulator for future classes as it looks to be one of the most in-depth options available.
Great Ideas for Teaching Marketing – If you’re in need of a last-minute resource or activity for your class, this is a great site to check out. Everything is categorized and it has a large treasure chest of free resources. I have leaned on this many times when I need to make a quick sub-plan.
Entrepreneurship
Junior Achievement Company Program – This is a great resource for any teacher who is unsure of how to approach an entrepreneurship class. The Company Program outlines everything from start to finish. I found a lot of value in this resource. Bonus points if you have JA volunteers in your area who are attached to the Company Program.
Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days – Chris Guillebeau’s book has basically become the textbook for my entrepreneurship class. Since we transitioned from the corporate structure of the Company Program to a side hustle approach, my student’s businesses have skyrocketed. If you do buy this book, don’t forget to register it to receive a PDF that works alongside the book. This is another great resource for your students.
One Page Business Plan – This is great to get students thinking about the general areas of entrepreneurship. A business plan can be intimidating, but being able to summarize everything on one page with direct questions is not. I use this as a starting point when students are generating multiple ideas to see which are more feasible for them.
Lemonade Stand – There are so many games like this, but my students really engage with this one. It is super simple and requires no training. My students got really engaged in trying to balance their recipes with the weather while also competing with their peers. I usually use this game as a competition to see who can make the most money in the 30-day timeframe.
Personal Finance
Mimic Personal Finance – Another Stukent simulation that engages students through the path of a recent college graduate. Students have to make major financial decisions that can impact success both in the simulation and the classroom. I especially love fining my students for poor classroom behaviour in the simulation, and the random Life Happens moments that keep them on the edge of their seats.
NGPF – Any teacher with a personal finance course probably knows about or uses NGPF. If you don’t, I recommend this be your first stop when teaching this class. This is an indispensable resource for myself and many others. The best part is that all the resources are free to access.
EverFI – Another great free resource with pre-built lessons that really engage students. I’ve used this as an extension of the content I teach, and students really look forward to using it to reinforce learning. I really like how they have content tailored to students over a wide range of grades.
HowTheMarketWorks – My personal favourite stock market simulator. My students have developed more interest in the stock market through game-based learning. Some have taken that interest outside of the simulation and actively track some of their favourite companies on a daily basis. You can find other stock market simulations in this blog post.
Digital Resources
Canva – I use this tool in all my classes. Canva is great for creating appealing graphics for social media marketing, designing pieces for entrepreneurship, and creating resumes. I encourage you to sign up for Canva for Education if you are a teacher as it unlocks a ton of new features.
Unsplash – This is my favourite online royalty-free image site. I typically go to Unsplash for any images I use with my blog posts and send students there when creating things that require images.
Kahoot! – An excellent game-based learning resource. I encourage students to create their own to review concepts, or I create one for assessment preparation. Students always have fun with this one. If you don’t want to make your own, there is likely a pre-made one for the topic you are looking for.
Pear Deck – I love using the Pear Deck Google Slides add-on for my in-class presentations. Students find Pear Deck to be so much more engaging, and it allows me to do SEL and formative assessment checks throughout the lesson.
Business Educators Facebook Group – A professional learning network can help teachers advance to new levels. The Business Educators Facebook group has done that for me. There are tons of teachers willing to share ideas and resources. Whenever I am stuck, I typically go here and find an idea right away.
Applied Education Systems – The AES blog has a ton of great resources to help business educators in a variety of subject areas. I have found relevant content for personal finance, business management, retailing perspectives, and marketing that can be easily implemented in a classroom.
Podcasts
The EntreEd Talk Podcast – Toi and Laura do an excellent job of profiling innovative teachers focusing on entrepreneurship education, and how it can be implemented into your classroom. There is a takeaway in every lesson, and they are the perfect length for your commute.
Side Hustle School – Chris Guillebeau’s podcast has short profiles of people growing their side hustles to huge profits. I find these very inspiring for my students while also being a quick and easy listen. I typically get my students to check these out while developing ideas in entrepreneurship classes.
Entrepreneurs on Fire – John Lee Dumas is a machine at developing quality content. There is guaranteed to be something on EOF that will resonate with students. I typically get them to use this podcast as a tool to learn something new about business or entrepreneurship that they can take back into their own side hustles.
Side Hustle Show – Similar to Side Hustle School, but each episode goes more in depth in the process of side hustle development and operation. I use these as a next step approach to Side Hustle School, as it forces students to think about the various tasks they must complete when pursuing entrepreneurship. I also love listening to these during my commutes.
Freakonomics Radio – This podcast comes from Stephen J. Dubner, who is one of the co-authors of the Freakonomics books. I love getting my students to check these out to give them a different thought on popular business-related topics. These typically generate some deep conversation and debate over controversial topics, which develops deeper learning.
Planet Money – NPR does a great job of describing key pieces of the economy, and how it impacts us all. Economics can be a tough thing to teach, but this resource helps students hear topics from a different perspective.
How I Built This – Another NPR staple that focuses on the stories of some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. A lot of the companies and individuals profiled are recognizable, so students can make connections a lot easier.
ChooseFI Financial Independence Podcast – This podcast is a great listen, and can show students how to become financially independent early in life. I pair this podcast with my personal finance lessons to show students how to better spend and save their money while young to potentially set themselves up for a more independent future.