The old adage that money makes the world go round doesn’t always make sense to kids or many adults for that matter. Let’s face it, most people will find the concept of business studies and economics “boring” or “too tough to understand.” Is this why most school curriculums leave real-life money skills to fate and only skim the surface?
John Foster left his corporate job to launch a solution to this very real-world knowledge gap. He asked the question: why wait for grad school to learn about economics? Then other questions emerged: why make the concepts complicated when they can be explained in a simple way? Why not get kids thinking about where their favourite video games and cereal actually come from? Understand why certain products are cheap and others so expensive?
When Foster saw a gap in the Edtech market he created Middle School MBA, a business and economics learning platform for kids aged 11-17, which is unlocking advanced concepts helping kids excel in school, business, entrepreneurship.
According to the founder, “We take kids from the classroom to the boardroom, starting on day one. Our programme enables kids to show up and compete in fun, real-world business scenarios, with a competence not usually seen until after college.”
Foster believes the power of video and 3D modelling is an excellent way for students and teachers to “see” how business works. The visual learning tool shows how each segment of a supply chain is dependent on the other, the different types of capital that must be invested in each and what happens when poor business decisions are made. What can they learn from failure?
Foster says Middle School MBA’s 3D Model, LinKē , serves as the “beating heart” of the programme.
“The trick is to make these concepts accessible, without watering anything down,” says Foster. “When they can see it, they can grasp it.”
It’s so gratifying to see how eagerly students transform into little entrepreneurs, adopt business language and thinking, and take what they’ve learned everywhere they go – at home, on the playground, wherever.
John Foster, Founder and President of Middle School MBA
“Anybody can play,” he said. “We start at zero and go from there. We push them, we trick them, we’ll let them fail. And guess what? Kids love being challenged. They sense the authenticity and the respect we have for their intellects,” said Foster.
Parental feedback
“We were floored at what our kids had learned,” said Erin Franco, parent and business owner. “My twelve-year-old will randomly come up and say, ‘Mom, did you know there are several kinds of intangible capital? Here they are…'”
Middle School MBA’s 1-2-Teach approach has teachers onboard and teaching in as little as one hour, with no economics background needed.
Through video, 3D animation, and real-world simulations, Middle School MBA unlocks both teachers’ and students’ potential, setting kids on a success trajectory every single day. Why wait for grad school?
Here’s what the concept looks like:
Learn more about Middle School MBA by visiting middleschoolmba.com and how teachers can access and use the ready-made lessons: Jumpstart V2a (screencast.com). This video takes you to sample lessons.
