In the decade that high school business teacher Ilene Alten of Levittown, New York, has taught principles of economics with The SMG program, her Division Avenue High School students have claimed 6 regional SMG championships and 3 state championships.
She makes The SMG program the centerpiece of her popular business marketing classes, exploring the intricacies of economics and the markets in depth.
"There is absolutely nothing that can match learning through experience," Ms. Alten said. "I could stand up there for a semester and try to teach my students everything about aspects of the market, and they would probably grasp the concepts. But when they debate, strategize, and then act is when they get a definitive sense of applying theory to the real world."
According to Ms. Alten, many teachers and parents see what students are learning and ask to play along.
