Adrian Keane
“We had seen plenty of public discussion, including high profile media on the real challenges kiwis have with saving, budgeting and generally making progress in their lives financially.
Personal finance is a subject that often falls between teaching areas in schools and it was clear there was a need for a book aimed specifically at high school students. We knew that making a resource that captured the key components, in an accessible way, would really help both teachers and students.
Edify was lucky enough to work with John Duston. A teacher and former accountant, John was already well on his way to creating a book that addressed this need. His vision was for every Kiwi teenager to be financially capable before leaving high school. John’s classroom experience meant he not only knew what students themselves wanted to learn, but also what they needed to understand better. And because he had also worked in accountancy, he had strong commercial and subject knowledge – he brought a compelling balance to the project.
One of the most enduring challenges in education is engaging students. Learning material which feels relevant to students’ own lives and which they find recognisable, is essential for this. Beyond working with quality authors and educators, as a publisher, we’re committed to making content that reflects the New Zealand curriculum and the experiences of our learners, that engages students, and has real potential to make a difference to learning outcomes.
Edify worked with John to edit, structure and design the book. The final result is Financial Capability – Managing your money: a learning workbook. It follows a topical approach, and covers different income types, interest, tax, mortgages, banking, budgeting and investment. It’s being used widely in New Zealand schools now, in commerce and maths classes, primarily in the first years of high school. Feedback from teachers tells us it’s helping to equip students with the skills to take their first steps in the right direction when it comes to money matters. Interestingly, it’s sparked interest with a number of adults outside the education system too.
Copyright is critical to the work we do. Educational publishers in the New Zealand market provide outstanding resources and these ensure kiwi learners don’t have to make do with books and resources designed for other curricula; that they have learning materials that speak to their specific needs. We live in a world where the ability to copy and disseminate information has never been easier and, to that extent, copyright helps send a strong message that whilst we appreciate interest in our content, accessibility has to be supported by accountability. Any profits we make creating educational resources are invested in creating more – the entire learning sector benefits from respecting copyright.”
Adrian Keane is Chief Executive at educational publisher and distributor Edify.