This learning activity is designed to help learners understand options for saving for a child's post-secondary education beyond just an RESP. It compares saving in an RESP vs saving in a TFSA and using some funds to purchase a rental property. Learners will watch videos about RESPs and real estate investing, then create Excel spreadsheets to track projected returns from each option. They will analyze and discuss their findings, and identify other potential investment strategies. The activity is intended for online synchronous groups and aims to provide hands-on experience comparing long-term savings options.

1. A LEARNING ACTIVITY DESIGN PLAN:
EXAMINING TWO OPTIONS TO SAVE
FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY
EDUCATION
INGRID BECKFORD-CLAYTON
YORKVILLE UNIVERSITY

2. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
The
Objectives of
the Learning
Activity
To help learners understand that an RESP is not the only
option to save for a child's post secondary education.
To educate learners as to how an RESP works and what
would happen if financial situation forces them to
withdraw from the savings plan.
To help learners understand that foregoing the 20%
contribution that the government makes in an RESP and
saving outside an RESP could be more beneficial.
To help learners to create and manipulate a spread sheet
that they could use in the future to compare, and
determine investments returns.

3. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Theory of
knowledge/
learning/
pedagogy
underpinning
the design
Behaviourist Theory
- Mostly finite nature of knowledge
- Goals prescribed
- Learning by imitation, acquisition,
reproduction, Activist/Contruanctdiv misot dTehlelionrgy
- Goals determined by tasks
- External Stimulus required (task/problem)
- Learning by collaborating, interacting, co-creating
Pedagogical Approach
-Teacher and Students Centred
- Distributive/Collaborative Learning Approach
- Learner may depend on team and facilitator
Learning Approach
- Presentation/ Task driven
- Individual and cooperative learning
- Opportunities/affordance for learning
- deductive /emergent thinking

4. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Backgrou
nd
informati
on
learning
setting
and
learners
This Online Activity is designed for a group of
fellow Church members who are interesting in
learning about different investment strategies.
Although it’s an online
learning activity, learners
will complete sessions in
synchronous groups.
Meeting rooms and Wifi at
Church allows members to
bring their laptops and
work together.
Learners should have a basic understanding of
Simple Interest, Compound Interest, Annuities,
Mortgages, and an RESP.
The age of the target learners is 20 - 35 years,
but members of age 18 and 19 who have
completed grade 12 mathematics at the
college/university level are welcome.
Learners should have a basic understanding of
arithmetic, using a Computer, Microsoft
Word/Excel, using the internet, and search
engines.

5. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Purpose of the
learning
activity, value
of the activity
to the students
To help learners understand why
saving for a child's post secondary
education could lead to wealth
building.
To demonstrate that alternatives
saving option -- investing in real
estate for example -- to RESP could
generate more income to cover
increasing tuition costs, and provide
more flexibility To illustrate to liena urnseinrsg tshaavte ad 2m0o%n ey.
contribution by the government in
an RESP doesn't necessarily mean
that an RESP is the best Education
Savings Plan.

6. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Time
available for
design and
development
The design will take about
90 - 120 minutes.
The time for the design
development will take about
2 - 4 hours.
The execution time for the
design will take 4 - 7 hours
depending on the learner's
skills.

7. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
How would it
be used in an
educational
setting?
This learning design could be used as an in-class
activity for Grade 12 Business students
investigating different investments options.
The hands-on aspect of the activity could be
given as a project to Grade 11 Functions
students after they complete the Finance unit.
This is an excellent final project for the grade
12 Math Technology students who are
required to complete a final project that has
real-life applications.
This would tie in nicely with the unit on
Budgeting, RRSP, RESP, and loans and
investments in the Grade 12 College and
Apprenticeship Math.
If students were given the learning activity as
a project, it would be a useful method for
students to demonstrate application, of what
they learned in class, to real-life situations.

8. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Provide a clear,
well-organized
structure and
good directions
on how to use it
(Session #1)
Begin with a discussion on why
saving for a child's Post Secondary
Education is important. Ask
learners to identify investment
plans that they may have been
using, or plan to use in the future.
Solicit feedback as to why they
chose or will choose such a
plan. If there happens to be a
learner (s) who uses real
estate as a method to save,
then that learner could be a
resource person.
Learners will be told that the main
hands on learning activity is to
compare two investment strategies
for saving for a child's Post
Secondary Education:
1. Saving in an RESP
2. Saving in a Tax Free Saving
Account and using some of the
proceeds to purchase a rental
property
Ask learners to brainstorm
some of the terms that are
associated with a Rental
Property and research their
meaning on the internet, then
compile and do a Pinterest
board with terms and
meaning (good for later
Ask learners to brainstorm the reference)
terms that are associated with a
mortgage and instruct them to do
a word cloud with those term
(these terms are also useful for
future reference). Learners then
watch:
Facilitator’s video about RESPs,
the maximum government
contributions, what happens if
financial situations forces a
family to withdraw from the RESP,
the different investment
instruments that financial
institution offer, and the amount
of money that is needed to invest

9. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Provide a clear,
well-organized
structure and
good directions
on how to use it
(Session #2)
Questions will be asked about the
pros and cons of investing in an
RESP
Learners then watch the
facilitator’s video on investing in
a TFSA and real estate, after
which questions will be asked
about the pros and cons of
investing using the latter.
(Session 2 Begins)
Two YouTube videos will be
shown of testimonies from
people who invested in an
RESP. One positive and one
negative experience.
Learners will then be asked to
create Excel worksheets to track an
RESP investment for one child, and
an investment plan that uses a
combination of TFSA and real
estate, for another child.
For simplicity, we will assume
that all investments will grow at
the same rate of 5% and both
plans commence in the year that
each child is born, and ends
when they turn 18.
Learners will then be asked
to report their findings and
discuss the implications of
them.
Learners will be asked to identify
other investment strategies that
could be used to save for a
child's Post Secondary Education
that may be more lucrative than
an RESP.

10. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Arrange for
copyright
clearance if you
use materials
not your own
I assumed all YouTube videos are in the public
domain so there is no need for copyright clearance.
Each group would need to create a Pinterest Account
and agree to the terms and conditions, and Wordle
seems to be available for anyone to use.
The licenses for Microsoft Word, Power Point, and
Excel would have already been purchased for use on
the computers.

11. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
Prepare for
using the
activity. Does
this mean you
want to make
some changes?
All the hands-on part of the learning
activity will be completed in groups so
learners will provide assistance to each
other.
Steps will be provided for students to create
the Excel spread sheets, using Pinterest and
Wordle, and all the formulas will be
displayed.
At this time I do not foresee any changes to
be made, but there may be some obvious
ones during the development phase.

12. SAVING FOR A CHILD’S POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
How will
you
evaluate its
usefulness?
Learners will be given different scenarios and asked to
compute the investment return.
For example:
1. Increasing the government contribution
3. Decreasing the rate of appreciation on the rental
property
Learners will be asks to use their spreadsheet to determine the amount of
government contribution that would provide the same return for both savings
plan.
Learners will be asked to identify other investment strategies that could be used
that provide a similar flexibility like the real estate plan, and asked to
demonstrate why their choice is considered better than an RESP.