Since the middle of March, Mr. V has led Economics students in both Grade 11 and Grade 12 to experience the stock market simulation.
Students all put themselves into groups of two, and then Mr.V helped each group to sign up a virtual account in the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Although students have already learned a lot about the stock market, it was also their first time for them to undergo the real market.
At first, students had 50 thousand Australian dollars cash online as simulated money for their initial capital, using those to invest stocks. Before any investment, students did research about many different IPO companies which can be found on ASX. A full understanding of the company’s current operation and development prospects are prerequisites for investment. Initially, students all felt confident, since they believed that they only needed to find the correct stock, and then earning money back was a piece of cake. However, the truth was just like a blast of icy water, arousing students from their daydreams. Two weeks later, only a few groups earn back their original expense.
Meanwhile, luck is also fairly important in the stock market. Many students experienced the tragedy that as soon as they bought one stock, the price just declined continuously, which was completely opposite to their expectations. On the other hand, there were also some students seized the opportunity and invested in the right time, thereby getting profits within a day. Additionally, students all helped each other, communicating experience, share some potential stocks with more classmates. Students were also more familiar with the calculation and data analysis before the investment.
This is not only a learning experience, but also a competition. On every workday, the first thing students did was to go to the computer lab and check the stock market. At the same time, the students in Grade 11 and 12 were divided into two groups respectively, which means students in one grade were competing against the other grade. Mr.V encouraged the students by rewarding them after the competition. According to the recent rankings, the students have been so energetic and studious the total assets are quite close.
After this virtual Stock market game, students have expressed a deeper understanding about investing in the stock market and that it needs to take a big risk, therefore it requires investors to be cautious. In terms of uncertainty in the stock market, consider carefully as entering the market. Although this activity is coming to the end, many students indicate they will still pay attention to this time and try to invest more after class. Let’s wait and see!