The Changemakers in Financial Education
Calling all South Australian public school teachers!Commencing 16th February 2026
About this Course
The Changemakers in Financial Education project is a partnership between Deakin University and the South Australian Department for Education that supports teachers to develop as financial educators through unique and innovative professional learning.
The project centres on the design, delivery and evaluation of the Changemakers in Financial Education course. This short course is offered through Deakin University’s Professional Learning Education Hub (PLEdHub@Deakin) and aims to prepare teachers of Years 5 to 10 to connect the school curriculum with young people’s current and future financial worlds.
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Who is this course for?
Calling all South Australian public school teachers!
We prepare teachers of Years 5 – 10 to:
- Understand the scope of the Australian Curriculum v9.0 for teaching about finance
- Design and adapt lessons that explore real-world financial problems
- Tailor learning for students from diverse financial realities
Course dates
Dates are as follows:
- Welcome Webinar: 16 February 2026, 4 – 5pm
- Commencement Intensive: 19 – 20 February 2026, 9am – 3.15pm
- Virtual Workshop: 02 April 2026, 9am – 3.15pm via Zoom
- Professional Learning Showcase Friday 26 June 2026: 9am – 3.15pm
Registration
To register for this course, email education.financialliteracy@sa.gov.au to register your interest now!
Testimonials
- “We know that young people want finance-related lessons that connect with their present and are useful to their future. Teacher
professional learning offers an effective way to open new possibilities for teachers as financial educators in a short period of time. The Changemakers in Financial
Education course offers a distinctive design, with scope to explore and apply your learning how you choose.”
Carly Sawatzki, Deakin University - “Participating in the Changemakers in Financial Education course was both rewarding and insightful. I witnessed my students’ confidence grow with each lesson, along with their curiosity and enthusiasm for learning practical financial skills. This process has given me valuable insights into my students’ thinking, enabling me to support them in connecting classroom learning with real-life situations, which ultimately strengthened my practice as a financial educator.
Andy Sommers, Brighton Primary School - “This course has transformed my understanding of financial literacy, revealing that it extends beyond just saving, spending, budgeting, and banking. I now feel more confident in identifying opportunities to teach financial literacy in my classroom. When I come across media articles, news reports, apps or websites, I find myself thinking, “How does this relate to finance, and what can my students learn from it?”
Lori-Ann Copping, Grant High School – Independent Learning Centre
Course presenters
The Deakin team is led by Dr Carly Sawatzki and A/P Jill Brown. Carly and Jill support teachers to teach differently, by helping them to connect students’ classroom learning with the real world. They bring extensive experience teaching across primary, secondary and higher education settings, and delivering professional learning and research consultancies for education and curriculum authorities.