Teach children in a cashless society a lesson about money awareness

Southern Metropolis Daily

2024-06-02 23:04Published on the official account of Jiangsu Southern Metropolis Daily

In today's society, with the widespread popularity of mobile payment, there is a noteworthy phenomenon: more and more children have blurred their actual understanding and perception of money. According to media reports, Ma Xinyi, a first-grade mathematics teacher in the primary school of Wuhan No. 1 Junior High School Xueyuan Campus, found that many students were confused about how to make up "3 yuan and 6 jiao" through the course "Understanding RMB", which triggered people's deep thinking about children's money cognition.

Indeed, many teachers engaged in the teaching of mathematics in primary schools have reported that students' physical perception of money has gradually weakened. According to a teacher survey, most of the 40 students in the class had seen 100 yuan and 50 yuan bills, and half of the students could recognize 10 yuan and 20 yuan bills, but more than half of the children had never seen 1 yuan bills. This phenomenon is inseparable from the rise of mobile payments. Around 2010, mobile payments began to gain rapid popularity. According to statistics from the People's Bank of China, by the end of 2023, the penetration rate of mobile payment in mainland China will reach 86%, and mobile payment has become the mainstream payment method. As a result, the frequency of use of cash in daily life has been greatly reduced, and it is naturally difficult for children to form an intuitive feeling of RMB, and it is even more difficult to understand the concepts of "exchanging money" and "finding money".

Children don't know money and need to be taken seriously. As the country's legal tender, the renminbi is not only the most basic means of payment and a tool for economic transactions on the mainland, but also a carrier of cultural and historical inheritance. For future citizens, it is of great significance to understand and recognize the RMB. In particular, the misconception that "money is in the mobile phone" must be corrected to help children establish a correct view of money.

However, in the face of children's vague understanding of the renminbi, there is no need to be too anxious. After all, this is a phenomenon that has arisen with the changing times. In the age of mobile payments, children are far more familiar with electronic money than cash. For children in primary school, they may not have access to banknotes and coins under $1, but that doesn't mean they can't understand the value and use of money.

In fact, the value of the renminbi is very particular. It is necessary to pay attention to the efficiency of use, but also to avoid excessive currency value, which has changed in the meantime. The emergence of mobile payment solves this problem well, avoids the occurrence of "exchanging money" and "looking for money", gives people more convenience, and reduces social transaction costs. Such progress will not be reversed.

Therefore, in response to this phenomenon, it is necessary to adjust the education accordingly. In mathematics teaching, learning aids, such as simulated banknotes and coins, can be used to give children an intuitive understanding of the RMB, but at the same time, it is also necessary to change the teaching strategy to focus on understanding the RMB, understanding the source of the money, and currency conversion. The concepts of "exchanging money" and "finding money" can be appropriately weakened to adapt to the characteristics of the mobile payment era.

In addition, children's awareness of money can be enhanced through practical activities in daily life. For example, when shopping, children can be encouraged to pay with cash, allowing them to experience the value of money and the process of circulation. This will not only deepen the understanding of the RMB, but also cultivate financial management ability and healthy consumption concepts.

Mathematics comes from life, and mathematics serves life. Therefore, in the face of children's vague perception of the RMB, we need to pay attention to it but not be overly anxious. By adjusting the guidance of educational strategies and practical activities, it can help children establish a correct view of money and financial management ability, and lay a solid foundation for their future growth. □ Guan Yubing

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