Introduction to ACE Consumer

An ACE Consumer is an active, critical, and enquiring consumer.

ACE Consumer is a teaching and learning programme developed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Manatū Kaihokohoko for students working at Levels 3-4 of the Social Studies curriculum.

ACE Consumer is made of two inter-linked parts.

A downloadable teachers’ resource with a classroom teaching and learning programme.

A set of online activities (also known as digital learning objects) which students use after completing the classroom programme. These interactive activities revise the ideas from the learning programme and can be printed off and used as individual or group assessment activities.

Objectives for teachers and students

The activities and online student activities outlined in this resource are focused to the overall learning intention that:

Students will understand and exercise their rights and responsibilities as active, critical and enquiring consumers.

Focus of the resource

The teaching and learning programme focuses on:

• the process of making a purchasing decision;
• buying goods and services from traders;
• resolving problems with goods and services purchased from a trader;
• consumers influencing the market by their purchasing decisions.

Background

ACE Consumer replaces the teaching activities and student information that was on the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Manatū Kaihokohoko website Consumerkids.

Students working at Level 3-4 of the curriculum are consumers. They are already able to makes choices about items they wish to purchase and have some understanding of how transactions occur. This resource is intended to equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to enable them to become active, critical and enquiring consumers.

ACE Consumer gives students an awareness of their rights and responsibilities as consumers, but also an awareness of the rights and responsibilities of businesses and the role the Government plays in regulating the consumer market.

The activities in this resource encourage active participation from students when exploring consumer issues and develop and use critical decision-making skills. Where possible, the activities draw from the experience of students as consumers and their participation in local communities.

Each section of ACE Consumer can be accessed by a link from the Summary. You can also download the entire ACE Consumer resource (excluding the Student section online activities) in PDF format using the link below.

Download the entire ACE Consumer resource in PDF format (1951KB)