Lesson Plan: The Impact of Remittances Around the World

OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students will watch a series of video clips that put a human face on both
the process of economic decision-making and the reality for millions of people working
abroad in order to transfer some of their income (remittances) to loved ones back in their
home countries. Students will then research answers to questions about the impact of
remittances around the world.

The video clips used in this lesson are from the film The Learning, which tells the story
of four teachers from the Philippines who leave their country and their families to teach
in Baltimore, Maryland so that their remittances can improve economic conditions for
their families back home.

For more information on the common practice of remittances and Filipinos working
overseas, please see the Activity and Resources sections of this lesson.

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OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lesson, students will:
Define the term remittances.
Analyze the economic decision-making process employed by teachers in the
Philippines with the opportunity to work in Baltimore, Maryland for much
higher incomes.
Determine the impact of such teacher migration and the remittances of
Filipino workers who go abroad on the Philippines.
Investigate the impact of remittances worldwide.

GRADE LEVELS
9-12

SUBJECT AREAS
Economics, Geography, International Studies, Social Studies, World History, Current
Events

MATERIALS
Internet access and equipment to show the class online video and conduct
research
Map that shows the location of the Philippines

ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED

Two 50-minute class periods
FILM CLIPS

Clip 1: Would It Be Worth It To You? (length 3:45)

This clip begins at 3:41 when the interviewer says, Why the United States? It ends at
7:26 with the statement You will experience the good life there.

Clip 2: Working in Baltimore to Send Money Back Home (length 5:02)

This clip begins at 15:25 with Grace Amper posting a math problem on the board. It ends
at 20:27 with Dorotea Godinez saying, Sometimes I send $1,700 or $1,800 a month.

Clip 3: The Fruits of Baltimore (length 5:50)

This clip begins at 1:10:14 with a shot of the Foodarama. It ends at 1:16:04 with Angel
Alim-Flores family sitting quietly.

ACTIVITY
1. Show the class where the Philippines is located on a map. Tell students that an
estimated 10 million Filipinos or about one out of every 10 work overseas and send
money back home to support their families. (Source: OFW Remittances Hit $18.76B, an
All-time High, Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 2011.) Such transfers of income by
foreign workers to their home countries are called remittances.

2. Give each student a copy of the Viewing Guide. Review the information in the
Background section to set up the video clips, and refer to the Analysis questions to focus
student viewing. Then, show the clips. Before watching each clip, explain that Clip 1
shows some teachers in the Philippines interviewing for teaching jobs in Baltimore and
getting ready to move to the United States. Clip 2 shows some of these teachers in
Baltimore, and Clip 3 shows some teachers when they return to the Philippines after
working overseas.

3. Discuss student reactions to the video clips and responses to the questions on the
handout.

4. Tell the class that the Philippines is just one country with many citizens who work
abroad and send remittances to family back home. Worldwide, remittances to developing
countries reached $316 billion in 2009. (Source: UNCTAD Expert Meeting on
Maximizing the Development Impact of Remittances.)

5. Have the class members summarize what they have learned so far about remittances.
Then, ask students if there is anything they would like to find out about remittances and
their impact around the world. Record student ideas on the board in the form of
questions. If students have trouble formulating questions of their own, you can suggest
the following:
Which countries receive the most remittances?
What are the top destination countries for foreign workers?
 How are remittances used in the recipient countries?
Have remittances made a difference in the poverty levels of recipient
countries?
What factors explain why teachers in the Philippines earn salaries that are
below the poverty line while the same teachers working in the United States
can make nearly 25 times more? What policies, choices or institutions do you
think perpetuate that disparity?

6. Divide the class into small groups. Assign each group to research the answer to one of
the listed questions. The following resources are good starting points for research:

Population Reference Bureau. Remittances Grow Along with International

Migration.
http://www.prb.org/Articles/2008/remittances.aspx
This article provides a concise overview of what remittances are, gives data on the
top five remittance recipients and senders and explains how remittances benefit
developing countries.

United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service. UNCTAD Expert

Meeting on Maximizing the Development Impact of Remittances.
http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article3255
This U.N. meeting summary explains the general demographics, opportunities and
challenges and development impact of migrant workers and remittances around
the world.

The World Bank. Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011.

http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTDECPROSPEC
TS/0,,contentMDK:21352016~isCURL:Y~menuPK:3145470~pagePK:64165401
~piPK:64165026~theSitePK:476883,00.html
This page offers data snapshots for the world, by country type and by individual
country.

7. Have each group write out the answer to its question and report its findings to the
class. Then, assemble all of the questions and answers into a class FAQ on the global
impact of remittances. If possible, post the FAQ on your class or school website to share
the resource beyond the classroom.

EXTENSIONS AND ADAPTATIONS

1. Create a rags to riches plan for the family of Angel Alim-Flores, the 25-year-old
math teacher featured in The Learning who is the breadwinner for her family back home
in the Philippines. With the higher income she earns in the United States, Alim-Flores
can finance the education and basic needs of five of her seven siblings. In Clip 3 for this
lesson, students can see Alim-Flores shopping with her family and then discussing how
the family members need to work together to go from rags to riches. Have student pairs
talk about what specific steps the teachers family should take to improve its economic
situation and then write up their recommendations in a formal plan.

2. Investigate further the economics of remittance payments by watching the POV film
The Sixth Section (http://www.pbs.org/pov/thesixthsection/), which follows a group of
Mexican immigrants who settle in upstate New York. Related resources include
background information, a lesson plan, a reading list and a history of hometown
associations.

3. Expand your discussion about the impact of remittances in the Philippines. Show the
class the Vanguard story Destination Anywhere
(http://current.com/shows/vanguard/89069216_destination-anywhere.htm). Using a Venn
diagram, compare and contrast the content of that video with what students observed in
The Learning.

4. Discuss policies that could leverage remittances to improve conditions for

communities in recipient countries. Have the class listen to the Marketplace story
Mexico Offers 3-for-1 on Ex-pats Money
(http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/11/07/tres_por_uno/). Then, have
students conduct research to find out more about the impact of the program discussed and
what critics and supporters say about it. Students should then discuss their findings and
brainstorm other policy recommendations that could encourage migrants and their
families to invest some of their earnings in their local communities.

5. Hear about the impact of remittance payments firsthand. Identify a foreign worker in
your community who sends money to support family members in his or her home
country. Invite this person to come speak to the class about the economic conditions in
his or her home country, the experience of working abroad and how remittances have
improved the standard of living for his or her family.

6. Examine the pros and cons of various types of data displays. Have students use the
data from the World Banks Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011
(http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTDECPROSPECTS/0,,c
ontentMDK:21352016~isCURL:Y~menuPK:3145470~pagePK:64165401~piPK:641650
26~theSitePK:476883,00.html) to create bar graphs, pie charts, line graphs, tables and
other visual representations. Discuss how each method affects the depiction of
relationships among the data. Which format is most effective for illustrating migration
and remittance data? Why?

RESOURCES

Baltimore School District Travels to Philippines to Hire Teachers. Filipino

Reporter, January 20, 2005.
http://www.indypressny.org/nycma/voices/154/briefs/briefs_1/
This 2005 article talks about the recruiting process the Baltimore school district used to
seek teachers from the Philippines and why the district decided to do so.
Center for Strategic and International Studies. Remittances in the Philippines:
Snapshot of a Global Trend.
http://csis.org/blog/remittances-philippines-snapshot-global-trend
This snapshot describes the effects of remittances in the Philippines and provides links to
resources with further information.

CIA. World Factbook: Philippines.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rp.html
This profile of the Philippines includes information on the countrys economy,
geography, people and more.

POV: Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

http://www.pbs.org/pov/learning/photo_gallery_background.php
This article provides statistics on the numbers of Filipino workers overseas, the
percentage of the gross national product of the Philippines derived from remittances and
the pros and cons of having so many Filipinos working overseas.

Remo, Michelle. OFW Remittances Hit $18.76B, an All-time High. Philippine

Daily Inquirer, February 15, 2011.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20110215-320414/OFW-
remittances-hit-1876B-an-all-time-high-BSP
This 2011 article provides statistics on remittances to the Philippines and their impact on
the countrys economy.

STANDARDS

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
(http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf)

RH.9-10.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary
and secondary sources.

RH.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and

secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies
among sources.

SL, 9-10.4 Present information, findings and supporting evidence clearly,

concisely and logically, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the
organization, development, substance and style are appropriate to purpose,
audience and task.

SL, 11-12.4 Present information, findings and supporting evidence, conveying a

clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning,
alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed and the organization,
 development, substance and style are appropriate to purpose, audience and a
range of formal and informal tasks.

W.9-10, 11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

WHST. 9-10, 11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization and style are appropriate to task, purpose and
audience.

WHST. 9-10, 11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects
to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem;
narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on
the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

WHST. 9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and
digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each
source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text
selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a
standard format for citation.

WHST. 11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and
digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and
limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose and audience;
integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas,
avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard
format for citation.

Content Knowledge: (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/) a compilation of

content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent
Research for Education and Learning).

Economics, Standard 1: Understands that scarcity of productive resources requires

choices that generate opportunity costs.

Economics, Standard 2: Understands characteristics of different economic

systems, economic institutions and economic incentives.

Family/Consumer Sciences, Standard 4: Understands how knowledge and skills

related to consumer and resources management affect the well-being of
individuals, families and society.

Geography, Standard 3: Understands the characteristics and uses of spatial

organization of Earths surface.
 Geography, Standard 9: Understands the nature, distribution and migration of
human populations on Earths surface.

Geography, Standard 10: Understands the nature and complexity of Earths

cultural mosaics.

Geography, Standard 11: Understands the patterns and networks of economic

interdependence on Earths surface.

Geography, Standard 18: Understands global development and environmental

issues.

Language Arts, Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing
process.

Language Arts, Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and
interpret visual media.

World History, Standard 44: Understands the search for community, stability and
peace in an interdependent world.

World History, Standard 45: Understands major global trends since World War II.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cari Ladd, M.Ed., is an educational writer with a background in secondary education and
media development. Previously, she served as PBS Interactives director of education,
overseeing the development of curricular resources tied to PBS programs, the PBS
TeacherSource website (now PBS Teachers) and online teacher professional development
services. She has also taught in Maryland and northern Virginia.