Malone's Cones- AP Business with Personal Finance Activity
Jacob Clifford introduces Malone's Cones, a 20‑30‑minute hands‑on activity for the first day of AP Business with Personal Finance, replacing a traditional syllabus review. The activity shows a clip from The Office featuring Kevin Malone’s failed ice‑cream venture. Students watch, list ten poor decisions, then compare lists with partners, filling a worksheet that asks what Kevin should have done. Clifford emphasizes partner collaboration, “students have to feel really good about collaborating,” and ties each mistake to course topics such as market research, financing, and strategic planning, ending with a discussion of Kevin’s few positive traits. By linking humor to core concepts, the exercise boosts early engagement, reinforces critical thinking, and sets a collaborative tone for the year, giving teachers a ready‑made, free resource.
AP® Essentials Digital Textbook
Jacob Clifford, a well‑known AP Economics instructor, introduced his new AP Essentials digital textbook, beginning with a macroeconomics edition that is now publicly available. He also mentioned that a microeconomics version is in development and currently being refined with teacher...