Topical Seminar Series
This spring, teachers in Delaware were invited to participate in a program of topical seminars designed to provide them with the knowledge and tools to integrate economic issues, personal finance and technology into the core curriculum.
The first seminar in the series introduced teachers to Focus: Middle School World History, a volume of lesson plans from the beginning of human history to Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations published in 1776.
Developed by the Council for Economic Education, the volume analyzes historical events from an economic perspective. Scott Bacon, the CEEE's new program coordinator, presented lessons on how the Black Death changed the economic systems in Europe and how available resources and technological advances propelled exploration of the New World. Sara Gildon, a teacher at Early College High School in Dover, presented a lesson on the impact of the spice trade on European economies. Although the lessons in the Focus program are targeted to middle school students, many of them are also appropriate for use at the high school level.
The second seminar on April 7 explored the impact of economics on public policy and political choices by highlighting Focus: Understanding Economics in Civics and Government, a volume of 20 student-centered lesson plans developed by the Council for Economic Education for secondary school students.
Teachers analyzed the economics of healthcare policy, the costs and benefits of applying economic sanctions as a foreign policy tool and the economic impact of immigration. Ashley Miller, a teacher at Conrad Schools of Science, and Chris Clarke, a teacher at Cab Calloway, provided strategies to integrate economic analysis and civics in the classroom.
On April 28, Julie Alexander, a social studies specialist in the Colonial School District, will continue this year's topical seminar series with a presentation on technology in the economics classroom.
She will suggest ways to incorporate economic resources such as simulations and activities in the K-12 classroom to stimulate interest in economic ideas and enhance students' understanding of them.
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