Rhode Island College Hosted a March 20, 2015 Economics Workshop for Rhode Island Educators
26 Educators from across the state and region came to Rhode Island College for a day-long workshop using an innovative economics curriculum and materials
On Friday March 20, Rhode Island College hosted a day-long Common Sense Economics professional development workshop, providing innovative economics teaching resources and ideas to 26 secondary school educators. Participants came from districts across the state, including Barrington, Coventry, East Greenwich, Exeter-West Greenwich, Lincoln, North Kingstown, Pawtucket, Providence, Smithfield, and Woonsocket.
The Rhode Island Common Sense Economics instructors were Dr. Joseph Calhoun, Assistant Director of the Stavros Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Economic Education at Florida State University and Professor Carol Sweeney, adjunct instructor of Economics at Florida Gulf Coast University. Similar teacher training events are being offered across the country, including programs this month in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Alaska. The Rhode Island event organizer was Dr. Margaret Brooks, who is President of the RI Jump$tart Coalition, President of the RI Council for Economic Education, and Director of Bridgewater State University’s Center for Economic Education.
Throughout the day, teachers learned about Key Elements of the Economic Way of Thinking; Key Factors for Growth and Prosperity; Economics and the Role of Government; and Personal Finance. All participants received complimentary copies of the Common Sense Economics textbook and free access to supporting materials, including multi-media enhancements.
The Common Sense Economics workshop offered educators a valuable opportunity to meet, learn, and share their perspectives on economic and financial literacy. The workshop created greater awareness of the economic way of thinking across many areas of the high school curriculum, including history, geography, business, government, and personal finance. It was especially timely in light of Rhode Island’s recent endorsement of Council for Economic Education’s National Standards for Financial Literacy in November 2014 . Workshop participants look forward to bringing new economics and personal finance resources and ideas into their classrooms.
