2011 Summer Economic Institute
Twenty five high school teachers from around Georgia participated in the Fifth Annual Summer Economic Institute hosted by Berry College Center for Economic Education and the Georgia Council for Economic Education. The three-day International Economics program provided teachers with presentations by economists, master teachers, and community officials along with a variety of materials for classroom use.
On June 20, Dr. Lauren Heller gave a presentation on "International Economics and Trade: China." Dr. Heller recently returned from a visit to China and engaged the participants in an enthusiastic discussion of her trip and the related economics associated with the country. The afternoon was rounded off by a presentation on International Economics and the GPS, followed by a welcoming banquet in the Ford Alumni Center Living Room. Speakers for the banquet included Dr. Whit Whitaker, Berry Chief of Staff, Dr. Glen Blankenship, Associate Director and Chief Program Officer of GCEE and Dr. David Martin, Executive Director of GCEE.
Tuesday morning began with Mark DeCourcy, GCEE Program Consultant, and Mike Raymer, GCEE gave a presentation on titled "Why Do People Trade?" and "Trade Barriers, Exchange Rates." Participant groups examined “The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy.”
After a lunch break Glen Blankenship gave a presentation on "Virtual Economics 4." The afternoon was spent on a fieldtrip to Suzuki Manufacturing of North America where the participants were introduced to the workings of the factory followed by a tour of the plant. Alan Horne, Global Sales Supervisor, provided the teachers with information related to factory operations and guidelines for student field trips to the factory. During the factory tour, participants engaged in collaborative work as they assimilated information through guided inquiry as part of a model field trip guide. Debriefing following the field trip concluded the field trip. The day ended with a tour of the Berry Campus.
Day three of the workshop included a session by Mike Raymer, “The EU- Learning about Contemporary Europe” followed by a session by Amy Hennessy of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta entitled “Balance of Trade and Balance of Payments.” Following lunch teacher groups presented activities and insights related to work begun the previous day on “The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy.” The day concluded with an interactive session conducted by Glen Blankenship, “Technology Resources for International Economics.”
Participants of the three-day institute left the workshop with instructional materials keyed to the Georgia Performance Standards and the CRCT. These lessons will assist the teachers as they use methods and materials that focus on active learning approaches to teaching as well as aligning with the GPS.