Global Connection Links Teachers & Students

The Illinois Council on Economic Education (ICEE), the Romanian Center for Economic Education and the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) have established a classroom partnership project which will connect four high school teachers and their classrooms in each country through interactive economics learning activities. Funding has been provided through a grant to NCEE from the United States Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools in coordination with the U.S. Department of State. Teachers Matthew King (Chicago Dunbar Vocational Academy), Brad Sweet (Machesney Park Harlem High School), David Travis (Maple Park Kaneland High School), and Amanda Van Allen (Bloomington High School) have been selected as the Illinois team. Kathy Bellott (Peoria High School) has been selected as an alternate. All five schools have been actively participating in the Illinois Global Economics & Finance High School (IGEFHS) grant program. Leading the Illinois team are Joanne Dempsey, President/Executive Director of ICEE and Dr. Terry Borg, Director, IGEFHS Program.

In October 2004, the Illinois team will tour their Romanian counterpart schools to exchange ideas, teaching methodology and experiences in economic education. This tour to an economy in transition from plan to market is a highly effective way of learning about the country and experiencing firsthand, not only the educational reforms underway, but also the reality of everyday life. The primary objective of the trip is to establish classroom partnerships between each Illinois teacher and a comparable grade level social studies teacher in Romania. The Illinois team will:

1. Meet and interact with the Romanian teacher-partners
2. Learn about the respective schools, classrooms, and curriculum
3. Develop classroom projects for joint implementation during the academic year

These activities are primarily designed to help students learn about the economy, money, culture, government and educational system of the partner country and to become acquainted with their counterparts in the partner class. Following this tour, U.S. and partner teachers will implement classroom activities that engage their students in joint learning experiences related to economics. A website is being created to facilitate the exchange of information between the partner classes, to share resources, lessons, student projects, and to facilitate the partnership activities throughout the year. Illinois students will gain from this experience by interacting directly with Romanian teachers and students, learning about Romania’s transition from a planned economy to a market economy and the impact on their daily lives.

During Spring 2005 , the Romanian teachers will visit all four Illinois partnering schools, tour Illinois businesses, agricultural and financial institutions, and experience Illinois’ Midwestern culture. The eight partner teachers will also spend time during the visit planning the “wrap-up” of their classroom partnership projects.