International Programs - Highlight
Writing in Romania!
Barbara Mussman, a teacher at Grant Park High School in Grant Park, was selected to spend one week of September in Bucharest, Romania, learning to write quality economic education lessons with partners from countries around the world. International educators from Indonesia, Mexico, Paraguay, Romania, Russia, South Africa, and Tajikstan joined U.S. teachers from Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin for an EconomicsInternational “Training of Writers” program, sponsored by the National Council on Economic Education.
Mussman, who teaches consumer education, has been active in Council-network programs for over ten years. Her involvement includes The Stock Market Game program and the Foundation for Teaching Economics professional development. She is a member of the Illinois Association of School Economics teachers, an organization hosted by the Governors State University Office of Economic Education. IASET sponsors fall and spring teacher conferences and provides a network for teachers.
Mussman said of her experience, "Working with educators from other countries provided me with the opportunity to expand my economic knowledge as an educator. I was also able to improve my overall knowledge of the economic concerns facing developing nations from members of other countries. Working with persons from other countries provided insight into how economics is taught in other parts of the world." At right, Mussman (left) is shown with fellow participants from Missouri, South Africa and Indonesia.
Training of Writers program participants spend portions of the week in instructional sessions, learning about key elements of quality lessons. They are then partnered in groups of four (two U.S. teachers, two non-U.S.) to put their new learning into practice by developing two lessons together. Upon returning home, they write an additional lesson which is field tested and revised. The resulting lessons often become part of future NCEE curriculum publications.
The goals of this program are:
- To provide participants with an opportunity for professional development focused on improving writing skills, developing active learning lessons using the NCEE model and providing participants with the analytical tools to identify quality economic lessons.
- To develop a pool of qualified writers able to develop active learning lessons to meet local curriculum needs.
- To increase cultural awareness and cooperation among teachers from the United States and partner countries.
Over the past ten years, 123 US Educators joined 128 participants from over 30 countries in the writers program. US participants have gone on to be recognized as award‑winning teachers and published authors, have served as pilot teachers and reviewers of NCEE materials, made presentations at national, regional, and local conferences, worked on local/district curriculum development, and served as mentors and lead teachers for staff development.
Illinois educators have traveled to Romania, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine as part of the National Council on Economic Education's EconomicsInternational® program. Kaneland High School (Maple Park) teacher Tammi Conn participated in a Study Tour to Romania in December 2005. A Study Tour to Romania in the spring of 2007 will be led by ICEE President Joanne Dempsey.
Check the NCEE's EconomicsInternational web site frequently for announcement of Training of Writers and Study Tour programs.