K-12 teachers invited to free professional development program

Teachers in Southwest Virginia looking to gain professional development credits or increase their knowledge of economics instruction can register to attend a free institute co-hosted by the Center for Economic Education at Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

The institute will take place July 17-19 and 24-26 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Center for Education and Training at Southwest Virginia Community College. Breakfast and lunch will be provided each of the six days, along with numerous lesson plans teachers can later use with their own classes to teach Virginia’s K-12 economics standards.

“I continue to enjoy the presentation of materials and the graphs, illustrations, and videos related to economics study. Good, fast-paced instruction keeps me engaged and interested,” said one teacher who attended the June Roanoke Institute.

Teachers who attend the full six-day event will earn 42 hours of professional development credit and can become a Virginia Council on Economic Education Certified Economics Educator after successfully passing an assessment.

Cheryl Ayers, the associate director of the Virginia Tech Center for Economic Education, will lead the institute by demonstrating research-based best practices for teaching economics and personal finance. Instruction will focus on teaching Virginia’s required high school course, Economics and Personal Finance, by connecting the curriculum to other subjects and grade levels, utilizing active-learning practices, and relating lessons to students’ everyday lives.

Teachers can register for the Lebanon Institute on the Virginia Council on Economic Education (VCEE) webpage, but a $50 refundable deposit must be made to VCEE to complete the registration process.

Virginia Tech’s Center for Economic Education, which is housed in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and is affiliated with the Virginia Council on Economic Education, offers this institute as a service to public school teachers in Southwest Virginia. The center exists to provide research-based instruction and resources to help educate Virginia’s students on economics, personal finance, and entrepreneurship.