Teachers brush up on economics

It used to be that economics was a subject most students took for the first time in college - and maybe not even as a freshman.

Now, students in elementary, middle and high school are learning basic economics concepts and how to apply them.

The Mississippi Council on Economic Education spent a day last week at the state education conference in Biloxi introducing more than 100 teachers to the programs and to resources available to them.

Pam Smith, president of MCEE, said the mission of the organization is to provide professional development to K-12 teachers, no matter what subject they teach. More than 3,500 teachers at 90 percent of the schools in Mississippi have been trained.

"Economics is about making good decisions," Smith said. "We're encouraging teachers to learn more about economics because it's relevant, and teachers want their classrooms to be relevant."

Miriam Spain is a guidance counselor at Magnolia Junior High in Moss Point and teaches different sections in social studies classes. She attended the economics sessions last week at the education conference and said she has several ideas on how to apply the information she learned.

"I can see that financial literacy needs to be explained a lot earlier in life," Spain said. "I wanted to see how they integrated it into a curriculum."

Teachers who participated in the virtual economics classes went through a CD that contains financial concepts, a searchable database and lesson plans.

Some of the topics covered include macro- and micro-economics, personal finance and entrepreneurship.

State Farm paid for the CDs, and is providing them to more than 6,000 teachers statewide. All of the teachers who attended the session last week received a CD.

Spain said she plans to use the information she learned in the social studies classes she teaches. She also wants to hold a professional development course for other teachers at Magnolia.

She also wants to include the information in the school's open house at the beginning of the year, as well as at other events. "We have a lot of technology at Moss Point, so I probably would include this as part of our family night," she said. "I really think it's something kids could get excited about."

Teachers in grades K-12 can take professional development economics courses at MCEE's Centers for Economic Education at Mississippi State and the University of Southern Mississippi. Online courses also are available.

Teachers at elementary and secondary schools can participate in the Mississippi Stock Market Game in which students invest $100,000 in hypothetical money over 10 weeks. This year, more than 1,500 teams participated, and a team from Biloxi High placed third. They will travel to Wall Street later this month.

Teachers also can take courses to become a master teacher of economics, something DeAnna Roessling of Gulfport High is glad she did.

"Until I enrolled in the MTE program, I did not have a clear understanding of the content knowledge I was missing," she said. "I feel much more confident and can engage my students with activities and lessons they can relate. My lessons are meaningful, challenging and more relevant since the MTE training."

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Teachers brush up on economics