Workshops Use Technology, Play Dough to Help Family and Consumer Science Teachers Introduce Personal Finance and Economic Concepts

Teachers at AAFCS conference explore economics and personal finance lesson plans, activities, simulations that meet national content standards.

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 10, 2009 -- The Council for Economic Education, (www.councilforeconed.org) formerly known as the National Council on Economic Education unveiled two personal finance and economics workshops that will be held on June 26, 2009 at the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences 100th Annual Conference and Expo (http://www.aafcs.org/meetings/09/index.html) in Knoxville, TN on June 25th to June 28th.

During the workshops, teachers will discover invaluable tools to prepare their students for real-world financial decisions. With engaging videos, thought-provoking activities and interactive lesson plans that cover key concepts like saving, investing, credit and budgeting, teachers will explore new teaching strategies that cater to all learning styles. Teachers will leave with ready-to-use lesson plans they can use in their classroom right away.

"Family and Consumer Science teachers are on the front lines of teaching students crucial life skills," says Troy D. White, the Council for Economic Education's Senior Director of Sales and Marketing. "These workshops give teachers the tools and resources to easily infuse economic and personal finance concepts into their existing curriculum."

On Friday, June 26th, at 11:00 a.m., Dr. Julia A. Heath, director of the University of Memphis' Center for Economic Education (http://www.econedcenter.org/index2.html), will lead the workshop Ditch Your Books: Going Digital with an Economics and Personal Finance Tech Prep Kit. In the session, Dr. Heath will showcase a suite of CD and DVD programs designed to introduce basic economic and personal finance concepts to their students. Teachers will explore ways they can use these standards-based materials to enhance their existing textbooks, classroom activities and lesson plans.

Dr. Heath will keep the momentum flowing with more interactive teaching techniques in her at 4:00 p.m. workshop Molding Personal Finance and Economic Knowledge with Play Dough. The workshop will demonstrate how a sticky (and fun) lump of sculpting clay can transform a run-of-the-mill lesson plan into the ultimate hands-on learning experience. Teachers will take a mundane topic like trade and weave it into a simulation-based exercise where students produce their own products, trade with each other and present their findings to their fellow classmates.

Teachers who want to browse through more economics and personal finance resources should visit the Council for Economic Education booth 221. Teachers will find a wide selection of print and multimedia resources (http://store.councilforeconed.org/multimedia.html), as well as learn how they can save up to $85 on the Council for Economic Education's exclusive 'Personal Finance and Economics Prep Kits' (http://store.councilforeconed.org/deca-prep-kit.html). Plus, to keep up with their tech-savvy students, teachers will get a chance to register for an ipod shuffle at the booth.

About the presenter

Dr. Juila Heath is a Professor and Chair for the Department of Economics at the University of Memphis (http://www.memphis.edu/fcbe/) and a valued board member of the Council for Economic Education. Prior to joining the University of Memphis, Dr. Julia Heath received her BA from Bluffton College in 1978 and her Ph.D from the University of South Carolina in 1986. She has received an array of teaching awards from the University of Memphis, as well as accolades from the Tennessee Bankers Association, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Institute for Financial Literacy. Overall, Dr. Heath has made innumerable contributions to economics instruction throughout her career at the University of Memphis as a professor, researcher, department chairperson, and center director. Dr. Heath's most recent accomplishment is the Center for Economic Education at The University of Memphis which truly illustrates a common mission with the Council for Economic Education, in which she provides the training that gives even kindergarten teachers ideas to infuse economics teaching tactics into their classrooms.

About the Council for Economic Education

The Council for Economic Education envisions a world in which people are empowered through economic and financial literacy to make informed and responsible choices throughout their lives as consumers, savers, investors, workers, citizens, and participants in our global economy.

The Council for Economic Education offers comprehensive, best-in-class K-12 economic and personal finance education programs, including the basics of entrepreneurship, consisting of teaching resources across the curriculum, professional development for teachers, and nationally-normed assessment instruments. Each year, the Council's programs reach more than 150,000 K-12 teachers and over 15 million students in the United States and in more than 30 other countries. These programs are delivered through a diversified system: directly from the Council, through a network of affiliated state Councils and university-based Centers for Economic Education, and through other partner organizations.

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