Virginia Tech Center for Economic Education
Mar 02, 2019 - Mar 18, 2019
Saturday, March 2, 2019, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday, March 4, 2019, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday, March 16, 2019, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday, March 18, 2019, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Roanoke Higher Education Center (Room 715)
108 N Jefferson Street
Roanoke, VA 24016
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Grade Level: High School, Middle School
Potential Recertification Credits: 30 (28 contact hours and 2 homework hours)
Note: This multidisciplinary, interactive, hands-on institute is designed for teachers of all subjects, NOT just Career & Technical Education (CTE) teachers, and will deliver content and related best practices by demonstrating classroom-ready lessons with local entrepreneurs serving as guest speakers.
To achieve economic autonomy and empowerment, today’s entrepreneurially-driven economy requires students to obtain knowledge and skills that promote creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, and innovation in order to become more productive and prosperous entrepreneurs and employees in our ever-changing global economy. Rooted in performance-based learning and assessment, the lessons demonstrated at this 4-day (30 recertification hours) Institute reinforce 21st century skills while covering almost all of the economics learning standards in Civics & Economics and Economics & Personal Finance courses as well as many of the Career Investigation competencies and personal finance learning standards. This real-world, entrepreneurship lens for economics instruction also offers a broader context for current events and multidisciplinary instruction in math, English, and science.
Flexible by design, teachers who complete this Institute will have a variety of curriculum implementation options, as each lesson can stand alone or as a complete unit of study. And while not all students will choose an entrepreneurship career path, all students will benefit from understanding the basic economics and entrepreneurship concepts constantly at play in the workplace and the world around them. Teachers may decide to simply integrate culturally-relevant business themes and examples into their existing curricula to deliver more engaging, student-relevant instruction. Or, teachers might choose to assist students in starting their own individual, group, or whole class businesses or community service learning projects.
To capitalize on experiential learning, teachers will write their own business plan drafts—which they may or may not bring to fruition—and practice giving 2-minute business plan “pitches.” No background in business required! Each day, local entrepreneurs will share their real-world entrepreneurial experiences, and business-support organizations (e.g., Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Administration, etc.) will share how they can be a resource to teachers and students in and out of the classroom. And, teachers and students will be invited to participate, although optional, in the first-ever high school division of The Gauntlet, Virginia’s largest Shark Tank competition in Roanoke, for real prizes during April 30- May 2! Students will not need a full-fledged business plan but rather just a thoughtful business concept for the Pitch Presentations to local investors.
Teachers who attend the Institute will receive a wealth of student-centered instructional resources, including a Virtual Economics 4.5 flash drive ($160 value) that contains over 1,400 K-12 activity-based lessons in economics, entrepreneurship, and personal finance. While this Institute is geared toward economics instruction at the middle and high school levels, elementary school teachers are also invited to strengthen their content knowledge and instructional practices.
Teachers who complete the entire Institute and pass a brief test will earn the credentials of a VCEE Certified Economic Educator: Entrepreneurship. Breakfast and lunch included.
Fee: NO CHARGE, however $0.00 refundable fee required
Registration is not complete until a check payable to VCEE for a $0.00 refundable deposit is received. The deposit will be returned uncashed after you complete the workshop. Mail the check to:Virginia Tech
ATTN: Stephanie Hedrick
218 Hutcheson Hall
250 Drillfield Drive, Mail Code 0401
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Additional Information:
Teacher Testimonials:
“I really loved Dr. Ayers’ enthusiasm and how she helped those with little prior knowledge to feel comfortable and successful throughout the institute.”
“Dr. Ayers made a very intense and complicated subject accessible. The classroom activities and performance-based learning will transfer to all grades and subjects. The ready to use materials are amazing. I am excited to bring this information back to share in my school community."
“Dr. Ayers is obviously passionate about what she does, and I was blessed to be a part of this institute. The way in which the information was presented made it applicable to all subjects. Thanks for a wonderful experience.”
“The mix of multidisciplinary teachers was an amazing addition, as we all were so happy to work together to help conceptualize classroom strategies. It all began with the classroom leader, Dr. Ayers, and her ability to inspire the room with her knowledge, caring, and compassion. Thank you so much!”
Instructor: Cheryl A. Ayers, Ph.D.
Contact Person:
Cheryl A. Ayers, Ph.D.
Center for Economic Education
Virginia Tech
434.258.2380
cheryl42@vt.edu
OFFERED BY:
Register for Entrepreneurship Institute: Putting Ideas Into Action
Registration is closed for this workshop.
By registering for this workshop, I agree to allow photography to be taken during the program and used by VCEE or affiliated Centers in their print materials or electronic images.
Our privacy policy: We will not sell or release this information to any party other than VCEE, an affiliated center for economic education, and, on occasion, the Council for Economic Education. In all cases, it will only be used to promote economic and financial education and provide you information about programs and resources supporting this education.