Study Tour Program
Study Tour to the Republic of South Africa
SUMMER, 2010: Two Illinois teachers and Econ Illinois President Joanne Dempsey will join twenty-two other educators from around the U.S. on a Study Tour to South Africa July 26-August 10.
Part of the Council for Economic Education EconomicsInternational program, the tour will include visits to schools, meetings with education officials, and cultural activities as the U.S. educators learn about economic education in South African schools. The educators are split into two tour groups, with one visiting schools in KwaZulu Natal, and the other visiting in Gauteng Province. Dempsey is a faculty leader for the Gauteng group. Teachers Juanita Thurman, Chicago and Steven Stefanski, Romeoville are the Illinois participants.
SUMMER, 2009: The Council for Economic Education Study Tour to South Africa for dynamic economic educators grades 5 through 12 took place July 27 - August 10, 2009.
Two groups traveled on “parallel” tours, with one group visiting primarily in the Free State (FS) and one traveling primarily in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). However, the groups began with orientation in Washington, DC; traveled to Johannesburg together and spent the weekend there meeting with South African education leaders and experiencing some cultural events. The two groups came together in Durban, KZN for the final weekend of activities before flying back to the U.S.
Teachers worked with state councils and/or centers on follow-up activities in the United States. Participants share their international experiences locally with teachers and other members of their communities.
Illinois teachers selected were Ben Wellenreiter, 8th Grade U.S. History teacher at Morton Junior High School and Connie Moran, Director of the Ariel-Nuveen Investment Program in Chicago, teaching economics, personal finance (with an emphasis on investing) and entrepreneurship to students in grades K - 8. Econ Illinois President Joanne Dempsey served as Faculty Leader for the KwaZulu-Natal group.
- See what Connie and Ben say about the Study Tour program
SUMMER, 2008: Brenda Richardson, a fifth grade teacher at Meadowview School in Country Club Hills, and Andrew Hirshman, an economics teacher at Mundelein High School, were selected to participate in a Study Tour to South Africa from July 23 to August 6, 2008. They were joined by 10 other U.S. teachers from Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas for this EconomicsInternational program, sponsored by the Council for Economic Education. Econ Illinois President Joanne Dempsey served as the faculty leader for the study tour.
The goal of this program is to help participating teachers:
- become more knowledgeable about the national council network and EconomicsInternational program activities;
- better understand through contact with teachers, learners/students, administrators, and education leaders the evolution of the teaching of economics in South Africa;
- gain an understanding of how economic education is delivered in South Africa andbecome familiar with education reforms related to teacher training, standards development, curriculum development, and assessment;
- expand their knowledge about the economic, political, historical, and social conditions in South Africa in order to better understand the achievements made and the challenges facing economic educators;
- share with South African council--trained trainers, classroom teachers, K-12 learners/students, and other leaders background on economic education in the United States and their experience teaching economics;
- compare, contrast, and reflect on the similarities and differences between economic education delivery in the Republic of South Africa and the United States;
- enhance their own capacity to teach economics;
- gain exposure to participation of various sectors of society in the delivery of economic education in South Africa.
From 1995 through 2008, 463 educators from the U.S. and other eligible countries participated in 117 national council-sponsored study tours. Illinois educators have traveled to Romania, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine (and now South Africa) as part of the Council for Economic Education's EconomicsInternational® program.
Check the Council's EconomicsInternational web site frequently for announcement of Training of Writers and Study Tour programs. These programs are made possible through grants to the Council for Economic Education from the Cooperative Education Exchange Program (CEEP), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and conducted in coordination with the U.S. Department of State.
The Council for Economic Education EconomicsInternational® Program sponsors two study tours each year for K-12 teachers (U.S.). These 10-12 day tours focus on participation in and observation of economic education activities in emerging market economies. Tours typically include school visits, observation of teacher training workshops, and meetings with ministry of education officials and leaders in business and education. Participants meet with teachers, share ideas, and observe their peers as they creatively deliver lessons in economics to students in elementary and secondary schools.
Study tours seek outstanding classroom teachers who teach economics or incorporate significant economic content into history, social studies, mathematics, and/or language arts courses. Successful applicants must demonstrate a commitment to economic education and to working with their state Council and/or local Center for Economic Education.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to obtain letters of recommendation from the Director of their Center for Economic Education. The Center web page helps identify a school's Center and gives complete contact information.
