We’re delighted to have brought our Education Advisory Group for 2015 on board! Twenty-two teachers from diverse personal and professional backgrounds will be with us through November, and their work will include providing feedback on content ideas, teaching activities, SF Fed economic education resources, the use of technology, and best practices related to teaching about the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy.
17 of our 22 EAG 2015 members
The group includes five community college and seventeen high school educators from both public and private schools with 1 to 24 years of experience teaching economics (of course!), government, business, marketing, and mathematics. There is representation from nearly all states in the 12th District.
Early last month, the EAG kicked off their work by attending a professional development conference at our Head Office in San Francisco. The conference agenda included an in-depth discussion on the purposes and functions of the Fed, an economic outlook from Senior Outreach Economist Liz Laderman, and a tour of cash operations, the Fed Center, and our American Currency Exhibit.
The group also dove into economic education content with a feedback and brainstorming session around our soon-to-be-launched Chair the Fed game on monetary policy (currently known as The Fed Chairman Game).
All that serious learning and hard work was capped off with a lively networking reception so that everyone could get to know their fellow EAG members and the SF Fed Econ Ed staff!
As a little preview of coming attractions, the EAG work for the rest of the year is divided into 4 categories: ‘Participate,’ ‘Evaluate,’ ‘Network,’ and ‘Present.’ Highlights include monthly discussions forums, quarterly virtual meetings, networking at local conferences relevant to economic education, presenting to non-EAG colleagues about SF Fed educational resources, and coordinating feedback focus groups with students.
EAG 2015 during their visit to SF Head Office last month
Our 2014 group provided us with lots of inspiration, data, and ideas around economic education (see some teacher spotlights here). They’ve left some big shoes to fill but we know that the 2015 EAG is up to the task!
We’re clearly excited to have the EAG on board, and we’re happy to see that the feeling is mutual. Some comments:
One way to truly grow professionally is to collaborate with other educators in your field. Exchanging ideas and field-testing new curriculum encourages innovation in instruction. When my students and I are both excited about economics, that’s a win-win! – Molly Christensen, California School for the Deaf (Fremont, CA)
There have been innovations in Federal Reserve policy since the Great Recession for which there are not very many good pedagogical resources. I want to help bridge the gap between the complex reality of monetary policy and the explanations offered to students in most textbooks. – Rhonda Collier, Portland Community College (Portland, OR)
As the only teacher at my site with an economics background, I am excited about working with the EAG to get new perspectives on economics instruction. The EAG’s dialog with a professional network and access to high quality resources are a recipe for inspiring curriculum developing that will translate to increased learning for my students. – Laura Drehs, South High School (Torrance, CA)
The EAG will help me serve as a leader in my department and my school as we look to train new economics teachers in the upcoming year. – Kelly Guffey, Brophy College Preparatory (Phoenix, AZ)
Economics is exciting because of how practical and useful it is to students. Money, banking, interest, and debts are all real work concepts people deal with in their daily lives. The concepts and skills taught in economics are not only useful but current to the local and national economy. – Eddie Gonzales, San Bernardino High School (San Bernardino, CA)
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