Programs and Workshops

Center for Economic Education session

We offer SOL-compliant economic education workshops for K-12 teachers.

Teachers from Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, and Campbell counties, and Lynchburg City participate for free thanks to the financial partnership support from each school division and grant money from the Virginia Council on Economic Education.

Other teachers will be charged a $50 fee to cover a portion of the workshop expenses. Discounts are available for multiple participants. Private School Economic Education Association memberships are available.

Past Workshops

The Stock Market Game™: Proven Experience-based Learning (grades 4-12)

May 2024

Learn to use the Stock Market Game™ as a valuable educational tool for teachers and students! Students manage a virtual investment portfolio and compete with teams across the state. Students learn saving and investing, sharpen math and research skills, and experience market forces at work. After participating in the SMG, independent studies show an increase in math scores for elementary and middle school students. It is also a proven way to learn many SOLs in high school economics and personal finance courses. No prior knowledge of the stock market is necessary.

Reading Makes Cent$ (grades K-3)

February 2020

This program is an excellent way to encourage reading and reinforce the K-3 economics strand in the Social Science Standards of Learning, as well as promote saving for college. Focusing on the lessons and activities based on three featured books, this workshop helps teachers and librarians understand the concepts and ideas for presenting them to students in a meaningful and engaging manner. Participants will receive free classroom-ready lesson plans and discover ways to win free books for their school’s library and potential college savings money for their students.

Upcoming Workshops

Summer 2020

Online Personal Finance Institute (grades 6-12)

June 1 – July 10, 2020
Online

This institute is particularly helpful for those teaching the personal finance portion of high school Economics and Personal Finance as it covers detailed content instruction including banking, credit, consumer rights and responsibilities, insurance, taxes, financial planning and planning for further education after high school. Content instruction is delivered by experts
from the various fields and participants receive curricula for use in the classroom.

Teachers also take the W!SE Financial Literacy test and have the opportunity to earn this teacher certification at no charge. Teachers who complete the entire institute and pass the W!SE certification will also be recognized as VCEE Certified Personal Finance Educators.

Participants receive a number of resources for use in the classroom including a Virtual Economics Version 5.0 flash drive with over 1,400 activity-based lessons searchable by grade and topic, 51 key economic concepts, and a glossary with over 500 terms. ($160 value).

Earn 42 Recertification Points.

Online Economics Institute (grades 6-12)

June 8 – August 9, 2020
Online

The course focuses on the economics content in the high school Economics and Personal Finance course and provides resources for teaching it to your students. Learn how the “economic way of thinking” turns basic economic concepts into life skills that enable students to make more informed decisions. Learning how market economies work and implications of economic indicators — inflation, unemployment and economic growth — also contributes to better decision-making as consumers, producers, savers, investors, employees and citizens. A broad analysis of economics as a whole engages participants to better understand world situations. You receive a Virtual Economics 5.0 flash drive with over 1400 lessons searchable by grade and concept (valued at $160) and other classroom resources.

The class is designed to require 6 hours/week over 7 weeks, with weekly reading and other assignments to be completed in order to receive a certificate of completion and have your deposit check returned. Many assignments can be done ahead of schedule, but once a week posting on a discussion board or an experiment is required. Teachers who successfully complete this course will earn recognition as a VCEE Certified Economics Educator: High School.

Online Mini-economy: Creating a Memorable Classroom Experience (grades 3-8)

July 6-17, 2020
Online

The Mini-economy is an experienced-based program used to teach entrepreneurship, economics and government. Students immerse themselves in a classroom economy: applying for jobs, running businesses, paying taxes, making investments. Your students will master essential economics principles while getting cross-curricular exposure to math, reading and writing. On top of invaluable teamwork and negotiation skills, students learn their role in the global marketplace.

Participants will receive a number of engaging, classroom ready lessons and activities for grades 3 through middle school. The institute also identifies performance assessments for grade 3. Teachers will be invited to participate in the 2021 Market Day. Participants who attend the entire institute and successfully pass a test will be acknowledged as VCEE Certified Economic Educator: Mini-economy. Earn 18 Recertification Points.

Fall 2020

Fundamentals of Environmental Economics

Thursday, October 8, 2020
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
University of Lynchburg – Schewel 232

This one-day FTE conference is designed to familiarize middle and high school teachers and curriculum specialists with a non-biased approach that introduces the basics of environmental economics and provides effective classroom simulations to introduce the concepts into the classroom. Teachers will receive a $200 stipend for attending the full workshop.

Registration and breakfast refreshments begin at 8:00am and the class starts promptly at 8:30am. Donald G. Fell, Professional & Institute Director, Foundation for Teaching Economics.

Registration Procedures

All teachers should register using the above links or by accessing the Virginia Council on Economic Education website, clicking “Teacher Workshops” and selecting “University of Lynchburg” as the “Sponsoring Center for Economic Education.” Next “Search,” then “Register” (located in the blue bar beneath the workshop description). Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Extra Incentives

All workshops are SOL-compliant.
Each participant will take home a collection of ready-to-use lessons and/or curriculum units.
Certificates of completion will be awarded for recertification points, as approved by each school division.
Food and drink will be served at every workshop!

Directions to Campus

Entrepreneurship Education Program

The Center for Economic Education, in partnership with the City of Lynchburg’s Office of Economic Development, proudly sponsors classroom mini-economies within regional elementary and middle school classrooms.

The Mini-Economy Program is an experience-based program used to teach concepts of entrepreneurship, economics, and government in a classroom setting. By immersing themselves in a classroom economy, students understand their role in the global marketplace, giving them a crucial advantage as they move through the upper grades and ultimately enter the workforce. These activities tap into the boundless creativity of young students. On top of invaluable teamwork and negotiation skills, students explore new territory when they apply for jobs, run businesses, pay taxes, and make investments.

Mini-Economy Market Day

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

This annual event is open to registered teachers, their students, and invited guests.

In-service Ideas

As part of the Economic Education Partners agreement, Central Virginia school divisions (Appomattox, Amherst, Bedford, Campbell, and Lynchburg) receive two free in-services per academic year.

All other school divisions may request an in-service at cost. For a complete listing and description of possible economic education and financial literacy topics for grades K-12 in-services, view our list.