Wednesday, January 28, 2004
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Wednesday, January 28, 2004 |
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Sandy Creek teacher chosen for trip to study economic education in Russia By MELINDA BERRY-DREISBACH Sandy Creek High School economics teacher Mark Decourcy was among 12 U.S. educators selected to participate in a 12-day study tour to Russia conducted by the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE), headquartered in New York City. As part of the tour, which took place December 4-16, participants traveled to Nizhniy Novgorod and Moscow, visiting schools, observing teacher training activities and meeting with Ministry of Education officials, educational administrators and business leaders. The study tour is part of the Cooperative Education Exchange Program (CEEP), a federally funded program administered by the U.S. Department of Education in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State. The aim of the CEEP is to advance educational reform in both economic and civic education in the new democracies of the former Soviet Union and central and Eastern Europe, as well as to help U.S. students and teachers better understand the global economy. “This trip was an incredibly significant and rewarding cultural experience for me. In describing to my colleagues my experiences with the NCEE and their sponsoring of the study tour to Nizhniy Novgorod and Moscow, I find myself sincerely throwing around terms like ‘great experience,’ ‘fantastic,’ and ‘epic,’” says Decourcy. During his stay in Russia, Decourcy visited five schools and had personal contact with approximately 75 teachers and 120 students. While there were some notable differences between the educational systems of Russia and the United States, Decourcy notes that there are similarities in the way teachers present materials to their students. He says most classes he visited demonstrated some form of active learning where teachers used activities ranging from skits to market simulations to get students interested in the subject matter. “I use this technique myself on occasion in hope of encouraging interest and I find it enlightening to know that Russian teachers share a similar problem in trying to get their students to read the required text,” he adds. “However, unlike schools in the United States, teaching economics and market concepts is a still controversial subject in Russia.” Since there are no federal mandates citing that economics be a component of required education, it often comes down to which principal wants to include it in his or her school. “I would suspect in some cases that incorporating economics into the curriculum puts the principal’s job at considerable risk,” says Decourcy. In Russia, economics is an elective but a very popular one. Many students told Decourcy it was their favorite subject and that they wanted to continue their study of economics at the university level. Although there are some obstacles to teaching economics, Decourcy says the schools, administrators, teachers and students appeared sincere in their commitment and desire to learn the subject. “This is quite admirable given that currently the average teacher’s salary is the equivalent of $100 a month for those who teach in the cities and less for those teaching in the countryside,” he says. Decourcy learned about the study tour through the Georgia Council on Economic Education. In order to be selected as a participant, he had to complete a formal application process that required letters of consent and recommendation. He says he will incorporate his experience from the tour into his teaching of economics at Sandy Creek.
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