Events and Workshops

Acanthus Education: Workshops, Lectures, And Events

Over the course of each year Acanthus Education partners with various institutions to present new instructional materials and opportunities for teachers and students to engage in discussions about economics. We host events for teachers with well known scholars in the field of Economic Education, Economics, Ethics and Philosophy. We work with public school and religiously affliated high school teachers and students as well as college students and professors. In the coming year we have expanded our use of online technology to include webinars on with teachers throughout the United States. Below is listing and description of our activities.

A Catholic Perspective in Economic Freedom: An Online International Course

Stephen Haessler of Acanthus Education in partnership with the Jesuit Virtual Learning Academy just launched welcome emails to 30 teachers and students participating in the first-ever (to our knowledge) international online mini-course called A Catholic Perspective on Economic Freedom. We are yery excited to explore the implications of our freedom with students and teachers in five other countries.

Here are our essential questions:
1. What does our Church and faith tradition mean by “integral human development?”
2. What is economic freedom and how is it measured?
3. How does economic freedom relate to integral human development?

This course will also serve as a test pilot for a new assessment of instructional effectiveness on economic freedom being developed by Professors Stephen Haessler,

Economics and Science Fiction Teacher Workshop

University of Arizona's Philosophy professor David Schmitdz and founder of the Freedom Center paired up with Acanthus Education's Midori Snyder for an engaging one day workshop in using science fiction literature in high school economics classes. 
Tucson, AZ, June 30, 2011. Read more >>>

Acton University: Building the Foundations of Freedom

Acton University provided educators and scholars with an intense week of teacher education, networking, and an opportunity to listen to a variety of international scholars and teachers discussing the integration of sound economics, rigorous philosophy, and faith. Stephen Haessler of Acanthus Education was a participating lecturer, premiering a new lesson, The Heinrich Pesch Lesson, focusing on the economics of the Catholic concept of "preferential options for the poor."
Grand Rapids, MI, June 14-17, 2011

Breakfast And Lecture With Economist Russell Roberts: "A Parable of Possibilities"

We'd like to take a moment to thank Cathleen Johnson of the Office of Economic Education for offering a day long event with the economist Russell Roberts, on Monday, April 11, 2011. Acanthus Education was able to underwrite a breakfast and lecture with Russell Roberts for Catholic and other religiously affiliated teachers and administrators in Tucson, AZ.
April 11, 2011, Tucson, AZ Read More >>>

Economic Freedom Education At ASET 2011 Conference

What’s up with all those country rankings? Teachers grappled with this question at the 10th Annual ASET (Arizona Society of Economics Teachers) Conference at Mesa Community College on 2 April 2011 in Mesa, Arizona. John Morton of the Arizona Council for Economics presented his “Why Should We Care About Economic Freedom?” lesson and ran the popular ‘Economic Freedom Game’ written for Acanthus Education. In one of the morning breakout sessions, Stephen Haessler of Acanthus Education and 45 Arizona teachers explored several country rankings by the amount of economic freedom.
April 2, 2011, Tucson, AZ. Read More >>>

A Higher Standard Workshop Series: Macroeconomics.

Acanthus Education President Stephen Haessler teamed up with John Morton of the Arizona Council on Economic Education  at the University of Arizona for an all-day teacher workshop on macroeconomics as part of the "Higher Standard Workshop Series," offered through the Office of Economic Education.
March 4, 2011. Tucson, AZ. Read more >>>

Understanding Economics in Civics and Government

 A one day teacher workshop taught by Stephen Haessler of Acanthus Education in association with the Office of Economic Education at the University of Arizona, Tucson.
December 10, 2010, Tucson, AZ. Read more >>>

Economic Freedom Education and the High School Curriculum: 2010 Conference,Tucson, AZ

In the fall of 2010, Acanthus Education organized a conference to set standards in economic freedom education for high school teachers and their students. Participants included Arizona high school teachers is Economics, History, Ethics, and Government, and scholars in Education, Economics, and Philosophy from different universities across the United States and Canada. Read More>>>