Teaching Economics In Troubled Times

Teaching Economics in a Time of Unprecedented Change is a one-stop collection that helps pre- and in-service social studies teachers to foster an understanding of classic content as well as recent economic developments.

The winners of the Nobel Prize show how economics, when done right, can help us solve the thorniest social and political problems of our day. Figuring out how to deal with today's critical economic problems is perhaps the great challenge of our time. Much greater than space travel or perhaps even the next revolutionary medical breakthrough, what is at stake is the whole idea of the good life as we have known it. Immigration and inequality, globalization and technological disruption, slowing growth and accelerating climate change--these are sources of great anxiety across the world, from New Delhi and Dakar to Paris and Washington, DC. The resources to address these challenges are there--what we lack are ideas that will help us jump the wall of disagreement and distrust that divides us. If we succeed, history will remember our era with gratitude; if we fail, the potential losses are incalculable. In this revolutionary book, renowned MIT economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo take on this challenge, building on cutting-edge research in economics explained with lucidity and grace. Original, provocative, and urgent, Good Economics for Hard Times makes a persuasive case for an intelligent interventionism and a society built on compassion and respect. It is an extraordinary achievement, one that shines a light to help us appreciate and understand our precariously balanced world.

This book uses relatable case studies to dispense practical financial advice to educators. Written by an expert team of four award-winning economics educators, the book provides an engaging narrative specifically designed for teachers and their unique financial needs. Educators are attracted to the teaching profession for numerous reasons. Prospective teachers enter the profession believing it offers a certain level of job security and good benefits, usually including a defined-benefit, state-funded pension. But things are changing. Pensions vary widely from state to state and even within school districts. Many private schools do not offer even basic 403(b) saving plans and, when they do, they are often not very generous. Much the same can be said of many charter schools and private colleges and universities. The book consists of fourteen chapters covering a comprehensive group of topics specifically curated for educators teaching at the K-12 and university level, including saving for retirement, managing debt, investment strategies, and real estate. Each chapter begins with a case study of an educator in a specific financial situation, which sets the scene for the introduction and explanation of key concepts. The chapters include a Q&A section to address common questions and conclude with a “Financial 911” focusing on a financial emergency related to the chapter topic.

Teacher education in a financial crisis – what are the consequences and how can probity be maintained? Education, like most other parts of everyday life, is experiencing the challenges brought about by global financial constrictions. This book presents the experiences and views of practising teacher educators from multiple countries and continents on how the melt-down in world economics has affected and will continue to affect teacher education and concomitant experiences in schooling. The ramifications are seen to extend into every aspect of teacher preparation, continuing staff development and teacher support, and there are significant implications for the quality of teaching and learning, and the ethos and standing of the process of education as a whole. Drawing on educational theory and social, political, and economic discourses, the book addresses issues such as policy, philosophy, organisation, funding, resources, modes of teaching and learning, curricular change, recruitment and retention, amongst others, and provides a snap-shot across diverse contexts. It aims to provide an evaluative, analytical but reflective picture of teacher education in the light of the world economic crisis, whilst exploring good practice and suggesting future strategies to develop the quality of teacher education and professional support, teaching and learning. The volume provides an insight into the need for a new paradigm for teacher education: one that involves teacher educators in devising a discourse of positive and radical change. It will be a valuable resource for teacher educators, educational leaders, policy makers, educational commentators and teachers seeking to engage with the scholarship of teaching as a means to engage in continuous professional development.

Innovations in Economic Education addresses the growing issue of financial illiteracy by showing how economics can be successfully integrated into classrooms from kindergarten through higher education. Pre-service teachers, experienced educators, curriculum leaders, parents, and school administrators will find practical ideas to improve economic understanding. At the elementary level, the book provides creative ways of introducing young students to the basic concepts of economics, financial justice, and social action. For higher grade levels, the book offers ideas to integrate economics into current history, civics, and math curricula. The final portion of the book features recommendations by leading economic educators on how economics can play a greater role in teachers’ professional development. The pedagogical tools presented in each chapter include lesson plans and practical insights, and are designed to meet the NCSS, C3 Framework, and Common Core State Standards for Social Studies. This book is a timely and valuable resource for all educators interested in improving their students’ economic literacy and financial decision-making.

This interdisciplinary curriculum guide helps teachers introduce their students to economics using popular children's stories.

This book discusses the importance of teaching fundamental economic concepts as part of the middle school social science curriculum in India. It examines the status of economics in Indian schools and the issues faced in teaching it at the middle school level and emphasizes the need for increasing the economic literacy of students. It offers valuable recommendations to curriculum planners and educators to help them bolster economics education in Indian schools. The author presents an extensive curriculum framework with the intention of developing intellectual and social skills in students. The book also features classroom-tested lessons, content guidelines, and a comprehensive teaching plan for grades 6, 7 and 8. A crucial contribution to the study of school education in India, this book will be of interest to teachers, students and researchers of education, economics education and economics. It will also be useful for policy planners, professional economists, administrators, school boards and research institutions.

Make economics resonate to high school students. This practical handbook will help economics and social studies teachers foster critical thinking by introducing students to the real-life dimensions of the major controversies in contemporary economics. Filled with useful teaching tips and user-friendly information on finding engaging materials and activities for the classroom, the book also includes detailed coverage of the Voluntary National Content Standards for economics. "Introducing Economics" is a one-stop resource for high school teachers who want to make economics relevant to their students' lives. It includes more than 50 sections with lists of suggested "Activities and Resources," many with Internet links. It features boxed "Hints for Clear Teaching" tips for presenting particularly difficult topics. It provides an annotated resource guide to more than 30 organizations involved in economics education, with associated Internet links. It follows the flow of topics in a typical economics course. It addresses real-life topics that are ignored or glossed-over in traditional textbooks - economics and the environment, the distribution of income and wealth, discrimination, labor unions, globalization, the power of corporations, and more. It offers critical guidance for meeting all 20 Voluntary National Content Standards in economics, and also provides an overview of the political and intellectual history and contemporary state of economics education.

Economics teachers often work by themselves or in small departments. This can mean they are forced to plan a lot of lessons from scratch with limited scope for shared planning or collaboration. Even as teaching becomes more research-informed, there is still the problem of having to work out how this best applies when teaching Economics, especially when there has been limited training in this. This can mean teachers are forced to adopt a trial-and-error approach, attempting to implement generic teaching and learning tips into economics lessons. Teachers plan each explanation individually, only learning what common misconceptions are through the painstaking experience of seeing puzzled expressions on multiple pupils' faces over the years. This book aims to change that. By looking at what the latest cognitive science research tells us about how pupils learn and crucially how that can be implemented in economics lessons, this book provides a short-cut to that trial-and-error approach. While the book summarises what the research tells us about pupil learning, this is fundamentally a ‘doing’ book. It is packed with practical examples of how research can be implemented in Economics lessons looking at explanations, misconceptions, assessment, curriculum and much more.

"Teaching Economics is an invaluable and practical tool for teachers of economics, administrators responsible for undergraduate instruction and graduate students who are just beginning to teach. Each chapter includes specific teaching tips for classroom implementation and summary lists of do's and don'ts for instructors who are thinking of moving beyond the lecture method of traditional chalk and talk."--BOOK JACKET.