1

Dr. Tammie Fischer Director, Center for Economic Education Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln

Dr. Toby Boss Director of Professional Development, Nebraska Educational Service Unit #6

Jennifer Davidson, M.Ed Director, Programs and Community Development, Nebraska Council on Economic Education

Wiki link:

 http://unlecon.wikispaces.com/

Tentative AgendaMorning SessionMorning Session

8:00 - 8:45 Registration

8:45 - 9:00 Introductions and Overview

9:00 - 10:15 The Show

BreakBreak

10:30-11:45 Online Resources

LunchLunch

Afternoon SessionAfternoon Session

1:00-2:15 Engagement Strategies

BreakBreak

2:30-3:45 Integrating Economic Concepts

3:45- 4:00 Closure

Essential Questions for the Day

1. What are Big Ideas and Essential Questions?

2. What knowledge and pedagogy do we want teacher candidates to possess?

3. How can we model the pedagogy in our classroom?

Big Ideas

• Big Picture – How can a better understanding of econ help us understand the economic world of the past, present and future?

Literature Framework

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2007). Schooling by design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Big Ideas

• An important inference, drawn from the experience of experts, stated as a specific and useful generalization.

• Refers to transferable, big ideas having enduring understanding beyond a specific topic.

• Involves abstract counterintuitive and easily misunderstood ideas.

Big Ideas

• Is best acquired by “uncovering” (i.e., it must be developed inductively, co-constructed by learners) and “doing” the subject (i.e., using the ideas in realistic settings and with real-world problems).

• Summarizes important strategic principles in skill areas.

Knowledge vs Understanding

• The facts• A body of coherent

facts• Verifiable claims• Right or wrong• I know something to be

true• I respond on cue with

what I know

• The meaning of the facts• The “theory” that

provides coherence• Fallible, in-process

theories• A matter of degree • I understand why it is

true• I judge when to use what

I know

Transfer

• Apply learning to new situations not only in school, but also beyond it.

• The point of school is to learn in school how to make sense of learnings in order to lead better lives out of school.

• Learn now to apply lessons to later challenges.

Big Ideas in Econ

• People choose.

• People’s choices have costs.

• People respond to incentives in predictable ways.

• People create economic systems that influence individual choices and incentives.

• People gain when they trade voluntarily.

• People’s choices have consequences that lie in the future.

Processing

• What are some big ideas that are included in your curriculum?

Essential Questions

• What essential questions will foster inquiry, understanding, and transfer of learning?

Essential Questions

• Provocative and arguable question designed to guide inquiry into the big ideas.

• By actively exploring the essential questions, students develop and deepen their understanding.

Processing

• What are some essential questions that could apply to your curriculum?

Essential Question #2:

What knowledge and pedagogy do we want teacher candidates to possess?

How do we best prepare future teachers?

• Active and Engaging

• Modeling

• Resources: print and online

EconomicsKnowledge

Place InCurriculum

TeacherResources

Effective Economic Education

EconomicKnowledge

TeachingMethods

• 16 week, Semester Courses

• Meeting Twice Per Week

• 2 Days of Student Holidays, Per Course

• Generally taken during their sophomore or junior year

Course ComponentsPortfolio Approach:• Lesson Plan Projects

– One, Three, and Five Days• Journals

– Articles and Assigned• Reflection Letter• Exams

– 4, noncomprehensive

Text– McConnell/Brue Economics, 19th edition

Course Philosophy

• Interactive and engaging

• Learn by doing, no “busy work”

• Various teaching methods and strategies

• Model course design, teaching with objectives tied to assessment

• Professional networking opportunities, experiences

“I was very intimidated going into the semester, but then I became very comfortable with the subject, and it just didn’t seem hard anymore.”

“In a regular economics class you would not be given the opportunity to make lesson plans or improve on your teaching skills. That is a very big benefit of taking the education major’s section.”

Student Feedback…Student Feedback…

“I never would have imagined applying these concepts to many different classes. I am excited to actually be able to use these ideas in my future classroom.”

“The lesson plans have amazed me on how beneficial they have been to helping me learn the concepts.”

“Economics is much easier to learn when there is a real practical purpose such as teaching applied to it.”

Macroeconomics At A Glance

Week Concepts

1Economics and the economic problem; economic goals; micro vs. macro; positive vs. normative economics

2Economic resources; scarcity; production possibilities; opportunity cost; economic systems; circular flow model

3 supply and demand; determinants; equilibrium; shortages and surpluses

4 Review Concepts Previously Taught5 Gross Domestic Product

6 Business Cycle; Unemployment; Inflation

7 Aggregate Demand; Aggregate Supply; Equilibrium8 Fiscal Policy9 Review Concepts Previously Taught10 Functions of Money; Money Supply; Demand for Money11 Federal Reserve System12 Money Creation; Monetary Policy13 Monetary Policy Continued14 Deficits and Surpluses; Public Debt15 Economic Growth; International Trade16 Trade Barriers; Balance of Payments; Exchange Rates

Microeconomics At A Glance

Week Concepts

1Economics and the economic problem; economic goals; micro vs. macro; positive vs. normative economics

2Economic resources; scarcity; production possibilities; opportunity cost; economic systems; circular flow model

3 supply and demand; determinants; equilibrium; shortages and surpluses

4 supply and demand continued

5characteristics of market system; basic economic questions; competition and invisible hand

6 public and private sectors; legal forms of business; circular flow7 government finances (federal, state and local)8 price elasticity of demand 9 price elasticity of supply10 elasticity applications11 consumer behavior and utility maximization; demand for resources12 demand for resources (continued)13 costs of production; short run, long run14 pure competition15 pure monopoly; monopolistic competition16 monopolistic competition and oligopolies

Appendices

– Student Syllabus – Macro

– Student Syllabus – Micro

– Cognitive Levels

– Basic Economics K-12 Concepts

– Voluntary National Economics Standards

– Lesson Plan Format

– Economics Curriculum Project Evaluation

http://www.councilforeconed.org/syllabus/

Break Time!!

Online Resources• Econ Ed Link http://www.econedlink.org/• Econ Ed Reviews http://www.econedreviews.org/• Online Calculators

– CPI Calculator

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl– Money Chimp http://www.moneychimp.com/

• U.S. Debt Clock http://www.usdebtclock.org/• Federal Reserve Education

http://www.federalreserveeducation.org/• Keynes vs. Hayak rap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk• Virtual Economics - tutorial

Virtual Economics Virtual Economics 4.04.0

Virtual Economics Version 4.0 is available as a CD-ROM

VE 4.0 is also available as a 1 GB USB Flash

Drive

Virtual Economics 4.0Virtual Economics 4.0

51 key economics concepts 51 key economics concepts illustrated with an overview, a illustrated with an overview, a multimedia demonstration, multimedia demonstration, teaching tips and featured teaching tips and featured lessonslessons

Virtual Economics 4.0Virtual Economics 4.0

1,400 CEE lessons searchable by 1,400 CEE lessons searchable by economic concept, grade level, economic concept, grade level, key word, national economics key word, national economics standard, your state economics standard, your state economics standard and publicationstandard and publication

Lunch Time!!

Essential Question #3:

How can we model the pedagogy in the classroom?

Engagement Strategies for Economics

• Opportunity Cost Apron

• The Bag Game

• Property Rights Activity

Bag game slide here

Take a Break!

Integrating Economic Concepts in Preservice Preparation

Big Ideas in Econ

• People choose.

• People’s choices have costs.

• People respond to incentives in predictable ways.

• People create economic systems that influence individual choices and incentives.

• People gain when they trade voluntarily.

• People’s choices have consequences that lie in the future.

Other Examples• In a free market, price is a function of supply and

demand.• Relative scarcity may lead to trade and economic

interdependence or to conflict.• Governments make rules to influence the economy.• Firms make decisions based on profit maximization.• Freely competitive markets are efficient.• The topography, climate, and natural resources of a

region influence the culture, economy, and lifestyle of its inhabitants.

• There is rarely a single obvious cause to a complex event.

What does “Essential” Mean in Econ?

• Important questions that recur throughout life:– “what is fairness?”

• Core ideas and inquiries within a discipline:– “what causes recession?”

• Helps students make sense of complicated ideas:– “how do we manage the economy?”

• Engages the students through relevance and meaning:– “how am I a consumer?”

Econ Examples

• What motivates human behavior?• What determines value?• Why do people trade?• Why do people migrate?• Why do economies grow?• How does where we live influence how we live?

Understanding Econ in U.S. History

• Why did the colonists fight when they were safe prosperous and free?

• How did cotton become king?

• Was free land a good deal?

• Were the Robber Barons really robbers?

• Could the U.S. economy have grown without the railroad?

• Who should make the food safe?

• Did the New Deal help or harm the recovery?

Processing

• What are some essential questions that could apply to your curriculum?

• What strategies can you use to teach econ vocabulary?

The Flipped Classroom

• Article: The Flipped Classroom

• Video: The Flipped Classroom

• The Flipped Classroom is Born

Charge!!

3 – 2 – 13 – 2 – 1List 3 things you found interesting.

List 2 things you want to learn more about.

What 1 thing will you try in your classroom?