Teaching Economics in Troubled Times


Book Description

In the Great Recession of 2007-2010, Americans watched their retirement savings erode and the value of their homes decline while the unemployment rate increased and GDP sank. New demands emerged for unprecedented government intervention into the economy. While these changes have a dramatic impact on society at large, they also have serious implications for the content and teaching of economics. 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. Part I offers clear and teachable overviews of the nature of today’s complex economic crisis and the corollary changes in teaching economics that flow from revising and updating long-held economic assumptions. Part II provides both detailed best practices for teaching economics in the social studies classroom and frameworks for teaching economics within different contexts including personal finance, entrepreneurship, and history. Part III concludes with effective strategies for teaching at the elementary and secondary school levels based on current research on economic education. From advice on what every economics teacher should know, to tips for best education practices, to investigations into what research tells us about teaching economics, this collection provides a wealth of contextual background and teaching ideas for today’s economics and social studies educators. Additional information and resources can be found at the authors’ website neweconteaching.com.




Teaching Economics in Troubled Times


Book Description

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.




Good Economics for Hard Times


Book Description

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.




Poor Economics


Book Description

The winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics upend the most common assumptions about how economics works in this gripping and disruptive portrait of how poor people actually live. Why do the poor borrow to save? Why do they miss out on free life-saving immunizations, but pay for unnecessary drugs? In Poor Economics, Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo, two award-winning MIT professors, answer these questions based on years of field research from around the world. Called "marvelous, rewarding" by the Wall Street Journal, the book offers a radical rethinking of the economics of poverty and an intimate view of life on 99 cents a day. Poor Economics shows that creating a world without poverty begins with understanding the daily decisions facing the poor.




Teachers Can Be Financially Fit


Book Description

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.




Innovations in Economic Education


Book Description

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.




Economics for Middle School


Book Description

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.




The Language of Social Studies Education


Book Description

Social studies is a discipline unique to K-12 education and tasked with the preparation of democratic citizens. Social studies educators work with concepts, theories, and ideas from multiple disciplines across the social sciences and humanities, which makes discourse through shared language complex. Specialization in content areas that comprise the social studies can further complicate shared understanding of essential terms. The Language of Social Studies Education offers essential information for key concepts organized to reflect the contemporary context of K-12 social studies education. The concepts found within this volume reflect the breadth of the discipline while also providing the foundational knowledge needed to develop deeper understanding. Each entry is based on multiple sources that invite the reader to pursue their interests through further inquiry. This book will appeal to those who are looking for concise information based on respected scholarship from disciplines across the social studies. Even seasoned social studies practitioners will find its entries helpful for incorporating new concepts, ideas, and approaches into their discourses on citizenship education.




The Global Economy in Turbulent Times


Book Description

A leading authority's answer to today's global economic challenges In Global Economy in Turbulent Times, Harvard economist Dr. See-Yan Lin offers his timely and incisive views on today's key economic issues. Adapted from his hugely popular column in the Malaysia Star newspaper, these articles offer fresh and entertaining perspectives on perennial economic problems. The discussion covers the world economy, with particular attention to the US, EU, Japan, and the international monetary system, as Dr. Lin explains how the economy is broken and offers multiple paths to repair. Coverage includes emerging East Asia, ASEAN (especially Malaysia), and BRICS nations, plus the author's own views on global demography, the need for quality education, corporate governance in Malaysia, and more. Dr. Lin's expertise in strategic and financial issues is renown and actively sought in the academic, economic, banking, and business realms. In this book, he presents his observations and analysis of the global economy, and the most pressing issues facing the world's financial future. Consider the issues faced by the world's leading economies Examine the factors underlying inadequacy of political will to act Gain insight into the middle class that's emerging across the globe Get new perspective on CSR and management from a leading authority Opinions on the world's economic problems are abundant, but seldom do they come from such an authoritative source. Dr. Lin draws upon decades of economic experience and the knowledge gained through three post-graduate Harvard degrees to give you a deeper understanding of the current state of the economy. Gain the insight of a multi-awarded scholar and economist with the deep discussion and expert analysis in Global Economy in Turbulent Times.




Marking the "Invisible"


Book Description

Substantial research has been put forth calling for the field of social studies education to engage in work dealing with the influence of race and racism within education and society (Branch, 2003; Chandler, 2015; Chandler & Hawley, 2017; Husband, 2010; King & Chandler, 2016; Ladson-Billings, 2003; Ooka Pang, Rivera & Gillette, 1998). Previous contributions have examined the presence and influence of race/ism within the field of social studies teaching and research (e.g. Chandler, 2015, Chandler & Hawley, 2017; Ladson-Billings, 2003; Woyshner & Bohan, 2012). In order to challenge the presence of racism within social studies, research must attend to the control that whiteness and white supremacy maintain within the field. This edited volume builds from these previous works to take on whiteness and white supremacy directly in social studies education. In Marking the “Invisible”, editors assemble original contributions from scholars working to expose whiteness and disrupt white supremacy in the field of social studies education. We argue for an articulation of whiteness within the field of social studies education in pursuit of directly challenging its influences on teaching, learning, and research. Across 27 chapters, authors call out the strategies deployed by white supremacy and acknowledge the depths by which it is used to control, manipulate, confine, and define identities, communities, citizenships, and historical narratives. This edited volume promotes the reshaping of social studies education to: support the histories, experiences, and lives of Students and Teachers of Color, challenge settler colonialism and color-evasiveness, develop racial literacy, and promote justice-oriented teaching and learning. Praise for Marking the “Invisible” "As the theorization of race and racism continues to gain traction in social studies education, this volume offers a much-needed foundational grounding for the field. From the foreword to the epilogue, Marking the “Invisible” foregrounds conversations of whiteness in notions of supremacy, dominance, and rage. The chapters offer an opportunity for social studies educators to position critical theories of race such as critical race theory, intersectionality, and settler colonialism at the forefront of critical examinations of whiteness. Any social studies educator -researcher concerned with the theorization or teaching of race should engage with this text in their work." Christopher L. Busey, University of Florida