Teaching Economics in Troubled Times

<p>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. </p><p><em>Teaching Economics in a Time of Unprecedented Change</em> 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.</p> <p><strong>Introduction</strong></p><p>Mark C. Schug</p><p>William C. Wood</p><p><strong>Part I: The Changing Economic Scene</strong></p><p>1. What Every High School Student and Teacher Needs to Know about Economics</p><p>James Gwartney</p><p>Mark C. Schug</p><p>2. Maynard Keynes: Dead But Not Forgotten</p><p>Scott Niederjohn</p><p>3. Free Trade: Helping Ourselves While Helping Others </p><p>Dwight R. Lee</p><p>4. Public Choice and Behavioral Economics: Implications for Instructors</p><p>Angela M. Smith</p><p>William C. Wood</p><p>5. Morality of Markets: Classroom and Conscience</p><p>J.R. Clark</p><p>Mark Schug</p><p><strong>Part II Making Economics Cool in School</strong></p><p>6. A Challenging Assignment in Troubled Times: What Every First Year High School Economics Teacher Needs to Know</p><p>Jane S. Lopus </p><p>7. A Jewel for Your School’s Curriculum in Uncertain Economic Times: The Advanced Placement Economics Course</p><p>John Morton</p><p>8. Vital Knowledge in Troubled Times: The Role of Personal Finance in Economic Education</p><p>Michael S. Gutter</p><p>Selena Garrison</p><p>9. Entrepreneurship Education, When and Where it Counts: The American Dream Youthpreneurship Program</p><p>Barbara Flowers </p><p>10. Economics in History: What Every High School Student and Teacher Needs to Know</p><p>Lucien Ellington</p><p><strong>Part III Research Finding in Economic Education</strong></p><p>11. Best Economic Education Practices for Children</p><p>Philip VanFossen</p><p>12. What Research Tells Us about Teaching High School Economics</p><p>Michael Watts</p><p>William B. Walstad</p>